Grant Calendar

Applications must be received by July 31, 2025, through the online grant portal (below). Grant applicants will be notified about funding decisions by email in writing at a date and time to be announced.

Distribution Decisions

The Board of Governors consists of five carefully selected Rock Island residents who serve without compensation. The Board determines, at least annually, which local agencies or organizations will receive financial assistance from the Foundation.

Guidelines

The Foundation supports a wide variety of community projects that improve or preserve the quality of life in Rock Island. However, the Foundation does not normally fund for the following purposes:

• Organizations and causes outside of the Rock Island metropolitan area.
• Organizations and programs designed to influence legislation or elect candidates to public office.
• Individuals.
• Sectarian or religious organizations whose services are limited to members of any one religious group.
• Trips, tours, tickets, or tables for benefit purposes.
• Advertising for benefit purposes.
• Generally, commitments that require payment from future Foundation income.
• Fees for individuals to attend educational programs.
• Foundations or other organizations that make grants to individuals or organizations.
• Sponsorship of educational programs, including workshops or conferences, although sponsorship may be considered if the program or workshop can be shown to offer widespread benefits to attendees

Rauch Family Foundation I Grant Recipients in 2024

• Association of Fundraising Professionals --$1,000—Operational support during a transitional year
• Augustana College --$1,000—Speech and language fee reduction for needy families in Rock Island
• Bethany for Children & Families --$3,000—Housing homeless youths in Rock Island
• Big Brothers, Big Sisters --$1,000—One-to-one youth mentoring
• Children’s Therapy Center of the Quad Cities --$1,000—Therapy services for children from Rock Island
• Christian Care --$1,000—Parish nursing program
• Common Chord --$1,500—Acoustic Music Club
• Community Caring Conference --$1,500— “Neighborhood strong”
• Community Home Partners --$1,000— “Everybody needs a bed.”
• Figge Art Museum --$2,000— “Big Picture” outreach in Rock Island schools
• Friends of Hauberg Civic Center --$1,000—Funding to support educational programming for low-income persons
• Friendship Manor --$1,000—Hospice services for residents
• Genesius Theatre Foundation --$1,000--Costuming for the 2025 season
• German American Heritage Center --$1,000—“Museum on the go”—programs for Rock Island schools
• Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois --$2,000—Leadership program for girls in Rock Island
• Heart of Hope Ministries --$2,000—Services to food pantries in the West end of Rock Island
• Illowa Council of Boy Scouts --$2,000—Scouting CARES program in Rock Island
• Lutheran Social Services of Illinois --$1,000—Services for children in Rock Island
• Marriage & Family Counseling Services --$1,000—ensuring access to therapy for Rock Island families.
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center --$1,000—Annual MLK memorial service and awards
• Nahant Marsh Education Center --$1,000—Outdoor learning experiences for Rock Island students
• NEST Café --$1,500—Helping families thrive through nourishment.
• NAMI of the Greater Mississippi Valley --$1,000—Mental health outreach services to Rock Island youth
• Palomares Social Justice Center --$1,000—Cena communitaria, free Sunday evening meals
• Planting Books—Seeds 4 a Better Future --$1,500—“Rock Island Kids Read”—books for students at the Rock Island Academy
• Prairie State Legal Services --$5,000—Civil legal services for Rock Island residents
• Putnam Museum and Science Center --$1,000— “Immerse” for students from the Rock Island Center for Math and Science
• QC Community Broadcasting --$1,000— “Access to opportunity”
• Quad City Arts --$2,000—Visiting Artists programs in the Rock Island schools.
• Quad City Symphony Orchestra --$1,000—QCSO engagement in the Rock Island schools.
• Rock Island-Milan Little League --$1,000—New lockers for umpires to improve security.
• Rocky Resource Room --$750—Clothing, personal items, food for Rock Island High School students
• SBC Music Academy --$2,500—SBC Music and Arts Academy— “Keying in”
• Scott Community College Foundation --$1,200—Financial assistance for Health Sciences students from Rock Island
• Soles for Children --$1,000—Winter coats, shoes, and clothing for low-income children in Rock Island
• Special Olympics Illinois --$500—Regional bowling competition in Moline
• Spring Forward Learning Center --$2,400—Swimming lessons for Rock Island children!
• STEAM on Wheels --$1,000—Creative tutoring
• Tapestry Farms --$1,000—Healthy, culturally appropriate for refugee families in Rock Island
• The Mississippi Valley Blues Society --$500—Blues in the Schools
• Trinity College of Nursing and Health Sciences --$2,000—Scholarship assistance for low-income students from Rock Island
• Two Rivers YMCA --$3,000— “Nourish” program.
• WIU Foundation/WQPT Public Television --$500—First Book Club
• Youth Services Bureau of Rock Island County --$2,000—Counseling services for low-income children and families
• YWCA of the Quad Cities --$2,000—Revolutionary Readers program

TOTAL: $68,850