Regional Development Authority

08/26/2026

Grantee Spotlight: CASI - Center for Active Seniors

For more than 50 years, CASI has helped older adults in the Quad Cities age with dignity by providing programs, resources, and support that promote independence and connection. After losing nearly 20% of its annual funding, RDA awarded bridge funding to help CASI stabilize operations while implementing a more sustainable financial model. With this support, CASI maintained critical staffing, expanded membership and facility revenue, strengthened community partnerships, streamlined operations through a new technology platform, and reduced administrative costs. Today, CASI is better positioned to continue serving the growing senior population in Scott County, and RDA is proud to support an organization that plays such an important role in our community.

08/24/2026

08/21/2026

🏠 The 2026 Housing Summit is TOMORROW!

Tomorrow morning, housing providers, community leaders, advocates, and partners from across our region will come together for Turning the Key: Opening New Doors to Housing Opportunities.

A special thank you to Regional Development Authority (RDA), our Presenting Sponsor, for helping make this important community conversation possible.

📅 Thursday, August 20
⏰ 8:00–11:45 AM
📍 Holiday Inn, Rock Island

We look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

08/21/2026

Grantee Spotlight: Leadher

Every woman deserves access to mentorship and professional development, regardless of her career stage or financial circumstances. When Lead(h)er faced a funding gap during a leadership transition, RDA provided bridge funding that allowed the organization to match all 44 women on its mentoring waitlist with experienced mentors while strengthening its long-term sustainability. Since then, Lead(h)er has expanded board engagement, increased corporate sponsorships, cultivated new donors, and reactivated its volunteer fundraising committee. RDA is proud to support Lead(h)er's mission of empowering women and strengthening the Quad Cities workforce.

08/20/2026

08/18/2026

230+ events. 600+ artists and creatives represented. Three downtowns. Four days. Free to attend.

A weekend this big doesn't happen without a whole lot of people believing in it.

To the sponsors and partners who invested in Alternating Currents 2026: thank you.

Your support helps us invest in artists, bring creative experiences into our downtowns and keep AC free and accessible to everyone who wants to be part of it.

We're incredibly proud of what we made together this weekend and incredibly grateful to have so many businesses and organizations behind it.

Take a look at the names on this graphic. These are some of the people helping make the magic of Alternating Currents possible.

Want to be part of what we make next?

We’re always looking for businesses and organizations that believe in our downtowns, artists and creative community. Let us know you’re interested in future AC sponsorship and partnership opportunities: https://www.alternatingcurrentsqc.com/partner-with-ac

08/18/2026

Grantee Spotlight: Children's Therapy Center of the Quad Cities

RDA awarded a grant to the Children's Therapy Center of the Quad Cities to help expand therapy services for local children by creating a new multidisciplinary sensory treatment room and renovating its therapy and event space. These improvements have increased the Center's ability to serve children on the autism spectrum while providing more space for physical therapy activities like running, jumping, and cycling. The upgraded space also supports fundraising events that help sustain the organization's mission. Serving 450–550 children each year, including many from Scott County, the Children's Therapy Center continues to provide life-changing services to families, and we're proud to support their work helping children reach their highest level of independence.

08/15/2026

We are pretty excited to see Lindsey take off on her new electric bike so she can get to and from work!

The e-bike was provided through a new pilot program offered by Wellpoint , an Iowa Medicaid provider. It's intended to give extra resources so people can get back to work. We had a few other residents who were able to access the pilot project to purchase work clothes and shoes for their jobs as well.

This deeper understanding of what people need to be successful - and access to more resources - is all possible because we hired Shelly as our Recovery Navigator (case manager) two years ago, thanks to grant support from Regional Development Authority and the Better Health Foundation.

As a result - we have also seen a HUGE jump in people accessing mental health support through therapy or medication or both. Without Shelly, about 20% of the people we served received external mental health support. But now 75% do!

We are beyond grateful for the investment in our PEOPLE!

08/11/2026

Thank you Regional Development Authority for investing in our Learn to Read collection - benefiting all of Scott County!
we have added more than 700 titles to our Learn to Read collection. These include kits, box sets, early readers, alphabet books, and more. In addition, we have had several programs including our A to Z and ABC Garden Parties, Reading Buddies, and Reading Roadmap where families and kids learned more about the Science of Reading and how to bring reading awareness to their everyday lives.
These brand new items circulated more than 1,500 times in their first year, with an incredible turnover rate of 220 percent. Thanks to the Moonlight Chase and Eldridge Summer Festival and a generous anonymous donor, SCLS also added more than 200 decodable chapter books for older readers who may have fallen behind, or just need more practice with the basic building blocks of reading.

08/04/2026

Grantee Spotlight: Davenport Central's Central Singers, Inc.

When Davenport Central's Central Singers, Inc. qualified for a national competition in Branson, Missouri, time was running short to secure transportation and lodging. An RDA emergency grant of $5,000—matched by the Davenport Central Boosters and strengthened by generous support from SMART Lexus, Zimmerman Honda, Great River Dentistry, TRANE, and the Davenport Community School District—helped make the trip possible. Thanks to this incredible community collaboration, 84 students proudly represented the Quad Cities on the national stage, returning home as Grand Champions. We're proud to support opportunities that invest in our young people and demonstrate the power of our community working together.