The Grant W. Brissman and Virginia M. Brissman Foundation, administered by the Quad Cities Community Foundation, has awarded $161,000 in grants to 36 nonprofits supporting quality of life in the Village of Milan.

“This year’s grants reflect the breadth of community need and the generosity and vision of Grant and Virginia Brissman,” Cathy Edwards, a Brissman Foundation trustee, said in a Monday release. “Their legacy continues to strengthen Milan, the community they loved, by putting funds where they’re needed most. We’re honored to help maintain and grow that legacy and support the organizations that make Milan stronger and brighter for everyone.”

Among this year’s grantees, five organizations are responding directly to the growing challenge of food insecurity in the region. These organizations include Two Rivers YMCA, River Bend Food Bank, Project NOW Inc., the Milan Christian Food Pantry, and Heart of Hope Ministries.

Together, they are expanding access to nutritious meals for children, families, and older adults across the Milan area.

Two Rivers YMCA has received a $2,500 grant to support a program that provides healthy meals to kids at school and community sites throughout Rock Island County.

“We want kids to truly thrive,” said Rebecca Cantu, community relations director at Two Rivers YMCA. “Children need reliable access to healthy, balanced meals. Our food program ensures that, whether it’s before school, after school, or during summer programs, kids have what they need to learn, grow, and thrive.”

Married for 60 years, Grant and Virginia Brissman left a legacy of generosity that continues through the Brissman Foundation, established through their estates and administered by the Community Foundation.

That commitment has scaled rapidly. In 2024 alone, Two Rivers YMCA served more than 205,000 meals across 40 sites—working closely with schools, partner organizations, and community centers to distribute meals where they are needed most. Meals are planned and prepared in the YMCA’s commercial kitchen in Rock Island, then delivered to sites serving Milan students, including Thomas Jefferson Elementary, Ridgewood Elementary, and Edison Junior High.

Rising food costs and insufficient federal reimbursements create persistent funding gaps for programs like this, the foundation release said.

“Grants like those awarded by the Brissman Foundation are huge for us,” Cantu said. “They expand our capacity and allow us to reach more kids with high-quality, nutritious food. That work helps the whole community grow stronger.”

Grant Brissman, a longtime Milan business owner and founding director of Blackhawk State Bank, and his wife Virginia, a 40-year employee of Illinois Bell, dedicated their lives and estates to supporting the community they called home. Today, their foundation continues that legacy by investing in the organizations building a stronger, healthier Milan for future generations.

2025 Brissman Foundation grant recipients are:

• Alternatives for the Older Adult—$8,000
• Augustana College–Advancement Office—$1,500
• Ballet Quad Cities—$3,000
• Bethany for Children & Families—$2,500
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley—$4,000
• Children’s Therapy Center of the Quad Cities—$10,000
• Christian Care—$5,000
• Community Health Care, Inc.—$2,500
• EveryChild—$2,000
• Family Resources, Inc.—$5,000
• Figge Art Museum—$5,000
• Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois–Quad Cities—$2,000
• Heart of Hope Ministries—$5,000
• Humility Homes and Services, Inc.—$2,000
• Junior Achievement of the Heartland—$5,000
• Marriage and Family Counseling Service—$2,500
• Milan Chamber of Commerce—$10,000
• Milan Christian Food Pantry—$10,000
• Narratives QC—$3,000
• New Kingdom Trailriders—$1,000
• Prairie State Legal Service, Inc—$2,500
• Pregnancy Resources—$2,500
• Project NOW, Inc.—$10,000
• Quad City Arts—$2,500
• Quad City Symphony Orchestra—$3,000
• River Action Inc.—$2,500
• River Bend Food Bank—$2,500
• Rock Island Milan Little League—$5,000
• Royal Ball Run for Autism, Inc.—$2,500
• Safer Foundation – Quad Cities—$8,000
• SAL Family and Community Services—$10,000
• School Health LINK, Inc.—$2,000
• Scouting America–Illowa Council—$4,000
• Spring Forward Learning Center—$7,500
• Two Rivers YMCA—$2,500
• Youth Service Bureau of Rock Island County—$5,000

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Jonathan Turner

Jonathan Turner -- who has called the Quad Cities home since 1995 -- has decades of experience as a professional journalist and pianist. His experience writing for daily newspapers, public radio and local TV encompasses a wide range of subjects, including the arts, politics, education, economic development, historic preservation, business, and tourism.

Jonathan most loves writing about music and the arts (which he now does as a freelancer for the River Cities Reader and Visit Quad Cities). He has a passion for accompanying musicals, singers, choirs and instrumentalists, including playing for QC Music Guild's 2023 productions of RENT and SWEENEY TODD. He is assistant music director and accompanist for the spring 2025 Music Guild show, ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE. He wrote an original musical based on The Book of Job, which premiered at Playcrafters in 2010. Jonathan penned a 175-page history book about downtown Davenport, that was published by The History Press in 2016, and a travel guide about the QC published by Reedy Press in 2022.