Search Through Rock Island County Grants for Nonprofits in Illinois

Better Health Foundation

The mission of the Better Health Foundation is to mobilize philanthropy to measurably improve community health for all the people of the 9-county greater Quad Cities region.

Capacity Building and Service Support Grants

Capacity Building and Service Support grants are intended to strengthen the operations and programs of nonprofits and nonprofit partnerships in the region to increase their service reach and their ability to generate significant community health results.

Focus

We seek partners that will use our grant investments to produce concrete, material results for the betterment of health in communities within the region. 

What are examples?

Examples of capacity building include (but are not limited to) requests to improve management skills, to develop true business and financial plans that will guide sustainability, or to expand fundraising strategies or staffing. Focus is on the quality, strength and sustainability of the internal operations of the organization or partnership that are necessary to achieve growth and stability.

To support service expansion or quality, grant applications might address the addition of complementary services, service access by underserved communities, or service quality improvement. The focus is on ensuring that high quality community health services are available to and accessible by everyone in all types of communities in the region. 

Better Health Foundation

The mission of the Better Health Foundation is to mobilize philanthropy to measurably improve community health for all the people of the 9-county greater Quad Cities region.

Discretionary Grants

Discretionary grants are intended to help nonprofit organizations respond to organizational emergencies or unusual or unforeseen expenses that create a barrier for service provision. 

Focus

We seek partners that will use our grant investments to produce concrete, material results for the betterment of health in communities within the region. 

What are examples?

Examples might include a response to natural or man-made disasters, or inaccessible or destroyed technology or equipment. The emergency must be a barrier to providing services or carrying out basic operations. Awards will be made consistent with the Foundation’s mission and guidelines.

Better Health Foundation

The mission of the Better Health Foundation is to mobilize philanthropy to measurably improve community health for all the people of the 9-county greater Quad Cities region.

Innovation Grants

Innovation grants are intended to bring new players, new methods, or new partnerships to community health priorities to improve community health results. The focus is on identifying and trying new ideas and new approaches, either created anew in the region or replicated in the region from elsewhere in the nation where success has been experienced.

Focus

We seek partners that will use our grant investments to produce concrete, material results for the betterment of health in communities within the region. 

What are examples?

Examples might include a new pathway for reaching or impacting a community not usually engaged in health prevention (e.g., mosques to engage Muslim women in diabetes prevention), an innovative technological approach to a problem (mood focused smartphone apps to prevent suicide), an initiative to test an approach to a community health problem whose origins are poorly understood or appreciated (e.g., adjusting health approaches for culture).

The emphasis is on creativity and ensuring that there is true community partnership in concepts, actions, and results.  

Better Health Foundation

The mission of the Better Health Foundation is to mobilize philanthropy to measurably improve community health for all the people of the 9-county greater Quad Cities region.

Solutions at Scale Grants

Solutions at Scale grants are intended to enable initiatives with clear evidence of effectiveness to be adopted throughout the region by a significant number of organizations serving a significant number of communities. The Foundation will be deeply involved in identifying and structuring these issues as a true substantive partner in the proposal process. The priority will be to grow solutions that have proven evidence of success, either in the region or nationally.  

Focus

We seek partners that will use our grant investments to produce concrete, material results for the betterment of health in communities within the region. 

An example of a Solutions at Scale grant might be to deploy across the region to every veteran a nationally recognized suicide prevention program. The focus is on solutions that affect many people covering a large geographic area.

Making community possible

At U.S. Bank, we are dedicated to supporting our communities through responsive and humbled actions focused on addressing racial and economic inequities and creating lasting change in our communities. Through our Community Possible Grant Program, we are partnering with organizations that focus on economic and workforce advancement, safe and affordable housing and communities connected through arts and culture.

The U.S. Bank Foundation is committed to making Community Possible through Work, Home and Play. We advance this work through collaborative grant making to bring equitable and lasting change through our focus on sustainable, high-impact funding with 501c3 nonprofit partners.

How we partner with nonprofits

We focus on collaborative grantmaking and sustainable, high-impact funding with 501(c)(3) nonprofit partners. We partner with organizations that support:

• Economic and workforce advancement
• Safe and affordable housing
• Community arts and culture

Our strategy

Our community affairs and foundation team work closely with U.S. Bank regional leadership, business resource groups and our National Community Advisory Committee to ensure that prevailing needs are addressed in all the communities we serve.

To make the most meaningful impact, we prioritize organizations that:

• Focus on economic development issues related to work, home and play
• Address more than one of the grant pillars (work, home and play)
• Are based in and serve designated U.S. Bank communities
• Advance diversity, equity and inclusion

Charitable Contributions

Costco Wholesale’s primary charitable efforts specifically focus on programs supporting children, education, and health and human services in the communities where we do business. Throughout the year we receive a large number of requests from nonprofit organizations striving to make a positive impact, and we are thankful to be able to provide support to a variety of organizations and causes. While we would like to respond favorably to all requests, understandably, the needs are far greater than our allocated resources and we are unable to accommodate them all.

Warehouse Donations:

Warehouse donations are handled at the warehouse level - please consult your local warehouse for up-to-date information regarding their donations contacts and review process.

Grant Applications

If the request is under consideration, you may be contacted by staff for any additional information needed. Applications are reviewed within 4-6 weeks, and decisions are made based on several factors, including: type of program; identified community need not otherwise available; indication that evidenced based data will establish measurable results of intended outcomes; community collaboration; broad base of financial support; project budget and operating expenses.

Who We Are

The Creag Foundation is a private grant making foundation established in 2009 in Woodinville, Washington.

The founders of the Creag Foundation believe that meaningful change can only be achieved through hard work, creativity and passion. They also understand the practical mechanisms that allow charitable organizations to succeed and grow. As a group, Creag Foundation principals are dedicated to helping today’s most innovative programs improve the human condition in a wide variety of ways.

Our Focus

The broad purpose of the Foundation is to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations who are innovators in the field of human services. Our particular focus is on smaller organizations that are starting out or established organizations that are looking for funding to take their organization in a new direction.

What We Fund

/ What We Fund

The Creag Foundation is focused on innovation in the industry. We will consider proposals from 501(c)(3) organizations that are finding new ways to address societal issues facing the nonprofit community. Applicants must have held 501(c)(3) status for one year before submitting. If your organization has held 501(c)(3) status for over a year, and your believe that your organization has a new approach to an existing social problem or is addressing a previously unaddressed social issue, you are welcome to contact us and request that we consider your organization for a funding opportunity.

Mission

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service—and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Whether providing a scholarship to a deserving student, supporting a rural health clinic or bringing artists into schools so children can see firsthand the beauty of the arts, the Foundations’ focus is consistent: to help those in need, those underserved and those underrepresented in society. Since the Foundations were formed in the 1940s, the scale and capabilities of the grant making have changed, but the mission has not.

Culture Grant

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those that enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent. Supported organizations include arts schools, ballets, museums, operas, performing arts centers, symphonies and theaters.

Funding Priorities in Culture

In the recent past, 25% of total funding has been allocated to Culture. Organizations with budgets over $10 million have received 60% of the funding in Culture.

The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted toward new grantees.

Types of Support

Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Grants

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation only accepts unsolicited proposals for specific areas within the education, family economic stability and childhood health sectors in select countries where we work, namely the United States, India and South Africa.

As a guideline, the foundation does not fund more than 25% of a project’s budget or more than 10% of an organization’s total annual operating expenses.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has always recognized the power of providing grants to partner organizations that we knew were already working hard to improve the lives of urban children living in poverty. By aligning with organizations that are already making a difference, we continue to make an immediate impact on the lives of thousands of children.

Foundation priorities:

We fund social enterprises that directly serve or impact children or youth from urban low-income communities in the areas of education, health, and family economic stability (including livelihoods and financial inclusion). These social enterprises may be structured as for-profit or nonprofit entities.

Partnerships

We collaborate with a range of organizations focused on creating opportunities for children and families living in urban poverty, with a deep emphasis on measuring impact. Our funding advances projects already making an impact in education, health, and family economic stability. Through these enduring and long-standing partnerships, we create lasting change together.

Helping Build Better Futures

Our mission is to deliver great value to our customers every day. For over four decades, our deep commitment to the principles of providing value and caring for others has helped define our culture. It extends beyond the walls of our stores, distribution centers, and offices, and into our local communities around the world. The intersection of these principles defines our global community mission:

Deliver great value to our communities by helping vulnerable families and children access the resources and opportunities they need to build a better future.

Our Social Impact Areas

We bring our community relations mission to life around the world by focusing our giving on four social impact areas where we believe we can have the most impact and are critical to helping families and children succeed and thrive.

Basic Needs

We are passionate about supporting nonprofit organizations that help fill critical basic needs such as a warm meal, clean clothing, and a safe place to sleep for vulnerable families.

Education & Training

Our efforts have focused on quality enrichment and extracurricular programs that provide skills, resources, and opportunities to support school and career success for children, teens, and young adults.

Patient Care & Research

We support organizations that deliver services to families and children facing health challenges and life-threatening illnesses.

Empowering Women

We support programs that provide services ranging from help for those fleeing domestic violence, to others that offer education, training, and job placement resources.

Our Mission

The Tony Robbins Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of people often forgotten.

We’re dedicated to creating positive changes in the lives of youth, seniors, the hungry, homeless and the imprisoned population, all who need a boost envisioning a happier and deeply satisfying way of life. Our passionate staff, generous donors and caring group of international volunteers provide the vision, inspiration, and resources needed to empower these important members of our society.

Grants

Dedicated to meeting challenges within the global community, creating solutions and taking action, The Tony Robbins Foundation provides monetary donations to various organizations around the world. Funding requests are evaluated on an ongoing basis. We look for organizations that align with our mission to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of those often forgotten.

The Lawrence Foundation is a private family foundation focused on making grants to support environmental, human services and other causes.

The Lawrence Foundation was established in mid-2000. We make both program and operating grants and do not have any geographical restrictions on our grants. Nonprofit organizations that qualify for public charity status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or other similar organizations are eligible for grants from The Lawrence Foundation.  

Grant Amount and Types

Grants typically range between $5,000 - $10,000. In some limited cases we may make larger grants, but that is typically after we have gotten to know your organization over a period of time. We also generally don’t make multi-year grants, although we may fund the same organization on a year by year basis over a period of years.

General operating or program/project grant requests within our areas of interests are accepted. In general, regardless of whether a grant request is for general operating or program/project expenses, all of our grants will be issued as unrestricted grants.

Purpose

Nonprofit Capacity Building Grants strengthen nonprofits by increasing their core systems and operations. By improving infrastructure at the organizational level, these time-limited projects help nonprofits more effectively carry out their missions. The grant program focuses on capacity-building projects that improve an identified area of organizational operations including (but not limited to):

• collaboration capacity,
• communications capacity,
• data management capacity,
• equity capacity,
• evaluation capacity,
• financial management capacity,
• fundraising capacity,
• governance capacity,
• leadership capacity,
• mission & strategy capacity or
• program delivery capacity.

What is Capacity Building?

Quite simply, capacity building means focused efforts to make an organization better at its mission—now and into the future. 

The Quad Cities Community Foundation funds nonprofit capacity building projects: activities carried out in a set period of time and designed to increase the capabilities, knowledge, and resources—like those listed above—that all organizations need in order to be successful. 

By funding capacity building projects, we are investing in the ability of a nonprofit to deliver its mission effectively well into the future. Capacity building is an investment in the effectiveness and future sustainability of a nonprofit. 

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant

The Foundation will consider requests to support museums, cultural and performing arts programs; schools and hospitals; educational, skills-training and other programs for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities; environmental and wildlife protection activities; and other community-based organizations and programs.

Grantmaking

The great majority of grants are given to organizations located in, and for projects to be conducted within, the state of Iowa and portions of Illinois, as well as to other organizations in which Mr. Carver had an interest during his lifetime. Generally speaking, the Carver Trust supports biomedical and scientific research, scholarships, and programs addressing the educational and recreational needs of youth. 

Program Areas

Elementary and Secondary Education

Supporting educational opportunities for youth, beginning with kindergarten and continuing through high school graduation, is a cornerstone of Carver Trust giving. Grant-making activities in this area may be divided into three, broad categories, each with the goal of enhancing access to resources and the application of innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Read more about this program area.

Higher Education

The Trust’s interests in the area of higher education extend to those projects that strengthen institutions and offer innovative learning opportunities to students enrolled in baccalaureate and graduate programs throughout the grant-making region of Iowa and parts of Illinois. Typically, funding is awarded to capital or programmatic initiatives that seek to substantively improve instruction or increase access to educational resources, with the goal of better preparing students for future academic and professional challenges. Projects incorporating interdisciplinary approaches and demonstrating the potential for lasting impact among a diverse range of students are especially encouraged. Read more about this program area.

Medical and Scientific Research

The goal of the Trust’s program in medical and scientific research is to provide support for innovative investigation that may hold great promise for advancing scientific knowledge and, in many cases, improving human health. To this end, the Trust has supported a variety of university-based scientific endeavors, most notably in the basic medical sciences, the chemical and biological sciences, and engineering. Although a majority of funding is awarded for the purpose of addressing institutional capital needs, a parallel focus of this program area is the research efforts of particular laboratories, often emphasizing multidisciplinary approaches and encouraging the development of untried, and inherently risky, specific aims. Read more about this program area.

Youth Services and Recreation

Projects receiving Trust funding under the youth program designation are typically designed to complement curriculum-based education and encourage individual development and physical well-being. Of the grants awarded within this category, a significant portion has been directed toward the efforts of organizations advocating for disadvantaged and disabled youth and their families. As an example, improving the conditions at adolescent residential facilities in Iowa, including those that offer opportunities for special-needs populations, has represented an important area of Trust charitable giving around the state.

In addition, grants to help communities establish safe and affordable recreation opportunities are also part of the youth-directed programming. The Trust offers strategic funding for the development of public recreation facilities and related activities for children, with priority given to projects in the Iowa counties of Muscatine, Cedar, Louisa and Scott, as well as Rock Island and Mercer Counties in Illinois. More information on the youth recreation program area may be found under Trust Initiated Programming & Guidelines.

Miscellaneous

Grants listed under this designation are those that, for various reasons, do not fall within the Trust’s primary program classifications. Many grants classified as miscellaneous are for projects receiving special consideration for their direct impact on the local Muscatine region.

Awards in this category of Trust giving may, for example, provide support to organizations mobilizing to help area residents following a natural disaster or emergency, such as flooding or storm damage. Other assistance of this type has been directed to local first-responder and law enforcement agencies, which have received occasional support for specialized medical, firefighting and policing equipment, as well as situations whereby certain area nonprofits are seeking one-time support for urgent capital or programming needs.

Still other miscellaneous grants celebrate special events and aspects of Muscatine and its history, as well as organizations and projects that share a unique connection to the life and interests of Roy Carver. Additionally, occasional grants in this program area may serve to emphasize important natural resources throughout the local area and the upper Mississippi River region, with a focus on projects that help to guide children and youth toward a deeper understanding of, and respect for, the ecosystem and surrounding environment.

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

Arts dollars Grant Program

Arts Dollars has been granting funds to artists and nonprofits in the Quad Cities region since 1979 thanks to our generous funding partners, who believe in the power of the arts to enrich our communities.

Arts Dollars provides funding for individual artists and nonprofits of all sizes to support arts-centered projects in the Quad Cities and surrounding communities. Our goal is to equip individuals and organizations to engage their community, see a long-lasting benefit from the completed projects and pay artists for their work in the process.  

Art Project Grants

Art Project Grants support arts projects or programming that emphasize community engagement and long-term community benefit. This category is intended for one-time or first-time projects or programs, and preference will be given to those applications. However, ongoing programs may apply. Individual artists may apply for up to $2,500. Non-profit organizations may apply for up to $5,000. 

Arts dollars Grant Program

Arts Dollars has been granting funds to artists and nonprofits in the Quad Cities region since 1979 thanks to our generous funding partners, who believe in the power of the arts to enrich our communities.

Arts Dollars provides funding for individual artists and nonprofits of all sizes to support arts-centered projects in the Quad Cities and surrounding communities. Our goal is to equip individuals and organizations to engage their community, see a long-lasting benefit from the completed projects and pay artists for their work in the process.  

K-12 Arts Education Grants

K-12 Arts Education Grants support projects or programming that provide opportunities in the arts for K-12 students. Artists may apply for up to $2,500. Non-profit organizations and K-12 schools may apply for up to $5,000. 

Purpose

Teens for Tomorrow (T4T) is a youth philanthropy group made up of high school students from Rock Island County in Illinois and Scott County in Iowa. These young leaders become philanthropists by learning about community needs, developing a grant opportunity, evaluating applications, making site visits, and awarding grants. Each year, T4T awards a total of $10,000 to nonprofits meeting a variety of needs in the Quad City Area. 

Teens for Tomorrow grants will provide operational and program support to organizations that improve the lives of Quad Cities residents through services related to Domestic Violence and Abuse Support and Prevention, Homelessness, Immigration Support, and Food Insecurity. 

Non-Enforcement Programs

This funding opportunity houses most of the non-enforcement programs. Please see the specifications for each program explained below. Please note that applications are not limited to these programs.

• Child Passenger Safety Resource Center (CPSRC)
• DUI Court Program
• Impaired Driving Prevention Program (IDP)
• Injury Prevention Program (IP)
• Law Enforcement Liaison Program (LEL)
• Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor (TSRP)

This grant is administered by the Bureau of Safety Programs and Engineering (BSPE) within the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). IDOT serves as the federally-required State Highway Safety Office for the state of Illinois.

Funding amount: $8,000,000.00

Child Passenger Safety Resource Center (CPSRC)

To aid local communities in reducing the death and injury rates on Illinois roads, BSPE established the Child Passenger Safety Resource Centers (CPSRC). The CPSRCs are designed to conduct public information and education campaigns focusing on child passenger safety (CPS) and other highway safety issues. They serve as regional resources providing education, training, and support in promoting CPS programs. The CPSRC program shall also focus on the Strategic Highway Safety Plan priorities areas for their region.

Five (5) CPSRCs are planned to be funded in Illinois and will be staffed by a Child Passenger Safety Liaison. Each CPSRC covers a specific region in the state and coordinates and supports, CPS training, CPS seat distribution, and traffic safety initiatives within that region.

The five regions are:

• Chicago
  • City of Chicago
• Cook and Collar Counties
  • Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Kendall, Grundy, Will, Kankakee, Iroquois
• Northwest
  • Lee, Ogle, Whiteside, Boone, DeKalb, Rock Island, Carrol, Jo Daviess, Winnebago, Stephenson, Henry, Bureau, Stark, Marshall, Putnam, LaSalle, Mercer, Henderson, Warren, Knox, Livingston, Ford
• Central
  • Hancock, McDonough, Adams, Schuyler, Brown, Pike, Fulton, Cass, Morgan, Scott, Mason, Menard, Sangamon, Christian, Logan, Tazewell, McLean, DeWitt, Macon, Piatt, Moultrie, Shelby, Champaign, Douglas, Coles, Vermillion, Edgar, Peoria, Woodford, Macoupin, and Montgomery
• Southern
  • Calhoun, Green, Jersey, Madison, Bond, Fayette, Effingham, Jasper, Crawford, Saint Clair, Monroe, Randolph, Clinton, Washington, Marion, Jefferson, Clay, Wayne, Richland, Lawrence, Edwards, Wabash, Perry, Jackson, Franklin, Hamilton, White, Williamson, Saline, Gallatin, Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Alexander, Pulaski, Massac, Cumberland, and Clark.

Project Goal

To create a coordinated effort to address CPS and other local highway safety issues within the designated region through outreach and education.

Requirements of CPSRC

• Serve as a regional point of contact for CPS programs, trainings, and community events. Additional emphasis areas would be heat stroke/overheating awareness, pedestrian, bicycle, motorcycle, older driver, teen, alcohol, drugged, and distracted driving programs;
• Promote and educate the public regarding the risks of leaving a child or unattended passenger in a vehicle.
• Participate in the development CPS continuing education unit (CEU) opportunities with CPSRCs from all five regions.
• Offer, promote, and teach a minimum of five (5) standardized CPS certification courses and two (2) renewal courses in the region. The CPSRC's Child Passenger Safety Liaison must be the lead on at least 50% of the classes taught in their region.
• CPS courses funded by IDOT should be listed as “open to the public” unless prior approval is granted by IDOT. Reimbursement of technician certification fees are only allowed for Illinois residents.
• Provide public information, educational materials, and technical tools designed to foster community level approaches to highway safety issues, specifically: proper car seat usage, seat belt usage, Illinois’ Seat Belt Law and Child Passenger Safety Protection Act.
• Participate in Statewide CPS Week/Seat Check Saturday promotions and conduct a minimum of one (1) car seat check event during that time.
• Grantees must utilize the electronic car seat check form – www.carseatcheckform.org – to track all car seat checks using IDOT funds including seats that are given to local agencies.
• Distribution of car seats to individuals needing financial assistance.
• Must be able to ensure car seats are being issued to individuals in need. Established need process must be submitted to IDOT with the application.
• Assist local agencies with setting up a minimum of two (2) car seat checks a month.
• Assist local agencies with teen safety fairs, traffic safety presentations and other community events, preferably with focus in communities that are overrepresented and underserved.
• Provide education to the public about child passenger safety and general traffic safety by staffing informational booths at community events.
• Use data-driven approaches to evaluate and address local highway safety issues.
• Participate in local traffic safety networks of law enforcement and local organizations dedicated to highway safety.
• If requested, assist IDOT with the annual statewide seat belt survey.
• If requested, assist with and IDOT motorcycle helmet survey.
• If a CPSRC would like to facilitate training outside of its regional boundaries, the CPSRC must contact the CPSRC that covers that area and discuss a collaborative effort.
• Create meaningful public participation and engagement to ensure diverse views are heard and considered.

PurposeMark Schwiebert established the Mark W. Schwiebert Fund for Environmental Studies in 2016 to fund programs that educate the public on environmental challenges posed by climate change and natural resource depletion. It also funds environmental research projects aimed at counteracting these challenges through sustainable and/or synergistic products or applications.  Evaluation Criteria

• Projects should have a clear purpose and benefit in either educating the public or conducting research aimed at reducing or minimizing the effects of climate change and/or environmental depletion.
• Projects should be financially feasible, giving consideration to all sources of support funding the project.
• Projects should be technically feasible within the parameters of resources available for the project.
• Prior experience of the applicant organization in educating the public or conducting research will be considered.
• Projects should create an excellent return on investment in realizing goals relevant to the purpose of the fund relative to dollars awarded.

Examples of possible projects or programs:

• Funding speaker’s fee of recognized experts in conservation or sustainable practices.
• Funding research project for the Upper Mississippi watershed.
• Funding research in utilizing sustainable energy sources.

Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award recognizes outstanding nonprofit organizations in the United States that have shown exemplary leadership by facilitating partnerships with public, private or social sector leaders who are working together as equal partners, not as donors and recipients, to build a cohesive community that serves as a model for collaborating with others for the greater good.

Each year, the Mutual of America Foundation sponsors a national competition in which hundreds of organizations demonstrate the value of their partnership to the communities they serve, their ability to be replicated by others and their capacity to stimulate new approaches to addressing significant social issues.

Six organizations are selected by an independent committee to receive the Community Partnership Award.

• The Thomas J. Moran Award is given to the national award-winning program and includes $100,000 and a documentary video about the program.
• The Frances R. Hesselbein Award is given to a partnership that is addressing social challenges in more than one community, or which demonstrates the potential to be replicated in other communities. This recipient receives $75,000.
• Four other organizations are named Honorable Mention recipients for their programs, and each receives $50,000.

Since its inception in 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 262 partnerships from cities and towns across America. Like so many of our clients working in the nonprofit community, Mutual of America is dedicated to having a direct, positive impact on society.

Purpose

The purpose of the Operations and Program Grant program (formerly known as the Coordinated Field of Interest Grant program) is to provide general operating support or program support for successful ongoing efforts. General operating support is crucial to the long-term success of nonprofit organizations. This grant program aligns with the Community Foundation’s strategic effort to use effective grantmaking practices including:

Flexible Funding: requests for general operating support are eligible for funding, and are given preference.

Reliable Funding: One-year or Two-year requests will be considered.

Nonprofit organizations may apply for a grant from several different Community Foundation funds through the Operations and Program Grant program. To save time and effort, applicants submit one application and are considered for multiple funding sources.

The Operations and Program Grant program continues to follow the original purposes of each fund and the intent set up by its donors. All specific fund purposes fall into one or more fields of interest: Animals & Environment; Arts & Culture; Community Development; Education; Health; and Youth Development.

Fund Focus Areas:

• Amy Helpenstell Foundation Fund - General Operating and Program requests only.
• Basic Human Needs—Iowa
• Chip Sunderbruch Memorial Risk Management Fund: Focuses on risk management and safety
• Children at Risk Fund: Focuses on youth programs.
• Health & Wellness Fund: Focuses on health and wellness.
• John J. Quail Fund: Focuses on arts and culture.
• Judith Berger Endowment: Focuses on education, poverty & children in need.
• Nell C. Brennan Fund: Focuses on educational opportunities for underserved children.
• Roy E. Murray Fund: Focuses on youth.
• Sekharan Family Fund: Focuses on hospice and homelessness.

Hubbell-Waterman Foundation Grant

Mission

The Hubbell-Waterman Foundation invests in the Quad Cities community by funding capital construction projects, program and initiatives grants, and operational expenses. Our three areas of focus are culture and the arts, social welfare, and education.

What we do Fund 

• Funding is awarded to support three areas of focus: culture and the arts, education, and social welfare. Within these areas, we provide support for: 
  • Capital campaigns and capital acquisitions, including construction and renovations.
  • Operational and/or program grants not to exceed three years resulting from the completion of a capital campaign grant.
  • Multi-year program grants not to exceed three years. Program grants may include general operating expense reimbursement.

Focus Areas

The foundation has three long-term funding priorities: 

• Culture and the Arts
  • Cultivating and supporting the visual and performing arts
  • Investing in landmark cultural institutions
  • Supporting new and innovative programs and initiatives that enrich our community
• Education
  • Supporting pre-K–12 education through:
    • After-school and summer programs
    • Creative learning initiatives
    • Life skills and career training
    • Environmental education with a focus on sustainability
  • Mental health programs for students and their families
• Social Welfare
  • Supporting programs that are accessible to individuals and families through:
    • At-risk and low-income family services
    • Food and nutrition support
    • Housing security
    • Immigrant and refugee community support
    • Physical and mental health services

What We Do

The Facts

We champion generosity. Our mission is to transform the region through the generosity of donors.

And that’s why we work—day in and day out—to be the trusted place where generous people in the Quad Cities (and beyond!) make gifts to support their community, specific organizations and causes most important to them. We are an independent, public charity with a team of Quad Citizens committed to listening to our donors’ charitable goals, and then working alongside them to help them best meet their hopes and dreams.

Through gifts and funds established at the Quad Cities Community Foundation by donors, for our community, we award grants and scholarships to people and organizations residing primarily in Rock Island County, Illinois, and Scott County, Iowa. Through our network of Geographic Affiliate Funds and Community Funds, we also serve the residents and needs of surrounding counties.

How we do it

The Quad Cities Community Foundation is governed by a volunteer board of directors of community leaders and is administered by a full-time professional staff dedicated to helping connect people who care with causes that matter. We offer extensive knowledge about charitable organizations and can help you make informed decisions about charitable giving. 

QC River Connections Grant

The QC River Connections grant supports projects and organizations that address environmental issues facing the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities area. We seek to support efforts that prioritize both inclusive and equitable community engagement practices and nature-based solutions to build and strengthen relationships among people, organizations, communities, and the river.

These efforts should align with the Clean River Advisory Council’s Mississippi River Equity Vision and be guided by communities of color or others disproportionately impacted by environmental issues facing the Mississippi River but underrepresented in the environmental sector. 

Projects might include – but are not limited to:

• Nature-based solutions like rain gardens or urban tree planting.
• Clean up, restoration, and conservation projects – these could be located on the Mississippi or other rivers that flow into it, adjacent wetlands, or other places from which water flows into the river.
• Education programs on environmental issues, green careers, or our community’s varied cultural experiences of the river.
• Youth-driven, volunteer, or community engagement projects that relate to the river.
• Projects that encourage and support people to safely and inclusively access the Mississippi River for recreation, healing, tourism, and more.
• Strengthening the ability of environmental organizations to do their work equitably.
• Strengthening the ability to do environmental work of organizations or groups who represent underrepresented groups in the environmental sector, including communities of color and low-income communities, as well as people, neighborhoods, and communities most affected by environmental issues facing the Mississippi River but have less access to resources and opportunities to influence solutions.
• Strengthening the ability of environmental and community groups to build relationships and meaningfully work together.

Giving in Action Grants - Community Action Grant

As a responsive grant organization, Moline Regional Community Foundation awards grants for capital and program funding to nonprofit, charitable organizations in the areas of Arts & Culture, Community & Economic Development, Education, Environmental & Conservation, and Health & Human Services.

The Foundation's service region includes the following counties:

• Scott County (IA), Henderson, Henry, McDonough, Mercer, and Rock Island Counties (IL).

Funding

Requests of $5,000-$24,999 for program or capital expenses.

Giving in Action Grants - Make a Difference Grant

As a responsive grant organization, Moline Regional Community Foundation awards grants for capital and program funding to nonprofit, charitable organizations in the areas of Arts & Culture, Community & Economic Development, Education, Environmental & Conservation, and Health & Human Services.

The Foundation's service region includes the following counties:

• Scott County (IA), Henderson, Henry, McDonough, Mercer, and Rock Island Counties (IL).

Funding

Requests of $25,000-$50,000 for special initiatives, expanded programming, or capital expenses.