Quad Cities Community Foundation awards $300,000 to local nonprofit
Transformation Grant will support Tapestry Farms and their work to support refugees, grow food
The Quad Cities Community Foundation has awarded a $300,000 Transformation Grant—the largest single grant award it funds each year—to Tapestry Farms.
The three-year grant will ensure that Tapestry Farms’ visionary mission can sustainably grow as they take on the intertwined challenges of food insecurity and supporting refugee families who make the Quad Cities region a thriving, beautiful community.
Tapestry Farms is a nonprofit urban farm system that invests in the lives of refugees who resettle in the Quad Cities.
“The Transformation Grant is designed for organizations that are ready to take a big step forward in their work,” said Sue Hafkemeyer, the Community Foundation’s president and CEO. “Tapestry Farms is driven by compassion, creativity, and boundless community spirit. They are making the Quad Cities a more beautiful and equitable place, and we can’t wait to see what they do next.”
Transformation Grants are funded each year through donor contributions to the Quad Cities Community Impact Fund.
Founded in 2017, Tapestry Farms provides a robust welcome to refugees, connecting them with nutritious and culturally appropriate food, individual support, employment, and other vital resources. To date, Tapestry Farms has served approximately 500 people in more than 100 families. They provide what is known as a “long welcome,” support that ensures new families continue to thrive as they begin their new lives and enrich the entire Quad Cities community.
“We imagine a Quad Cities where any refugee or immigrant can find home again, access the services they need, and grow or access the nutritious food that’s foundational to health and full community engagement,” said Ann McGlynn, founder and executive director of Tapestry Farms. “We’re not always perfect, but we always learn and listen. We walk with the families we serve, and we learn from our partnering organizations—that spirit of collaboration is how we’re going to continue to grow.”
That growth mission extends beyond the garden. Tapestry Farms works and advocates to create strong “welcoming infrastructure” for all people, including refugees. This promotes civic engagement, opens doors to immigrants participating in the local economy, creates educational opportunities for the community, and makes the region safer for all residents.
Research is clear that limited access to healthy foods can lead to serious physical health complications such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity, among others. Children at risk of hunger will more likely struggle in school and experience poor physical, mental, and emotional health. Tapestry Farms is working to reduce these challenges to benefit local health, economic, and educational outcomes.
“The need for food, opportunities, and connection to resources continues to grow,” said McGlynn. “Ten years ago, our community resettled between 200 and 225 refugees annually. In 2024, 670 refugees became part of our community, all seeking safety and hope for a better future. Because of the meaningful investment made by Community Foundation donors, we are positioned to grow, meet this need, and better support the families who make the Quad Cities thrive.”
Over the next three years, the Transformation Grant will enable Tapestry Farms to nearly triple the pounds of food grown and more than double the families served by their culturally specific food pantry. Additionally, the organization will move into a new, larger operational space, retain full-time staff, and explore new resources for refugees. Planned programming includes community English language classes, navigation of legal services, and courses to encourage neighbors to grow food in their own backyard.
“Tapestry Farms has created a unique and multifaceted approach that meets the needs of a vulnerable population and improves the lives of everyone who lives in our community,” said Kelly Thompson, vice president of grantmaking and community initiatives at the Quad Cities Community Foundation. “Their mission represents a united and hopeful vision for the Quad Cities. Together with our board and donors, we are proud to be a dedicated partner in that work.”
More about Tapestry Farms:
Sustainable growth is at the core of Tapestry Farms’ mission. The urban farm system spans 10 seasonal plots throughout the Quad Cities, ranging in size from small, raised beds in west Rock Island to a 7500 square foot garden in central Davenport. Much of this space is on reclaimed, underutilized land, creating beautiful and productive green spaces for the community.
Tapestry Farms employs refugees as farm specialists, who, along with over 300 volunteers, use regenerative farming techniques to grow culturally specific food and flowers. The community that Tapestry Farms primarily serves is considered “food insecure” by Feeding America. This situation has been exacerbated by the closure of local grocery stores in recent years. Tapestry Farms is working to alleviate this pressure on their neighbors by making more food accessible. Food grown on the farm is distributed for free by delivery and through food pantries and nonprofit partners. The rest is sold at the Quad-Cities Farmers Market and through a monthly produce subscription.
More about the Quad Cities Community Foundation:
Since 1964, the Quad Cities Community Foundation has championed the causes and organizations that benefit the entire community and make the Quad Cities region a great place to live, work, and play. With the support of donors, the Community Foundation supports grants for vital nonprofits, scholarships for local students, and a wide range of community resources—from parks and music venues to food banks and health services.
Facts:
In the program’s ten-year history, the Community Foundation’s Transformation Grants have invested more than $2 million in local nonprofit organizations.
The UN Refugee Agency estimates that more than 2.9 million refugees worldwide will need resettlement in 2025.
Based on the 2020 census, without the individuals and families who join the community through international immigration, the Quad Cities population would be shrinking.
Feeding America data reports that 18,910 Rock Island County residents, or 13.2 percent, qualify as food insecure, with an annual food budget shortfall of more than $14 million.
Tapestry Farms now operates a state-of-the-art Freight Farms hydroponics operation in the parking lot of the Quad-Cities Botanical Center. The 320-square-foot refurbished shipping container grows mostly lettuces, leafy greens, and root vegetables year-round.
The majority of families served by Tapestry Farms come from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Syria, Afghanistan, and Haiti.
Last year, Tapestry Farms grew 200 Intoryi plants. The eggplant-like vegetable was purchased from a farmer originally from Burundi—it is an example of the culturally specific food that the farm makes available.