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Longtime Matthew 25 leader Clint Twedt-Ball to step down July 15
As he steps away, Co-Founder predicts the organization’s ‘best days are still ahead’
Jun. 29, 2025 5:30 am, Updated: Jun. 30, 2025 8:07 am
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CEDAR RAPIDS — After nearly 20 years at the helm, Matthew 25 Executive Director Clint Twedt-Ball is set to step down this summer.
Matthew 25 has been a staple in the Time Check and Taylor neighborhoods for years thanks to the nonprofit’s mix of asset-based, community-centered programming led by Twedt-Ball and the rest of the organization's leadership team.
That leadership team is set to change after Twedt-Ball’s departure on July 15, but the longtime nonprofit leader recently spoke with The Gazette to espouse strong confidence that the organization’s “best days are still ahead.”
“It’s definitely a mix of emotions for me, … but I really feel like we’re at a great place as an organization where we have the right leadership team to keep things running smoothly” throughout this transition, Twedt-Ball said.
Twedt-Ball started Matthew 25 alongside his brother, Courtney Ball, in 2006, driven by a desire to engage in community development work within historically and economically marginalized neighborhoods.
The brothers — both pastors — started Mathew 25 out of the basement of Trinity United Methodist Church with regular sermons and a roster of community services such as free summer lunch distributions and tax preparation assistance.
Then came the flood of 2008.
“The flood was a huge turning point for us,” Twedt-Ball recalled. “Everything that we had already invested in was washed away, and we realized that we really needed to scale up if we were going to help all the people who needed help.”
The pair spent much of 2008 going door-to-door in the Time Check and Taylor neighborhoods to speak with residents and listen to their stories, and as an organization Matthew 25 became an in-between to help direct donations and financial aid to those who needed it most.
With 2009 came the launch of Mathew 25’s “Block by Block” campaign, a community-led flood recovery campaign that eventually raised more than $6 million to support more than 250 flood-affected residents across 25 city blocks.
All the while, the brothers were constantly asking themselves: “What’s next?” and “What if?”
“Already, we were using an asset-based community development model,” Twedt-Ball said. “Essentially that model says low-income neighborhoods are best rebuilt and revitalized when they focus on the gifts they have instead of the deficits.”
It’s a model that served Matthew 25 well, he said, pushing the organization to bigger and better heights each year through the application of innovative attitudes to underutilized space.
In 2012, Matthew 25 launched the state’s first urban farm on empty plots left from homes demolished after the flood, and the next year the organization purchased the historic Kingston Building at 201 Third Ave. SW.
“Nobody wanted this place, nobody, but we thought ‘Well we can turn this place nobody wants into a community space people want to be,’” Twedt-Ball said. “People talk about having rose-colored glasses right? If we get to choose how we see the world, I would rather see it through the lens of possibility and creative solutions.”
Matthew 25 restored the building into its current headquarters, and in 2018 they used a portion of the structure to launch Groundswell Cafe — Iowa’s only “pay-it-forward” cafe where everyone can access food regardless of their ability to pay.
Not long after, the building and the surrounding neighborhood sustained damage from the 2020 derecho. Using lessons learned from the 2008 flood, however, the group was able to quickly organize community resources to build back stronger.
Each of those milestones represented “mini turning points” for Matthew 25, Twedt-Ball said, as well as for its growing team. The organization that began with the two brothers now staffs nearly 40 people and leverages a robust team of volunteers for neighborhood and community development.
But more than the grand openings or ribbon cuttings, Twedt-Ball said it’s been the “unexpected moments” that stand out to him most after nearly two decades with the organization.
He recalled an unhoused individual stopping into Groundswell Cafe as a way to get a special meal to celebrate their birthday, and the joy on a resident’s face when a crew of volunteers showed up to help with a daunting home repair.
“There’s so many unexpected moments where you’re reminded of the power of a neighborhood and of the community,” Twedt-Ball said. “... I love those moments. They’re what remind us what humanity is all about: working toward a shared, common good.”
Now, Twedt-Ball is ready to pass the torch in a move that will allow him the opportunity to “see what’s next.” He expressed confidence in the current Matthew 25 team to lead the organization forward, adding that he will never stop viewing the staff and volunteers as “family.”
“When you do this kind of work, you’re standing on the shoulders of others who came before you,” Twedt-Ball said. “You know you’re not going to make the world perfect, but if you can build something that gets handed off to the next generation then that’s to me what’s most important.”
Matthew 25 expects to announce an interim director within the week, said Chief Development Officer Jana Bodensteiner. That individual will oversee operations while the board conducts a nationwide search for Twedt-Ball’s replacement.
Bodensteiner said there is no set timeline on the executive search, noting that the board’s primary goal is finding the “right fit” for the director role rather than simply filling the position as soon as possible.
“The board really wants to make sure they’re conducting a thorough, nationwide search,” she said. “They want to make sure they find the right person, so they’re not going to rush it.”
In a written statement posted to the Matthew 25 website, board president Ryan Anderson emphasized the board’s continued commitment to the nonprofit’s core mission and programming after Twedt-Ball’s departure.
“The board at Matthew 25 is thankful for Clint’s dedicated years of service, both to this organization and to the larger Cedar Rapids area,” Anderson wrote. “While we will miss (his) leadership, we are confident that Matthew 25 will continue to champion strong neighborhoods in Cedar Rapids into the future.”
Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com
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