The Regional Development Authority (RDA) Board approved 69 fall grant awards totaling $2,278,448 at its meeting Wednesday, Nov. 12, at Rhythm City Casino Resort, Davenport.
The funding supports a diverse range of community development efforts focusing on economic development, arts and culture, human services and education.
The 69 grants include 60 new general community grants, five multi-cycle payments for past commitments, one emergency grant for hunger relief, and three awards under the RDA’s new “Transformational Initiatives” program.
New for 2025, the program is designed to address major community challenges by providing larger grants paid over three years. These grants prioritize proposals related to affordable housing, child care, mental health, economic development, life skills, safety net or violence prevention.
“As we look for ways to meaningfully ‘move the needle’ on important issues, this new Transformational Initiatives grant opportunity will help us to support larger efforts that make a meaningful difference,” RDA President/CEO Matt Mendenhall said in a news release.
The first Transformational Initiative recipients are: Quad Cities Housing Council for the Collaborative Signature Housing initiative; Project Potential for a nonprofit sector partnership to develop an innovative human services campus; and River Bend Food Bank to enhance its ability to respond to regional hunger challenges.
The Transformational Initiatives opportunity will be offered once a year. The RDA plans to refine the process after this pilot year.
In addition, the RDA also paid out $390,500 this fall in multi-cycle commitments to five prior awardees (listed below under other grants). For calendar 2025, RDA paid out 143 grants totaling $4,431,854.
Applications for the Spring 2026 grant cycle will be available online by Jan. 31, 2026.
The fall recipients, their grant totals and projects include:
- Aerial Promotions Inc., DBA Quad City Air Show, $25,000, Next in Command: Sustaining the Legacy of the Quad City Air Show.
- Association of Fundraising Professionals, $5,000, OneTable QC: Building Quad Cities Nonprofit Collaboration and Resiliency.
- ASWAS, Inc. (A System Within a System), $5,000, for Inspiring Purpose: Equipping Youth for Lifelong Success.
- Azubuike African American Council for The Arts, $7,500, for the Pulling Focus African American Film Festival.
- Ballet Quad Cities, $6,000, Expanding The Nutcracker Experience for 3rd graders.
- Batting for Kids Inc., $10,000, Walking with Confidence: Shoes for Kids in Need.
- Bethany for Children & Families, $40,000, Stabilizing Access to Mental Health Services.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley, $40,000, capacity building grant.
- Black Resources Inc., $5,315, Supporting Businesses to Strength Success – Website Funding.
- ChildServe Foundation, Inc., $25,000, A Capital Project to Expand Pediatric Services and Specialized Childcare.
- Davenport Central Vocal Music Boosters, $7,500, Davenport Central’s Great River Show Choir Invitational.
- Davenport Wildcats Youth Baseball, $14,532, Equipment Drive.
- EveryChild, $7,500, Child Abuse Prevention Education.
- Fresh Films, $15,000, Media Workforce Development and Economic Development for Scott County.
- Friendly House, $60,000, Lobby & Restrooms Rejuvenation Initiative.
- Friends of the Quad Cities, $50,000, Catalyst for Growth: Expanding Meetings, Conventions & Sports Tourism.
- Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, $20,000, Leadership & Life Skill Development Opportunities for Girls in Scott County.
- Great Sounds Promotions, $3,750, 30th Anniversary and educational workshops.
- Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities, $30,000, Improving Access to Affordable Housing.
- Hilltop Campus Village Corporation, $30,000, Phase One of HCV Master Plan.
- Humble Dwellings, $10,000, Continue Providing Beds to People in Need.
- Humility Homes and Services, Inc., $50,000, Community Is Us.
- Iowa Legal Aid, $50,000, Davenport Community Schools Project (CSP).
- Junior Achievement of the Heartland, $15,000, Expanding Financial Literacy Curriculum in Scott County Schools.
- LivWell CARES, $7,500 grant, Filling a Gap in Senior Advocacy Services After Closure of Local Resources.
- Lutheran Services in Iowa, $15,000, Support for Immigrant/Refugee Women-Owned In-Home Child Care Businesses.
- MEDIC EMS, $15,000, Modernizing EMS: Real-Time Clinical Decision Support in the Field.
- Melody of Hope Advocacy Center, $12,500, operational support to encourage growth and expansion.
- Mississippi Valley Blues Society, $7,500, Guitars in Classrooms: Boosting Student Growth and Achievement.
- NEST (Nourish Everyone Sustainably Together), $15,000, Nourishing the QC together.
- Normaleah Ovarian Cancer Initiative, $18,000, No More Stage 4 – Increasing Gynecologic Cancer Awareness.
- One Eighty, $35,826, ‘Auto Mechanics Pilot Project.
- Putnam Museum and Science Center, $35,000, Digging into New Opportunities (DiNO).
- Quad Cities Chamber Foundation – Iowa, $50,000, Alternating Currents Quad Cities.
- Quad Cities Chamber Foundation – Iowa, $50,000, QC Forward Initiative.
- Quad Cities Housing Council, $50,000, Creation and Preservation of Affordable Housing Units.
- Quad Cities Open Network, $75,000, Social Work Outreach for the Supplemental Emergency Assistance Program.
- Quad City Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees (QCAIR) $12,000, Coordination of Volunteers.
- Quad City Arts, $14,000, Supercharge Learning: Meeting Community Needs with Arts in Schools.
- Quad City Botanical Center, $35,000, Children’s Garden Sustainability Improvements.
- Quad City Symphony Orchestra, $10,000, QCSO Symphony Day.
- Quad City Veterans Outreach Center, $5,100, Holiday Food Project.
- River Action, Inc., $15,500 grant for Little Things to Fill Big Needs.
- Safer Foundation, $25,000, Supporting Scott County Youth with Education, Life Skills, and Careers.
- Salvation Army Family Services,$75,000, Because Shelter Doors Closing.
- STEAM on Wheels, $21,340, Making STEAM Field Trips Accessible to Davenport Students.
- Strength in Mothers, $3,085, Strong as a Mother – Supporting maternal health every step of the way.
- Tapestry Farms, $36,000, Continuing Capacity Building with Director of Community Engagement Funding.
- The Bloom Project, $15,000, Postpartum Care Packages.
- The Project of the Quad Cities, $37,500, Our Health, Our Community: Expanding Whole-Person LGBTQ+ Care.
- Trinity Health Foundation, $40,000, Ensure Local Access to Innovation and Life-Saving Cancer Treatments.
- Two Rivers YMCA, $5,000, Making Youth Rowing Affordable for All.
- Underwear Because We Care, $10,000, Providing underwear to the needy and homeless.
- Vera French Foundation, $40,000 for Building On The Momentum – Renovation & Enhancement of Vera French Manor.
- Western Illinois University Foundation (WQPT Quad Cities PBS), $30,000 Membership Challenge Grant to Fund Educational Initiatives.
- WHS Vocal Boosters Inc., $10,000, The Westside Showdown Show Choir Invitational.
- WVIK Public Radio Foundation (Augustana College), $30,000, WVIK Quad Cities NPR Challenger’s Circle Funding.
- YMCA of the Iowa Mississippi Valley, $50,000, LeClaire Community YMCA – Capital Campaign (multi-cycle $100,000 total).
- Youth Advocate Programs, Inc., $75,000, Wraparound Mentoring to Address Trauma, Build Skills, and Prevent Violence.
- YWCA of the Quad Cities, $50,000, Affirming Dignity for Female-headed Households in Scott County, Iowa.
Other grants:
- River Bend Food Bank, $25,000, emergency funding, SNAP Gap Funding.
- Figge Art Museum, multi-cycle payment, $100,000, Light Sculpture.
- City of Bettendorf, multi-cycle payment, $100,000, ‘The Landing Pool & Ice Rink.
- City of Davenport, multi-cycle payment, $75,000, River Front Park Lighting.
- CASI, multi-cycle payment, $75,000, Operations Bridge.
- NAMI, multi-cycle payment, $40,500, Trauma Informed Care Advancement.
- Project Potential (Family Resources, Hand-in-Hand and Empower House), $100,000 Transformational Initiative grant (1/6 payment), Startup Fund for Nonprofit Campus Vision ($600,000 paid over 3 years).
- Quad Cities Housing Council, $100,000, Transformational Initiative grant (1/6 payment), Silos to Solutions Collaborative Project, Transforming Affordable Housing in the QCA ($600,000 paid over 3 years).
- River Bend Food Bank, $100,000 Transformational Initiative grant (1/6 payment), Bringing Successful New Food Assistance Strategies to Scale ($480,000 paid over 3 years).
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