Civic Beautification Grant
The Tri-City Garden Club would love to help your non-profit organization with a Civic Beautification Grant. We would love to hear from you so apply today – but don’t miss the deadline!
The Civic Beautification Grants are being accepted from January 1, 2023 to March 20, 2023. Please click the following link to download the guidelines for submission and the grant form.
IMPORTANT: Once you submit the application, please email Wynne Schafer at wschafer1@aol.com to verify receipt of the form.
Since its inception, the Tri-City Garden Club has been involved in civic beautification. Tens of thousands of dollars have been granted to public projects, non-profit organizations, and worthy causes over the history of the organization.
Some of the many historical contributions include… the 1922 membership raising enough money to furnish a shelf of garden literature in the Moline, Rock Island, and Davenport libraries. In 1931 the Club sent a committee to the Davenport Park Board, requesting that a woman be placed on the board. In the 1940’s the Club contributed money to the campaign to eliminate ragweed in Iowa, cottonwood trees and unsightly billboard signs. During the same era the Club was actively involved with the local park boards. They donated plants and promoted the labeling of plants and trees with common and botanical names as a means of educating the public. In 1948 the organization donated 33 rose bushes to VanderVeer Park and 170 wildflowers to Black Hawk State Park. In 1979 the Club received the Civic Improvement Award from Sears & Roebuck for the nine-year program of planting trees at many public school sites.
Most recently, beginning in 2014, the club sponsored the beautification of the the Quad City Botanical Garden’s Children’s Garden gateway and multiple container gardens. In 2015, they helped support Project Renewal’s Summer Youth Program vegetable garden, flower planting, and yard art. They assisted Hamilton School in Moline, IL, begin production of an elevated garden for the outdoor learning center and joined the Hampton/Rapids City Garden Club in refurbishing the garden at entrance to the city.
In 2016 they gave a grant that helped to provide plant materials for the family entrance and parking area at The Putnam Museum and Science Center. The club also provided funds to build movable tower gardens in areas designated as “food deserts” for Rock Island Urban Gardeners. The Nahant Marsh Education Center requested and received a grant for building materials for children’s playscape and garden areas and Skip Along Day Care received a grant for a vegetable and/or Butterfly Garden for one Illinois and one Iowa center.
In 2017, Tri-City Garden Club gave a total of $3,000 to the following recipients: Douglas Park $1,000; Col. Davenport Garden $500; QC Botanical Center $600; Project Renewal $450; The Friends of VanderVeer $450.
In 2018, the Club gave a total of $4,000 to the following recipients: Boys & Girls Club $600; Hope at the Brick House $400; QC Botanical Center $600; Bettendorf Centennial Garden $250; Friends of Hauberg Center $500; Quad City Food Forest $650; Scott County Y Early Learning Centers $500 and the Florenciente Community Garden $500.
In 2019, the Club gave a total of $5,000 to the following recipients: Quad City Botanical Center $500; Friends of Vanderveer $1,200; Christian Care Center $500; Project Renewal $450; Quad City Food Forrest $450; Backwater Gamblers Water Ski Show Team $700; Friends of Hauberg Center $1,000 and the Bettendorf Centennial Garden $200.
In 2020, the Club gave a total of $5,000 to the following recipients: Living Proof Exhibit $500; Hope at the Brick House $400; Moline Community Development Corp $600; Quad City Botanical Center $500; Friends of Vanderveer $1,200, Butterworth Center $800 and Hauberg Estate $1,000.
The 2021 grants rewarded were Quad City Botanical Garden $500, Bettendorf Centennial Garden $160, Colonel Davenport House $250, Christian Family Care $450, Logan Elementary School $300, Friends of Vander Veer $1000, Moline Community Development $900, Butterworth Center $500, Hauberg Civic Center $940. Projects which use collaborations with other funding groups are encouraged, especially for large projects with higher costs.
Community Service
At the request of Mrs. William A. Hewitt in 1976, the Club undertook the care of the St. Francis Garden at St. Anthony’s Care Center in Rock Island. Here began a tradition of community service. Members were required to garden there two mornings each summer and continued with the responsibility until early 2000’s when the property was sold for development.
The idea of providing and maintaining gardens for the community was enlarged when TCGC members, Faye Waterman and Marj Kinsler in 2004, broke ground and planted the historically accurate garden to enhance the landscape surrounding the Colonel Davenport Home on Arsenal Island.
Each active member is required to spend a minimum of five hours per year at either the Colonel Davenport Home or one of the community gardens listed below.
Vander Veer Botanical Park – Since its establishment in 1885 Vander Veer Park in Davenport, IA gardens and floral displays have been a tradition at the beautiful 33 acre park.
Centennial Garden at Middle Park – What started as one of several ways for the city of Bettendorf (Iowa) to mark its centennial, Centennial Garden has blossomed into a popular spot for family walks, photos and gardening enthusiasts.
Deere-Wiman House Formal Garden – The Deere-Wiman House Formal Garden in Moline, IL has 21 beds, brick paths and a water feature. It is surrounded by hedges and features a wide array of perennials and annuals. This formal garden has been a prominent feature on the property since Charles Deere, son of John Deere, lived on the property; but it’s current design dates to the 1920’s.
Quad City Botanical Center – Quad City Botanical Center in Rock Island, IL maintains hundreds of plants ranging from tropical varieties to regional zone five perennials.