Awards of $1,500 Per Year Support Multiyear Planning Efforts
iQ Credit Union has announced the inaugural recipients of its iQ for Kids three-year grants: Rocksolid Community Teen Center, Assistance League Southwest Washington and YWCA Clark County. The iQ for Kids Foundation has supported not-for-profit organizations that directly impact kids' lives in Southwest Washington and Oregon since the early 1990s, but this is the first time iQ has awarded multiyear grants.
The grant recipients are all local organizations that iQ for Kids has supported for years. The multiyear program is designed to provide additional financial stability while reducing organizations' need to spend time reapplying for donations.
"iQ is growing, and so are the needs in our communities," Trista Carbajal, executive assistant and administrator of iQ for Kids, said. "We saw an opportunity to support organizations for multiple years, allowing those programs to count on the funds and make a larger impact by potentially reaching more kids in the community."
Rocksolid, an organization dedicated to providing safe, fun and engaging after-school activities for fifth through 12th grade students, will use the grant to support the fall 2023 Teen Takeover program as well as provide transportation from schools to the nonprofit's teen center throughout the year.
The Assistance League grant will support multiple initiatives spearheaded by the nonprofit, including assault survivor kits, school clothes for children in foster care, and Operation School Bell, which provides new clothing and literacy supplies to children in need in 25 area schools.
Finally, YWCA Clark County is putting the grant money toward their Y's Care children's program, which provides high-quality preschool education to children and families from homeless, transitioning or low-income circumstances.
"The iQ three-year grant program lets us do more long-term planning because we know that we can count on those funds for multiple years," Marcy Sprecher, executive director of Rocksolid Teen Center, said. "This money will support services that are vital to so many local children."
Going forward, iQ will award three-year grants annually to one to three organizations, with applications opening on Jan. 1.
In addition to the multiyear program, iQ for Kids awarded more than $19,000 in one-time grants to these 13 local nonprofits in Q1:
One-time grants are awarded on a quarterly basis, with the iQ for Kids Committee meeting in February, May, August and November to make funding decisions. Since its beginning, iQ for Kids has made more than $3 million in donations to local charities focused on improving children's lives. The foundation is funded with donations received from iQ employees. Find more information about iQ for Kids here.