Nine nonprofits receive capacity building grants totaling more than $111,000
The Quad Cities Community Foundation today announced the recipients of its spring 2021 Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants. With up to $15,000 in funding available for each project, the grants provide powerful support for investments in equipment and technology, training for staff and board members, and strategic planning work, among other areas. This cycle’s grantees represent an equally broad range of industries, from arts and culture to workforce development. What unites them all is a strong vision for the future—both of their individual organizations and of the community as a whole.
According to Lisa Stachula, a grantmaking specialist at the Community Foundation, the grants come at a critical time. “After an unprecedented year of increased expenses and decreased fundraising ability, these organizations demonstrated the resiliency needed to survive the pandemic,” she said. “These projects can now help them shift from surviving to thriving in our new normal.”
One grant recipient committed to making the most of this turning point is Lead(h)er, which supports women in the workforce through its mentor matching program. Now celebrating its fifth year in operation, the organization will use its $3,000 grant to fund an in-depth strategic planning effort.
“As we transition from an adolescent organization into an adult organization, we have to really look at what our long-term outcomes are going to be in our community,” said Megan Brown-Saldana, Lead(h)er’s executive director. “A robust and well-developed strategic plan allows us to move forward serving more women with mentorship—but to do it in an intentional way that addresses social issues like the pay gap or representation of women in leadership.”
For Hilltop Campus Village Corp., setting a course for the future means investing in critical equipment and technology. “Not-for-profits, just like small businesses, come to points in their lives where they need capital to enhance productivity and provide more service to support their missions,” said Scott Tunnicliff, Hilltop Campus Village’s director.
With its $9,200 Nonprofit Capacity Building Grant, the organization will outfit a part of a former credit union with new technology, transforming the space for local business owners to run webinars and trainings, collaborate in person and virtually, conduct research, and more. “All of this can help start businesses in the Hilltop Campus Village, stimulating economic development and reinvestment in the area, which, along with historic preservation, is our mission,” said Tunnicliff.
He sees the Community Foundation as a vital partner in this work. “They’re a resource that greatly enhances our opportunity to do more than dream,” he said.
Brown-Saldana agrees. “The Community Foundation lives its mission through helping others complete their mission. Through funding like this, they’re showing our community that they believe in mentorship and that mentorship matters,” she said. In fact, she recognizes the Community Foundation as a mentor. “They mentor every single applicant through the process. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned grant writer, the Community Foundation lives mentorship so that all our nonprofit leaders can be successful in fulfilling their missions.”
Working closely with so many local organizations helps the Community Foundation affirm that the Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants program is meeting a need in the Quad Cities nonprofit sector, Stachula said. “We are thrilled to support these nine organizations in this work!”
The following nonprofits received spring 2021 Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants:
Argrow’s House, for critical equipment needs—$14,943
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley, for staff and board training and education—$9,200
Hilltop Campus Village Corp., for critical equipment and technology/software needs—$9,200
Lead(h)er, for strategic planning and board training and education—$3,000
Project NOW, for assessment, consulting, and facilitation—$15,000
Quad Cities Open Network, for staff training and assessment, consulting, and facilitation—$15,000
The First Tee of the Quad Cities, for critical equipment needs—$15,000
WGVV, for strategic planning and technology/software needs—$15,000
YouthHope, for strategic planning and technology/software needs—$15,000
Grants are made from the Quad Cities Community Impact Fund, a permanent fund started by donors in the community so that the Community Foundation can respond to high-priority needs and opportunities in the Quad Cities as they arise. To support the fund, you can give online or contact Anne Calder, vice president of development, at 563/326-2840 or AnneCalder@QCCommunityFoundation.org
Another round of Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants will be awarded in the fall. Letters of interest are being accepted now through September 1, 2021. To learn more, visit https://www.qccommunityfoundation.org/nonprofitcapacitybuilding.