$500,000 in Community Foundation grants awarded to 36 local nonprofits

Thirty-six local nonprofits will receive more than $500,000 through the Quad Cities Community Foundation’s 2026 Operations and Program Grants, providing support for organizations working across the region to address community needs and create opportunities for residents.

The annual grant cycle supports both ongoing operations and specific programs. This year, the Operations and Program Grant Committee awarded over $400,000 to 29 organizations through 20 Field of Interest Funds. An additional $100,000 from the Community Impact Fund supported seven more requests. In total, $501,560 has been awarded.

“Strong communities depend on organizations that are close to the people, challenges, and opportunities that matter most,” said Sue Hafkemeyer, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “These grants give local nonprofits the flexibility and resources to keep moving their work forward and help more people and neighborhoods thrive.”

Grant awards range from $5,000 to $20,000. Funding can support general operations or specific programs, with projects spanning areas including basic needs, health, education, community development, recreation, and arts and culture.

“Every grant tells us something about what our community needs and what local organizations are doing to meet those needs,” said Kaleigh Trammell, the Community Foundation’s vice president of grantmaking. “We’re proud to invest in organizations that are building stronger systems, expanding access, and creating meaningful experiences and opportunities throughout the Quad Cities.” 

Full list of Operations and Programs Grant recipients:

  • Azubuike Arts—$20,000

  • Bethany for Children & Families—$10,000

  • Boys and Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley—$10,000

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

  • Christ Church Quad Cities—$5,000

  • Epilepsy Advocacy Network—$6,000

  • EveryChild—$20,000

  • Family Resources, Inc.—$20,000

  • Figge Art Museum—$20,000

  • Fresh Films - Dreaming Tree Foundation—$10,000

  • Geneseo-Atkinson Food Pantry—$7,500

  • Greater QC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce—$15,000

  • Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities—$8,460

  • Heart of Hope Ministries—$20,000

  • Her Voice Media—$11,100

  • Humble Dwellings—$17,500

  • Iowa Legal Aid—$10,000

  • Martin Luther King Jr. Center, Inc.—$20,000

  • Narratives QC—$15,000

  • One Eighty—$15,000

  • Palomares Social Justice Center—$20,000

  • Prairie State Legal Service, Inc—$20,000

  • Project Renewal Inc.—$10,000

  • Putnam Museum and Science Center—$16,000

  • River Bend Food Bank—$20,000

  • Rocky Lions Publishing—$10,000

  • Soles For Children Inc—$15,000

  • STEAM on Wheels—$10,000

  • Tapestry Farms—$20,000

  • The Birthwork Foundation—$10,000

  • Transitions NFP—$10,000

  • Two Rivers YMCA—$20,000

  • Unity House of Davenport, Inc.—$10,000

  • United Way of Whiteside County—$10,000

  • WGVV - Quad Cities Community Broadcasting Group Inc—$20,000

  • WQPT - QC Public TV / Western Illinois University Foundation—$15,000

Grants are made available thanks to the generosity of donors in the region through endowment gifts that support communities in the Quad Cities area including, Amy Helpenstell Foundation Fund, Animals and Environment Fund, Basic Human Needs Fund, Children at Risk Endowment, Child Abuse Prevention Endowment, Children, Youth and Seniors Fund, Chip Sunderbruch Memorial Risk Management Fund, CommunityWorks Endowment, Creative Arts and Culture Fund, Dorothy Jane Folwell Education and Health Care Fund, Health and Wellness Fund, John J. Quail Fund, Judith Berger Endowment, Marsha and Don Pedersen Endowment, Nell C. Brennan Fund, QCCF Community Impact Fund, Roy E. Murray Fund, Raymond J. and Michael T. Ball-Trevor Endowment, Sekharan Family Fund, and the Women's Endowment.

The Quad Cities Community Impact Fund is supported by donors from across the community and charitable funds gifted by Duncan and Dianne Cameron, Elise A. Brett, Henry and Linda Neuman, the Hofmann Family, Irma L. Jepsen, John and 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, Wilbert Schaff, Bill and Helen Iten, Carol and John Willard, and Jean and Rex Hutchison. 

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 CampOperations and Programs Grants