A new round of grants totaling $315,000 to improve the community’s relationship with the Mississippi River is now open to organizations in the greater Quad Cities.
The Clean River Advisory Council, made up of 17 members, is seeking applicants to bring forward inclusive solutions to the environmental impacts facing the Mississippi River.
The Quad Cities Community Foundation, in partnership with the Walton Family Foundation and Quad Cities-based leadership and diversity firm Iman Consulting, created the grant program in 2023.
QC Foundation’s Director of Grant Making and Community Initiatives, Kaleigh Trammell, says the advisory council contains conservation experts and enthusiasts who meet monthly.
“And so their work has included everything from volunteer opportunities, tree planting events, they are doing tabling events where they're sharing out native seed packets and information about inclusive Mississippi River work,” Trammell said.
In the previous grant cycle, 12 organizations like Tapestry Farms and Akwaaba QC used the funding to create sustainable community gardens and translate water safety signs, among other things.
“The Spring Forward Learning Center did an entire program centered on Mississippi River education with their summer program, which was incredible,” Trammell said. “Project Renewal did another excellent summer program. And so everything from that to the education of adults and safety to nature-based solutions, which are really those rain gardens and community gardens and rain barrels and other types of work that really partner with nature to solve some of these problems.”
She says the grant program is not only available for non-profits but any group with organizational leadership, like a cycling or kayaking club, whose project idea would support the environmental issues facing the Mississippi River in an inclusive and equitable way.
Trammell invites organizations to apply “...who maybe have not yet dipped their toe into those waters and been able to really find their space in conservation.”
The deadline to apply is September 15th. The Clean River Advisory Council will respond to applicants by the end of October regarding funding decisions. Applicants can request up to $50,000. Details to apply can be found on the QC Community Foundation’s website. Anyone facing barriers to accessing a computer can call the foundation for assistance.
“It's not only important for us to take care of our river as an asset for our community, for recreation, for tourism, for just conservation and connectedness to the land, but also for everyone who is downstream from us and is being impacted by the decisions that we make here,” Trammell said. “And so the great thing about a river is that it is constantly changing and everything that we do continues down and shows how connected we actually are with people who are all along the Mississippi River.”
