Funding with trust and imagination

by Sue Hafkemeyer
President and CEO

Everything we do is built on trust and relationships. Because we have partners who believe in our mission at the Quad Cities Community Foundation, we can find creative solutions when our community needs them.
 
Just weeks ago, we saw these values in action. The future of eight local AmeriCorps members serving with the city of Davenport was uncertain due to cuts in federal funds. But thanks to a powerful community response from the Regional Development Authority and several of our partners, the city was able to bridge the gap and save these vital positions. Read the full story here.
 
These AmeriCorps members are now completing their service at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley, Common Chord, Davenport Parks and Recreation, and Putnam Museum and Science Center. I’m incredibly proud that we could move quickly to help keep them where they’re needed most: serving our community.

This is what responsive philanthropy looks like—meeting urgent needs with creativity and compassion, while never losing sight of the bigger picture. And it only works when we do it together. I was struck by a related conversation in a recent episode of Gathering Ground, a podcast from Mary F. Morten, featuring our very own Kelly Thompson and Daisy Moran. Their discussion resonated deeply with me as a nonprofit leader and as a community member committed to building a thriving region.
 
Kelly and Daisy shared what it means to trust nonprofits as partners—to think not only about what is, but what could be. This work requires trust, vision, and the imagination to fund a future we may not fully see yet. And it requires the kind of flexible, forward-looking funding that can be deployed quickly in times of challenge and opportunity.
 
That’s why our Community Impact Fund exists. It allowed us to help preserve those AmeriCorps positions. It supports innovation when nonprofits dare to dream. And the fund ensures that in moments of instability, we can show up—not with red tape, but with real solutions.
 
If you believe in a philanthropic sector that leads with trust and imagination, I invite you to make a gift to your Community Impact Fund today. Because when we fund with vision, we don’t just respond—we reimagine what’s possible.