Grant applications open for Illinois QC family foundations

The Doris & Victor Day Foundation, Rauch Family Foundation I & II, and the Rock Island Community Foundation are seeking applicants for grant funding in 2024.

Grant information and access to the shared grant portal can be accessed at dayfoundation.org and rockislandcommunityfoundation.org.  

Doris & Victor Day applications are due on May 31; Rauch Family Foundation I applications are due on July 31; Rauch Family Foundation II applications are due on Oct. 31, and the Rock Island Community Foundation applications are due June 30, the foundations said in a joint news release.

Since its founding by Doris and Victor Day in 1965, the Doris & Victor Day Foundation has worked to make as better Quad Cities a reality, the foundation release said. Doris’ estate gave $10 million for the office’s opening in 1987, and the board of directors sought to realize the Days’ dream. The foundation provides grants to non-profit organizations and programs in Rock Island and Scott counties. With more than $17 million in current assets, the foundation has made more than $26 million in grants since its establishment.  

Last year, 56 Quad Cities community-based nonprofits received a total of $750,000 from Doris & Victor Day Foundation to expand essential services for vulnerable residents who struggle with meeting their basic needs.

Rauch founded in 1988

The Rauch Family Foundation I was established by brothers Albert and Less Rauch in the late 1980s with an initial principal of $1 million. Grants are restricted to nonprofits that serve the citizens of the City of Rock Island. Since 1988, the release said, Rauch I has distributed more than $1.3 million in grants. 

The first investments in the Rock Island Community Foundation came from the foundation’s eight founders on April 16, 1967. Each member reached into their pockets and donated $20 apiece. Since then, the foundation has given more than $2.6 million to community groups.

The RICF has grown to nearly $4 million in assets.

Each board member of RIFC is required to provide an annual gift to the foundation. 

Rauch Foundation is also funded through gifts, bequests, and grants from the citizens of the community and area businesses. Through that support from the community, RIFC has helped 218 different organizations that have submitted grant requests to RICF. More than 200,000 individuals in Rock Island have benefitted from its grant-funded services, the release said. 

For information about the application or the process, please contact the Doris & Victor Day Foundation at (309) 788-2300 or email [email protected] or Gary Rowe at (309) 786-8551 or [email protected].