Over $550,000 in grants awarded to local nonprofits

Twenty-nine local nonprofits are receiving $550,386 through the Quad Cities Community Foundation’s Operations and Program Grants.

The Operations and Program Grants are made possible by generous donations to Field of Interest Funds as well as the Quad Cities Community Impact Fund. The grants make up the Community Foundation’s largest competitive grantmaking cycle each year; this year, more than 100 organizations applied for $3 million in funding requests.

“The Quad Cities has a strong and innovative nonprofit sector,” said Sue Hafkemeyer, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “To sustain that strength and grow, nonprofits need operational funding. Our donors recognize this need, and their generosity is helping to make our region a better place for everyone.”

Providing general operating funding and program support for successful ongoing efforts, awards cover a variety of focus areas, from basic needs and health to community development and arts and culture. Operations and Program Grants range in size from $5,000 to $20,000, with $40,000 available for two-year requests.

“Nonprofits touch every one of our lives,” said Kelly Thompson, Community Foundation vice president of grantmaking and community initiatives. “Housing, health, recreation, education, and so much more rely on the contributions of these organizations. Each one has inclusivity, equity, and empowerment at the heart of their work, and they are making our community a better place.”

This year’s grants come from the following funds, with additional funding provided by the Quad Cities Community Impact Fund. An * denotes a grant paid over the course of two years.

  • AFP - IL QC Chapter—$5,000

  • Aldridge Early Learning Center—$20,000*

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley—$10,000

  • Cafe On Vine—$10,000

  • Child Protection Response Center—$17,600

  • Children's Therapy Center of the Quad Cities—$5,000

  • Christian Care—$10,000

  • Empower House—$30,000*

  • Fresh Films - Dreaming Tree Foundation—$30,000*

  • Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce—$40,000*

  • Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities—$20,000

  • Hand in Hand—$30,000*

  • Heart of Hope Ministries—$20,000*

  • Humble Dwellings—$5,000

  • Inspire Next—$5,786

  • LivWell CARES—$10,000

  • Martin Luther King Jr. Center, Inc.—$30,000*

  •  NEST Café—$17,000

  • Palomares Social Justice Center—$20,000*

  • Quad City Arts—$12,000

  • Safer Foundation - Quad Cities—$20,000

  • SBC Outreach Music and Arts Academy—$10,000

  • School Health LINK, Inc.—$40,000*

  • Soles for Children, Inc.—$15,000*

  • St. Anthony Church—$20,000*

  • STEAM on Wheels—$40,000*

  • The Bloom Project—$8,000

  • Youth Service Bureau of RI County—$20,000

  • YWCA of the Quad Cities—$30,000*

 

Grants are made available thanks to the generosity of donors in the region through endowment gifts that support communities in the Quad Cities area:

  • The Amy Helpenstell Foundation Fund

  • Basic Human Needs Fund

  • Chip Sunderbrook Risk Management Endowment

  • CommunityWorks Endowment

  • Health and Wellness Fund

  • John J. Quail Endowment

  • Judith Berger Endowment

  • Quad Cities Community Impact Fund

  • Randi and Gary Segal Family Fund in Memory of Annabelle Richman

  • Roy E. Murray Endowment

  • Sekharan Family Fund

  • Stephen and Annie Chan Charitable Endowment

  • Joyce Paustian and Woody Perkins Endowment Fund

  • Barbara and W. Scott Tinsman Sr. Endowment Fund

  • Jean and Rex Hutchison Endowment Fund

  • Bill and Helen Iten Family Endowment

  • Carol and John Willard Endowment

 

The Quad Cities Community Impact Fund is supported by donors from across the community and charitable funds gifted by Duncan J. and Dianne R. Cameron, Elise A. Brett, Henry and Linda Neuman, the Hofmann Family, Irma L. Jepsen, John & Pat Lujack, Louise Gerbers, Maggie Tinsman, Marsha and Don Pedersen, Mary Hubbell Waterman, Mary Rose Hawkinson, Paul and Beverly Eckert, the Potter Family, Ray and Jill McLaughlin, Richard and Sally Muller, Robert Cowles, and Wilbert Schaff. 

Gifts to the Community Impact Fund and many Field of Interest Funds make a tremendous impact in our community every day. Learn more and make a contribution at QCCommunityFoundation.org. 

Will Van Camp