The Regional Development Authority (RDA) Board has announced the recipients of its Spring 2025 grants.
The selections were made at an RDA meeting Thursday, May 8, at Rhythm City Casino Resort in Davenport. For this spring grants cycle, RDA received 95 applications requesting a total of $3,125,734. Including four past multi-cycle commitments and 62 new awards, the RDA is distributing $1,925,670 in grants.
Recipients and their Spring grant awards are:
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- Association of Fundraising Professionals – Strengthening Philanthropy Through Fundraiser Support and Collaboration $ 4,795.
- ASWAS, Inc. (A System Within a System) – Empowering Youth Through Expert-Led Workshops at the 2025 Summit $ 7,500.
- Autistic & Loved Foundation – Enhancing sensory and social experiences for children with Autism, $7,500.
- Ballet Quad Cities – Family Day at the Ballet: A Collaboration for Growth and Access, $6,135.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley – Digital and social media content and marketing enhancements, $15,000.
- Cancer Support Community Iowa & NW Illinois at Gilda’s Club – Expanding development capacity to sustain cancer support services $48,000.
- Children’s Therapy Center of the Quad Cities – NFP addition of a new multi-sensory room and PT/fundraising space at Rock Island clinic, $5,000.
- City of Buffalo –Safety equipment, self contained breathing apparatus for fire department, $10,000.
- City of Eldridge – Crandall Park, ADA compliant restroom, $20,000.
- Col. Davenport Historical Foundation – Replace the west wing siding and windows of the Colonel Davenport House, $5,000.
- Common Chord – Musical Instruments Activating the Power of Music, $20,000.
- Community Health Care, Inc. – Expanding pharmacy access for low-income patients at the River Drive Clinic, $100,000.
- Davenport Community School District – Extended Day Preschool Pilot Program, $50,000.
- Davenport Southeast Little League – Completion of two partially constructed baseball fields, $20,000.
- Dixon Volunteer Fire Department – Ice rescue equipment, $4,500.
- Donahue Volunteer Fire Department Inc. – Res-q jacks rescue struts, $10,000.
- Dress for Success Quad Cities – Career Connection, entrepreneurial support in the Quad Cities region, $7,500.
- Eldridge Volunteer Fire Co. Inc. – Education/training room refurbishment, $10,000.
- Empower House – Salary support to expand Brain Injury Survivor Programming, $15,600.
- Empowering Abilities – EmpoweringTech: Advancing Independence Through Innovation, $20,000.
- Family Resources, Inc. – A Regional Investment in Scott County Youth, $32,500.
- Friends of the Quad Cities – QC, That’s Where We Grow: Meetings, Conventions, Reunions & Sports Events, $50,000.
- Hand In Hand Early Learning Without Limits: Ensuring Equity in Childcare Access $60,000.
- Humane Society of Scott County – Addressing critical community needs through animal shelter expansion, $50,000.
- Humble Dwellings – New beds to people in need, $20,000.
- Humility Homes and Services, Inc. – Multi-Option Navigation for Affordable Housing (MONAH), $75,000.
- Illowa Council, Boy Scouts of America – Exploring Workforce Development: Career Exposure in Public Safety, Service, $10,000.
- Iowa College Access Network Future Ready – Building Career & College Readiness Through Parent Engagement, $20,000.
- Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates – Raising the standard for workforce development through work-based learning, $25,000.
- Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities – Violins of Hope, $7,500.
- Keep Scott County Beautiful – Reaching Scott County volunteers to clean up the community, $4,000.
- Lift Women’s Foundation – Expanding financial access and business coaching for women entrepreneurs, $10,000.
- Martin Luther King Jr. Center – Thanksgiving meals program, $7,500.
- Midwest Writing Center 20 Years of Young Emerging Writers $3,500.
- Mississippi Valley Workforce Development Board – Advancing education and economic opportunity through Skillup Training, $10,000.
- MyGEAR – Outreach Cultivating Hope and Fostering Belonging, $7,000.
- Nahant Marsh Education Center – Bridging Nahant Marsh’s development capacity, $32,500.
- NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley – Quad Cities Trauma Informed Care Consortium, ($81,000 multi-cycle award Spring and Fall 2025) $ 40,500.
- NAMI Greater Mississippi Valley – Expanding mental health support for Scott County residents, $17,500.
- North Scott Community School District – ADA-accessible swing equipment, $2,200.
- Partners of Scott County Watersheds – Goose Creek, Safe Access to Water Resources, $40,000.
- Princeton (Iowa) Volunteer Fire Department – New wildland brush truck, $25,000.
- Project Renewal – Youth program expansion and renovation project phase 2, ($100,000 multi-year award 2025 and 2026), $50,000.
- Quad Cities Community Broadcasting Group, Inc. – Access to Opportunity: Empowerment Through Media Messaging, $35,000.
- Quad Cities Housing Council – Creation and preservation of affordable housing units, $75,000.
- Quad Cities Open Network – Improving community outcomes through collaborative case management, $75,000.
- Quad City Symphony Orchestra – 2025-2026 Masterworks Concert Season, $20,000.
- Quad-City Electrical Joint Apprenticeship & Training Program – Hands-On Boot Camp for Aspiring Electricians in the Quad Cities Region, $10,000.
- River Bend Food Bank – Matching funds challenge to close a federal funding gap, $100,000.
- SBC – Outreach Music & Arts Academy, bringing music and art lessons to low-income and at-risk children, $7,500.
- Scott County Library System Learn to Read Collection to Support Early Literacy $10,000.
- Soles for Children Inc. – 10th Annual Coats & Shoes Giveaway for low-income children in Scott County, $10,800.
- Spring Forward Learning Center, Bettendorf – Combating the summer slide in Bettendorf Community School District, $7,500.
- St. Alphonsus ECEC – Removal of window air conditioners, replace with functioning windows, $9,037.
- Testimonies of Hope, Inc./Argrow’s House of Healing and Hope – Expand economic and workforce development for domestic violence survivors, $15,000.
- The Friends of Donahue – Picnic tables for city park, $4,061.
- TMBC – Together Making A Better Community – TMBC Career Academy, $37,001.
- Transitions Mental Health Services – 7th Judicial Mental Health Court Program, $75,000.
- Treasure Box U-S – 2025 Summer Vibe Program, $7,500.
- Vera French Foundation – The Carol Center Clubhouse – Hope & Belonging For Mental Illness Recovery, $6,000.
- Walcott American Legion Post 548 – Remove and replace heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit, $18,686.
- World Relief Quad Cities Emergency Housing Case Management for Refugees and Immigrants $41,355.
- Figge Art Museum, light sculpture (6th of 10 awards), $100,000.
- City of Bettendorf, Splash Landing and Winter Skating (5th of 10 awards), $100,000.
- QC Community Foundation – Center for Nonprofit Excellence (3 of 3 awards), $100,000.
- City of Davenport – Lighting for River Park (4th of 5 awards) $75,000.
RDA is the license holder for Rhythm City Casino, which also is the sole source of grant funds. Typically, RDA allocates one-third of the available funds to each of these categories: economic development; arts/culture/education; and human services. The RDA announced that the 2025 Fall Grants cycle will open applications by Tuesday, July 15, on the RDA website here.
