The Marie H Bechtel Charitable Trust concentrates its giving in the Quad Cities region, favoring large, capacity-building awards that fund facilities and core operations. Its portfolio emphasizes community recreation and youth services, local cultural institutions, and support for a regional health/education institution. Grants are infrequent but sizable and often directed to a small set of repeat grantees to sustain capital projects and operating stability.
A defining feature of the Marie H Bechtel Charitable Trust is its pattern of very large local awards tied to facilities, renovations, and core operating support. In the recent grant list, Scott County Family Y received a $950,000 grant in 2025 for new facility and program support, while Quad City Cultural Trust received repeated six-figure operating support in 2023 and 2024. The trust’s giving is concentrated in Davenport and the wider Quad Cities, and several grants point to long-term institutional support rather than short-term project-only funding. Its portfolio includes community recreation, youth services, arts and cultural infrastructure, health professional education, and neighborhood-serving organizations. The trust also backed capital-intensive work for Figge Art Museum, Project Renewal, and Midwest Cardiovascular, showing a willingness to fund buildings, lighting, and headquarters needs alongside program support. Grants are often repeated across years for the same organizations, which suggests ongoing relationships with a limited set of local institutions. The recipient list is entirely U.S.-based, and most awards land in Iowa, especially Davenport-area organizations.
Community recreation and youth development are central themes. Scott County Family Y received $350,000 in 2023 and another $284,000 in 2024 for new facility and program support, followed by a $950,000 grant in 2025 for the same purpose. The arts and cultural sector is another clear priority. Quad City Cultural Trust received $291,000 in 2024 and $200,000 in 2023 for operating support, while Figge Art Museum received $200,000 in 2024 for a lighting project and $150,000 in 2023 for project support. The Putnam Museum also received $125,000 in 2023 for project support. The trust also supports neighborhood and human-services work. Casi received $200,000 in 2024 and $100,000 in 2025 for a bridge funding campaign, and Togather Making a Better Community received $110,000 in 2025 for operating support. Midwest Cardiovascular was funded for project support and a new headquarters.
Typical grants cluster around a median of $30,000, with the lower quartile at $15,750 and the upper quartile at $50,000, but many recent awards are much larger and aimed at capital or operating needs. The trust’s giving is relationship-based: the same organizations appear across multiple years, including repeated support for several local institutions. It funds individuals as well as organizations, though the recent grant list shown here is organizational. The trust is a private charitable trust rather than a DAF, and the recent awards read as discretionary local grants rather than an open application program.
$2.7M
$48.4M
$3.8M
$3.5M
Most grants fall between $16K and $50K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$16K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$50K
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Concentrated, local giving: few but large grants, repeat multi-year or multi-grant support to core regional institutions with emphasis on capital/project funding and operating stability rather than many small awards.
Notable grantees: Scott County Family Y, Quad City Cultural Trust, Palmer College Foundation
Grantmaking is highly local and centered in Iowa. Davenport, IA appears repeatedly, including grants to Scott County Family Y, Quad City Cultural Trust, Figge Art Museum, Casi, Project Renewal, Togather Making a Better Community, and Midwest Cardiovascular. Bettendorf, IA also appears with support for the City of Bettendorf’s water park project, and Moline, IL appears through Junior Achievement of the Quad Cities. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 156 grants in the United States.
The recent grants show a strong emphasis on local institutions serving youth, recreation, arts, health education, and community services. Examples include Scott County Family Y for new facility and program support, Quad City Cultural Trust for operating support, and Midwest Cardiovascular for project support and a new headquarters.
The typical grant size is $30,000 at the median, with the 25th percentile at $15,750 and the 75th percentile at $50,000. Recent awards also include much larger six-figure and seven-figure grants for facility, operating, and capital needs.
The trust shows repeated support for the same organizations across multiple years. Scott County Family Y, Quad City Cultural Trust, Casi, and Midwest Cardiovascular each appear more than once in the recent grant list, often for continuing facility, operating, or capital-related needs.
Its giving is local and concentrated in Iowa. 85% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, and recent awards are heavily centered in Davenport, with additional grants in Bettendorf and Moline.
The recent grants include new facility and program support, operating support, project support, bridge funding campaigns, renovations, lighting projects, and a new headquarters. That mix suggests the trust is willing to support both day-to-day operations and larger capital or transition needs.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Chord | Davenport, IA | $375,000 | 2026 | Reinvigorating the Redstone Building |
| The Salvation Army | Davenport, IA | $330,000 | 2026 | New housing for men struggling with substance abuse/Christmas pantry help. |
| Project Renewal | Davenport, IA | $277,200 | 2026 | Renovations |
| Child Serve Foundation | Johnson, IA | $250,000 | 2026 | Capital Fund Support for Child Serve Davenport Center. |
| Scott County Family Y | Davenport, IA | $200,000 | 2026 | Kids Camp and Scholarship |
| Assumption High School | Davenport, IA | $140,000 | 2026 | Building a new Tennis Court |
| River Bend Food Reservoir | Davenport, IA | $125,000 | 2026 | Hunger Drive |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters | Davenport, IA | $90,000 | 2026 | Youth Mentoring |
| One Eighty Zone Inc | Davneport, IA | $85,000 | 2026 | Renovation |
| Hav Life Foundation | Davenport, IA | $80,000 | 2026 | Assisting At Risk Youth |
| Testimonies of Hope Inc | Davenport, IA | $60,000 | 2026 | Support for Victims of Violence |
| Third Baptist Church | Davenport, IA | $50,000 | 2026 | Operating Support |
| Community Health Care Inc | Davenport, IA | $50,000 | 2026 | Mental Health Support |
| Grow Quad Cities - Iowa | Davenport, IA | $50,000 | 2026 | Operating Support |
| Rejuvenate Housing Inc | Davenport, IA | $50,000 | 2026 | Neighborhood Revitaliazation |
| Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa | Bettendorf, IA | $50,000 | 2026 | Girl Scout Leadership Program |
| Togather Making a Better Community | Davenport, IA | $50,000 | 2026 | Operating Support |
| Hand in Hand | Bettendorf, IA | $40,000 | 2026 | Operating Support |
| Hillsdale College | Hillsdale, MI | $40,000 | 2026 | Scholarship for IA Students |
| Narratives QC | Davenport, IA | $35,000 | 2026 | Community Support for At-Risk Youth |
| Safer Foundation | Davenport, IA | $30,000 | 2026 | Youth Embowerment |
| Tapestry Farms | Davenport, IA | $25,000 | 2026 | Refugee Support |
| Every Child | Moline, IL | $25,000 | 2026 | Case Coordination and Support |
| Unity House of Davenport Inc | Davenport, IA | $25,000 | 2026 | Renovations |
| IlIaowa Council Boy Scouts of Ameri | Davenport, IA | $20,000 | 2026 | Operational Support |
| Autistic and Loved | Davenport, IA | $20,000 | 2026 | Operating Support |
| Nahant Marsh Education Center | Davenport, IA | $20,000 | 2026 | Environmental Education |
| Martin Luther King Jr Center | Rock Island, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | After school Learning |
| Safe Families for Children Alliance | Moline, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | Keep Families Together: Operating Support |
| LivWell Care Inc | Davenport, IA | $15,000 | 2026 | Thanksgiving/Christmas Meals for Senior Citizens |
| Countryside Community Theatre Inc | Eldridge, IA | $15,000 | 2026 | Project Support: Year of Empowerment |
| St Ambrose University | Davenport, IA | $15,000 | 2026 | Scholarships |
| Empower Housing QCA | Davenport, IA | $15,000 | 2026 | Providing Brain Injury Survivors with Skills and Support to Help them Thrive |
| Pleasant Valley School District | Bettendorf, IA | $9,000 | 2026 | Sensory Equipements for Special Needs Children |
| Gen-Atkinson Food Pantry | Geneseo, IL | $9,000 | 2026 | Fill the Shelves for Rock Island Resident |
| Lutheran Services in Iowa | Des Moines, IA | $7,000 | 2026 | Counseling for Scott Country Residents |
| Great Sounds Promotions Inc | Davenport, IA | $5,000 | 2026 | Yourh Educational Workshop |
| Blue Grass Presbyterian Church | Blue Grass, IA | $5,000 | 2026 | Project Support for Childcare Center |
| Viral 4 Your Survival | Davenport, IA | $2,500 | 2026 | Helping Homeless People |
| Scott County Family Y | Davenport, IA | $950,000 | 2025 | New Facility and Program Support |
| Project Renewal | Davenport, IA | $200,000 | 2025 | Renovations |
| Togather Making a Better Community | Davenport, IA | $110,000 | 2025 | Operating Support |
| Midwest Cardiovascular | Davenport, IA | $100,000 | 2025 | New Headquarters |
| CASI | Davenport, IA | $100,000 | 2025 | Bridge Funding Campaign |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters | Davenport, IA | $90,000 | 2025 | Youth Mentoring |
| Grow Quad Cities - Iowa | Davenport, IA | $75,000 | 2025 | Operating Support/ Police Training |
| Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa | Bettendorf, IA | $50,000 | 2025 | Girl Scout Leadership Program |
| Community Health Care Inc | Davenport, IA | $50,000 | 2025 | Mental Health Support |
| Rejuvenate Housing Inc | Davenport, IA | $50,000 | 2025 | Neighborhood Revitaliazation |
| Testimonies of Hope Inc | Davenport, IA | $50,000 | 2025 | Support for Victims of Violence |
The Salvation Army
$330,000New housing for men struggling with substance abuse/Christmas pantry help.
Project Renewal
$277,200Renovations
Child Serve Foundation
$250,000Capital Fund Support for Child Serve Davenport Center.
Scott County Family Y
$200,000Kids Camp and Scholarship
Assumption High School
$140,000Building a new Tennis Court
Big Brothers Big Sisters
$90,000Youth Mentoring
One Eighty Zone Inc
$85,000Renovation
Hav Life Foundation
$80,000Assisting At Risk Youth
Third Baptist Church
$50,000Operating Support
Grow Quad Cities - Iowa
$50,000Operating Support
Rejuvenate Housing Inc
$50,000Neighborhood Revitaliazation
Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa
$50,000Girl Scout Leadership Program
Togather Making a Better Community
$50,000Operating Support
Narratives QC
$35,000Community Support for At-Risk Youth
Unity House of Davenport Inc
$25,000Renovations
IlIaowa Council Boy Scouts of Ameri
$20,000Operational Support
Autistic and Loved
$20,000Operating Support
Safe Families for Children Alliance
$20,000Keep Families Together: Operating Support
LivWell Care Inc
$15,000Thanksgiving/Christmas Meals for Senior Citizens
Countryside Community Theatre Inc
$15,000Project Support: Year of Empowerment
Empower Housing QCA
$15,000Providing Brain Injury Survivors with Skills and Support to Help them Thrive
Pleasant Valley School District
$9,000Sensory Equipements for Special Needs Children
Gen-Atkinson Food Pantry
$9,000Fill the Shelves for Rock Island Resident
Great Sounds Promotions Inc
$5,000Yourh Educational Workshop
Blue Grass Presbyterian Church
$5,000Project Support for Childcare Center
Viral 4 Your Survival
$2,500Helping Homeless People
Scott County Family Y
$950,000New Facility and Program Support
Project Renewal
$200,000Renovations
Togather Making a Better Community
$110,000Operating Support
Midwest Cardiovascular
$100,000New Headquarters
CASI
$100,000Bridge Funding Campaign
Big Brothers Big Sisters
$90,000Youth Mentoring
Grow Quad Cities - Iowa
$75,000Operating Support/ Police Training
Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa
$50,000Girl Scout Leadership Program
Rejuvenate Housing Inc
$50,000Neighborhood Revitaliazation