Dubuque Racing Association, the nonprofit behind an Iowa casino, has given $1.5 million to 67 groups this year
The association, which holds Q Casino's gaming license, awarded $250,000 in Mission Grants in June and $1.26 million in Core Grants in July to organizations in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois. Its Core Grant round drew 152 applications asking for more than $7.59 million.
Dubuque. The Dubuque Racing Association, the nonprofit that holds the gaming license of Q Casino + Resort in Dubuque, Iowa, has awarded $1.5 million in grants this year to 67 nonprofit and community organizations in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois. The money came in two rounds: $250,000 in Mission Grants, announced June 23, and $1,261,154.50 in Core Grants, announced July 28.
Under Iowa law, a nonprofit "qualified sponsoring organization" may apply for a license to conduct casino gambling, and a licensee must distribute at least 3 percent of its adjusted gross receipts each year for educational, civic, public, charitable, patriotic or religious uses. It may not give to candidates or political committees. The association, which says every Iowa casino must be affiliated with such an organization, is also co-licensee of the Diamond Jo Casino in Dubuque. It is itself tax-exempt as a social welfare organization under section 501(c)(4), IRS data show.
Core Grants of up to $50,000
The Core Grant round drew 152 applications asking for more than $7.59 million. The association funded 64 organizations: 60 new awards, nearly $1.2 million in all, and four payments on earlier multi-year commitments. Grants go up to $50,000 a year, with preference for capacity-building projects; 14 were funded in full. Iowa organizations received 88.3 percent of the money, Wisconsin's 8.3 percent and Illinois's 3.3 percent.
The largest awards, $50,000 each, went to Every Child Every Promise for a Dubuque County childcare fund, to the Foundation for Dubuque Public Schools, and to the United Way of Dubuque Area Tri-States, the first of three years. The smallest was $2,500. Fire departments, a sheriff's office and two cities were also funded.
Mission Grants for larger projects
Mission Grants, which typically range from $50,000 to $100,000, drew 45 applications asking for more than $6.18 million. Dubuque Soccer Club received $100,000 toward a 37,200-square-foot indoor youth soccer training facility. Dyersville Events received $100,000 a year, renewable for up to five years, for a professional ballpark at the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville. The Butler Children's Garden Foundation received $50,000, the second installment of an earlier award for Wanderwood Gardens.
A 2022 lease with the city allows the association's annual distribution to be split equally among charitable giving, the City of Dubuque and Schmitt Island development, according to the association. It reports more than $68 million in grants since 1985.
This year's Core Grant applications were open May 4 to 15, to 501(c) organizations of listed types and to units of government, with an emphasis on Dubuque and the counties next to it in the three states. The association's grant page lists no dates yet for next year.
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