Regional Development Authority

In May 2024, the Regional Development Authority (RDA) allocated $2,019,680 to support 75 grantees during our Spring Grant Cycle. These grants, tied to the casino gaming receipts of Rhythm City Casino Resort—the RDA's sole income source—reflect a strategic effort to support initiatives that create a vibrant, inclusive, and growing community. They are distributed among non-profit organizations, local government entities, and public schools in Scott County and the Quad Cities, focusing on Human Services, Arts/Culture/Education, and Economic Development. Our funding efforts span a diverse array of initiatives, encompassing capital development, grassroots volunteer endeavors, innovative solutions to community issues, and an array of regional projects and festivities. The RDA's commitment extends beyond gaming obligations, emphasizing its role in contributing to the future and supporting the diverse communities of the Quad Cities region. To see a complete list of the grants awarded, please go to RDA's website https://lnkd.in/gxfGca2y

Great infographic from our granting partner Humility Homes & Services, Inc. We are proud to support the work they do in the Quad Cities community. Their mission: Humility Homes and Services, Inc. is committed to ending homelessness by offering housing opportunities and supportive services in the greater Quad Cities area.

Grantee Spotlight: Inspire Next Grant: Fall 2023 - Promote cultural awareness and post-secondary education opportunities "This trip provided low-income students, many of whom cannot afford school trips, with the opportunity to travel and gain cultural awareness. Inspire Next helps students who have never been on a plane or traveled beyond Chicago. After visiting a Historically Black college, at-risk youth see successful individuals who look like them and understand the importance of education. Students will share what they learned at each museum and write down three things they learned from the college visit. Inspire Next took 24 students and 3 chaperones to Houston, Texas, visiting several cultural and educational sites. The Japanese Gardens, Vietnamese Buddhist Center, Houston Holocaust Museum and Prairie View A&M University helped students appreciate different cultures and their historical impact. They gained a deeper understanding of the Holocaust and felt more motivated to fight injustice. Many students expressed interest in attending an HBCU.” Ayola N. Vesey, Inspire Next President

Grantee Spotlight: Visit Quad Cities Grant: QC, That's Where Group Business Matters - Spring 2023 “From Spring 2023 to Spring 2024, Visit Quad Cities was able to secure 207 meetings, conventions, reunions, sports events, motor coaches, international and river cruise groups in the Quad Cities regional destination. These groups will have a direct economic impact of $25.6 million, according to our Event Impact Calculator (EIC). In addition, with the investment toward hosting RAGBRAIs 50th Ride Across Iowa was a gamechanger to allow the Quad Cities to have its largest July in history with 18 countries; 30,000 people; and two signature events converging in Davenport on the same day. Having both RAGBRAI L and the Quad-City Times Bix 7 was a watershed moment for Davenport and the entire region. This collaboration was a success by all accounts & a great opportunity to demonstrate what the Quad Cities can do when we do it together. For RAGBRAI L, the partnership between the City of Davenport, Visit Quad Cities, Bix 7, and Downtown Davenport Partnership was key to our success.” - Joan Kranovich, CMP, Vice President of Business Growth & Director, Sports QC

Great video by Quad Cities Housing Council that features our very own RDA CEO Matt Mendenhall. RDA has invested in the Quad Cities Housing Council's work since 2001 and has added over $2.5 million to the efforts to increase access to housing for people in our community. Because of how the Council works, we know that our contributions were leveraged at least 100% through other matching funding streams. Click here to see the rest of the video: https://lnkd.in/g6bGb_5t

Grantee Spotlight: Quad City Symphony Orchestra Grant: 2023-24 Masterworks Concert Season “Our Masterworks concert season was an artistic success and highlights included appearances from some of the finest musicians in the country, as well as talent from within our own orchestra. We served more than 7,600 patrons during the season and more than 85% of survey respondents rated the experience as very good or excellent. This season we strengthened partnerships with schools for S@S and continued with the CAP, and it has shown us that making the QCSO more accessible and to a more diverse audience is paying rewards. Removing barriers, financial and cultural, and increasing access to diverse communities, while providing programming in authentic and relevant ways (showcasing more diverse composers and artists) has broadened our impact to reach new audiences this season.“ Stephen Mohr, Director of Development 

Grantee Spotlight: Western Illinois University Foundationon behalf of WQPT PBS This grant was funded by RDA to assist WQPT in providing integrated educational programming and resources to youth and families in our community, while continuing to offer accessible lifelong learning opportunities through our on-air, online, and in-person programming. "This year, we distributed 2,348 books to children in need and interacted with 12,731 people through various local events and classrooms. WQPT presented 738 hours of DEI programming and is planning an in-person DEI-focused community concert. We increased and expanded our on-air programming with 2,271 hours of PBS KIDS programming and reinforced it with educational outreach. Notable events included The Ready to Learn Early Childhood Conference and Imagination Station, which had over 2,500 attendees." Terry Wilson, Director of Development Photo: WQPT & Clifford the Big Red Dog visited Kindergarten students at Bettendorf's Mark Twain Elementary School.

Grantee Spotlight: Nahant Marsh Education Center Project: Partnering to Expand Nahant Marshland The grant awarded by the RDA to Nahant Marsh Education Center was aimed at supporting their efforts to expand and enhance the Nahant Marshland in partnership with the River Bend Food Bank (RBFB) and Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF). The project's goals included increasing accessibility and visitor numbers to Nahant Marsh, developing and improving trails connecting Nahant with RBFB and neighborhoods in SW Davenport, protecting the marsh from siltation and run-off, creating additional wetlands and prairie, and developing multicultural interpretative signage. Since receiving the grant, Nahant Marsh Education Center has made significant progress towards these objectives. Through this partnership and grant support, Nahant Marsh Education Center is not only achieving their project goals but also contributing to environmental preservation and community engagement in the area.

Grantee Spotlight: Keep Scott County Beautiful: Xstream Cleanup Project Name: Reaching Volunteers to Clean Up the Community “Xstream Cleanup maintained success in 2023! The final numbers for 2023 involved 1,019 volunteers working over 2,100 hours in 68 total cleanups in the Quad City Area. It was a total collection of 16,780 pounds of debris! Xstream Cleanup has strong partnerships and a commitment to improving our waterways to maintain clean water for drinking, recreation, wildlife, and recreation. Xstream relies on volunteers, and with an effective call to action through television and social media, more community members got involved in improving their area and became environmental stewards. Xstream Cleanups were offered in urban and rural communities to provide accessible opportunities no matter where one lives in the Quad Cities. We worked with our cities and partners to set up events that gave volunteers the experience to additionally test water quality in over 60 sites and marked 65 storm drains.” - Megan Fox, Communications and HR Manager

Grantee Spotlight: Hilltop Campus Village “The project was a renovation of the Hilltop Campus Village offices into a more conducive environment for community meetings and to offer affordable office space for other nonprofits and entrepreneurs to take advantage. With phase one, we made the bathroom ADA compliant, upgraded the kitchen area, and remodeled our meeting space to be more conducive to having large gatherings. Additionally, we updated the flooring throughout the building. We creatively reused assets when we could to minimize costs and to stretch the grant dollars further. However, people have already commented on the dramatic transformation that has occurred in our space. “– Brian Kramer, Executive Director About: Hilltop Campus Village, a Main Street Iowa Urban commercial district, is re-establishing itself as a vibrant area offering culture, education, shopping, dining, and entertainment. The preservation of historic properties, together with the improvement of buildings, redevelopment of vacant sites and upgrading of infrastructure are making the district more attractive, secure, and livable, helping to restore civic pride in the area and in surrounding neighborhoods.