Bettendorf, Iowa - Thirty nonprofit organizations in the Quad Cities area received a total of $110,000 in fall grants from the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend. The Community Foundation awards grants in the spring and the fall, with a committee of area volunteers making decisions after studying grant applications.

Grant dollars come from the Foundation's Community Impact Fund, which is an endowed community resource funded by donors who want the Foundation to address the most pressing community issues. Those issues may change from year to year. The Community Impact Fund provides the Foundation with flexibility to monitor and respond to evolving needs.

The list of Fall Grant Recipients includes:

• Arrowhead Ranch - $2,500 - Digital photocopier.
• Bethany for Children & Families - $5,000 - Virtual private network upgrade.
• Bettendorf Public Library Foundation - $1,000 - Signage for Faye's Field.
• Casa Guanajuato Quad Cities - $5,000 - Organizational transformation project.
• Central Music Boosters Sponsorship Program - $2,473 - Tunes for Tots.
• Children's Discovery Center - $2,000 - Music lab.
• Children's Therapy Center of the QCA - $5,460 - Electronic billing equipment.
• Delmar Fire Station - $7,500 - New construction.
• Family Museum of Arts and Science - $2,000 - Rethink, Reshape, Reinvent - New Learning Environments.
• Friendly House - $5,000 - Cargo van.
• Geneseo Public Library District - $3,650 - Technology training.
• German American Heritage Center - $1,000 - Lighting Our Legacy Pathway - 2012 programming.
• Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities - $5,000 - Office renovation.
• HELP Through Education and Law Program, Inc. - $5,000 - Online legal research for civil legal services.
• Humility of Mary Shelter, Inc. - $1,400 - Improved facilities for veterans and women.
• Jordan Catholic School - $3,775.34 - Elementary technology.
• Juan Diez Rancheros - $5,340 - Indoor arena electrical, lights and exhaust fans.
• Junior Achievement of the Heartland - $1,000 - Seed money for development of new website to generate resources.
• King's Harvest - $7,500 - Homeless overflow overnight shelter.
• Let's Band Together - $2,000 - Providing used musical instruments to students in need.
• Mississippi Bend AEA - Bettendorf - $2,500 - Coats for Kids.
• Paws for a Cause - City of DeWitt - $2,500 - Bark for a Park: Westbrook Dog Park.
• Putnam Museum and IMAX Theatre - $5,000 - Putnam Power Mission video production.
• Rebuilding Together - Geneseo/Cambridge - $2,500 - Changing Lives, One Ramp at a Time.
• Rock Island County Historical Society - $4,101.66 - Atkinson-Peek House Carriage House/Clothes Loft Boiler Project.
• Sabula Volunteer Ambulance Service - $6,000 - Lifepack 15 Defibrillator project.
• St. Joseph's School - $1,000 - iPads for classrooms.
• Scott County Special Olympics - $1,300 - Expansion and reach of program in Scott County.
• Skip-A-Long Child Development Services - $4,000 - Emergency HVAC replacement - Rock Island Campus.
• YWCA of the QC - $7,500 - Window replacement project.

"These grants are the direct result of our generous donors, who care for the people of our region," said Susan Skora, President and CEO of CFGRB. "They trust us to manage and invest wisely. As a result, our Community Impact Fund is an ever-deepening pool of funds, strengthening the nonprofit organizations that provide direct services that people need."

The Community Foundation provides grants totaling $100,000 in the spring and another $100,000 in the fall. Beginning in January 2012, these grants will be called Core Mission Grants, and will have the primary purpose of building capacity within a nonprofit organization. The cap on an individual grant will be doubled, from the current $7,500 to a maximum of $15,000.

"Almost everyone in our community is touched by the work of nonprofits," said Skora. "As our Community Foundation has grown, we've studied the best practices of larger foundations across the nation. They have realized, as we have, that strengthening a nonprofit from within - by improving skills, strategy and productivity -- ensures the organization will survive to continue delivering services to people who need them."

Examples of Core Mission Grants will include:

• Strategic planning
• Board training and education
• Staff training
• Succession planning
• Collaborative work/partnerships with other agencies
• Critical equipment needs
• Technology/software needs

Other grants will also be available, including the smaller Impact Grants, formerly known as Fast Track Grants. For more information on CFGRB's grant guidelines, go to our Grants web page.

The Community Foundation of the Great River Bend is a nonprofit organization that exists to better our community by connecting people who care with causes that matter. CFGRB meets the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations as established by the Council on Foundations. Visit CFGRB on the web at www.cfgrb.org.

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Media Contact:

Ken Gullette, Director of Communications

Community Foundation of the Great River Bend

Phone: 563-326-2840   Email: kengullette@cfgrb.org