BETTENDORF, IOWA (September 11, 2020) United Way Quad Cities announced on September 10 that it has issued $2.3 million in grants to 37 local agencies focused on ensuring all Quad Citizens, regardless of race or ZIP code, have the opportunity and access to achieve their full potential. 

“We’re able to make these investments thanks to the generosity of over 12,000 Quad Citizens,” said United Way Quad Cities president and CEO Rene Gellerman. “Because of their contributions, there will be more kids prepared to succeed in school, more adults with the skills needed for a quality job that enables them to be financially stable, and more families who will have the supports and services they need to live healthy and safe lives.”

The grants, approved by United Way’s Board of Directors last month, are part of the organization’s Community Impact Fund. The awards are for a ten-month funding cycle designed to advance United Way’s priorities to strengthen education, income and health outcomes “the building blocks of opportunity,” noted Gellerman.

Grant awards and focus areas:

  • EDUCATION: $578,269 | quality early care and education, and youth development.
  • INCOME: $231,308 | workforce development and financial stability.
  • HEALTH: $693,922 | trauma care and mental health.
  • ESSENTIAL NEEDS: $809,576 | housing stability, food security and hygiene needs.

“COVID-19 has turned our world upside down. Our non-profits have been significantly impacted and, like our business sector, have had to reimagine how they serve the people and our community. The need is great, and we wish we could have provided more resources to help more individuals who have the odds stacked against them,” said United Way Quad Cities board chair Linda Bowers. “The gap between the need and what United Way is able to grant was more than $5.1 million. I wish we could fund every worthy request. This is what motivates us to share the message that every dollar counts and that it’s going to take all of us working together to make a difference.”

Earlier this year, United Way awarded $100,000 in grants to 13 agencies to assist with the response and recovery of the immediate impact of COVID-19. Those grants supported United Way’s primary goals while allowing immediate responses to evolving community needs. These funds, made up from gifts by individuals and corporate donors, were allocated to help our region recover from the long-term impacts of the pandemic.

“There has never been a more important time for us to come together to rebuild a stronger, more equitable Quad Cities.” Gellerman said. “For nearly 50 years, United Way has rallied and unified resources to put opportunity in the hands of people who need it most. We don’t do this work alone. It’s the strength of our community partners like these grant recipients that drive real change.”

United Way Quad Cities funding is awarded through an open and competitive grant-process. Applications were reviewed by nearly 100 community volunteers who are orientated to assess how well requests fit within United Way’s strategic framework to improve lives and community conditions. They make funding recommendations to the United Way Quad Cities Board of Directors who ultimately approves the grants. United Way monitors its investments for results, outcomes and impact.

To learn more about the United Way, visit www.unitedwayqc.org.

Grant recipients include:

  • Alternatives Quad Cities Open Network
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley
  • Bethany for Children and Families
  • Black Hawk College-Adult Education
  • Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Valley
  • Café on Vine
  • Center for Youth and Family Solutions
  • Community Health Care
  • Child Abuse Council
  • Christian Care
  • Community Action of Eastern IA
  • Family Resources
  • Goodwill of the Heartland
  • Handicapped Development Center
  • HELP Regional Office of Iowa Legal Aid
  • Humility Homes and Services Inc
  • Iowa Jobs for Americas Graduates (iJAG) Inc
  • Junior Achievement of the Heartland
  • Marriage and Family Counseling Service
  • One Eighty
  • Prairie State Legal Aid
  • Project NOW Inc
  • QC Haven of Hope
  • Safer Foundation
  • Scott County Family Y
  • SAL Family & Community Services
  • The Arc of the Quad Cities Area
  • The Martin Luther King Center Jr Center
  • Transitions Mental Health Services
  • Two Rivers YMCA
  • United Township High School
  • Vera French Foundation
  • World Relief
  • WQPT
  • Youth Service Bureau of Rock Island County
  • YouthHope
  • YWCA Quad Cities

About United Way of the Quad Cities

United Way is a community-based social-change organization that puts opportunity in the hands of all Quad Citizens. Working with our determined partners, volunteers, advocates, and donors, we lead the charge to improve education, income, and health the building blocks of opportunity. The result is a mobilized community where every Quad Citizen is living their best possible life. unitedwayqc.org.

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