“They’ll think of generosity”: A Q&A with new grantmaking specialist Kaleigh Trammell

Kaleigh Trammell may originally hail from Springfield, Missouri, but there’s something about joining the Quad Cities Community Foundation that feels like coming home.

Back in Springfield, a job at a local science center was Trammell’s introduction to the nonprofit sector—an introduction that blossomed into a multifaceted relationship when she joined the grantmaking team at the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. She grew to love the work of partnering with local organizations and donors to drive change in the community, but she had to leave her job when she and her partner relocated to Rock Island over two years ago. Since then, she’s been immersed in the region’s arts and culture sector as the Festival of Trees administrator at Quad City Arts.

Now, as she begins a new role at the Quad Cities Community Foundation, Trammell shares what it means to be back at a grantmaking organization and why she’s excited to play a bigger role in helping the community’s nonprofits and donors achieve their goals.

Welcome, Kaleigh! You love community foundations. Why?

Being part of a community foundation is the best of both worlds. Rather than going out and advocating for one organization, I can advocate for all the organizations in the area. I absolutely love getting to be part of everything that’s happening in the community.

Community foundations make it easy to give. That encourages folks to be even more generous and share the Community Foundation with other people. That helps grow generosity and, at the end of the day, impacts the community.

Tell us about your new role. What are you looking forward to the most?

As a grantmaking specialist, I’ll be working mostly with nonprofit agency funds and designated funds, as well as on our competitive grants.  

I’m excited to learn more about the nonprofit sector here in the Quad Cities and then to help educate organizations—especially those that don’t have as much capacity as others—about how they can connect to resources that will help them achieve their goals for themselves and for the community.

I’m also excited for everyone else to see the impact of what our donors are doing through their funds with the help of our work behind the scenes. 

What are some highlights from your first few days on board? 

My first day, everyone who was in the office popped in to say hello. What everyone said was that working here is so rewarding and that I’m going to love it. It’s a culture that’s positive and a team that works well together.

To hear those things—and to have everyone say, “I’m so glad you’re here”—was really beneficial for me. I loved my last job, and any time you leave a job you love, you want that confirmation that you’ve made the right choice.  

The Community Foundation’s mission is to transform the region through the generosity of donors. What does that mean to you?

I love that I get to be the pipeline between donors and the causes that are important to them—and then to nonprofits and the outcomes they’re trying to achieve. I’m also excited to see us strategically address upstream issues in the community. Rather than creating a grant program or putting together partnerships that tackle only the symptoms of a larger problem, we can take on the problem that’s causing all those symptoms.

What’s your hope for the Quad Cities community?

I’ve loved living in the Quad Cities for the past two and a half years. I would love to see the Quad Cities be known for our innovation, our inclusivity, and our creativity. With thriving arts and culture and education sectors, we can be a place where young professionals want to come and raise their families.

There’s a lot of opportunity for growth in the nonprofit sector—and in terms of collaboration with for-profit entities. I see a lot of willingness to be generous in our community, and I’m excited for that to continue to thrive. When people think of the Quad Cities, I hope they’ll think of generosity.