2026 Spring Grants Awarded

The Better Health Foundation (BHF) is proud to announce its 2026 Innovation grant recipients. This month, BHF will award $956,575 to five nonprofit organizations whose community-informed projects will strengthen the health and well-being of the greater Quad Cities region.

Since organizing in 2023, BHF has awarded over $6.27 million for prevention and wellness programs and services.

“As a community, we depend on nonprofit organizations to meet the growing and changing needs of the people they serve,” said Rob Woodall, president of the Better Health Foundation Board of Directors. “Supporting nonprofit innovation is a priority for our Foundation because it ensures we’re responding to the community’s needs as they evolve. The impact of this year’s Innovation grants will be long-lasting and far-reaching.”

The 2026 Innovation grants range from $163,000 to $200,000 for programs and services aligned with the foundation’s current funding priorities:  mental and behavioral health, maternal and child health, and risk reduction of obesity and diabetes.

Innovation Grants were awarded to the following organizations:

·         $200,000 to the MercyOneGenesis Foundationto launch the region’s first Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Obstetrics & Gynecology outreach model in Geneseo, Illinois. The program, serving Henry County, will increase rural access to preventive, gynecologic and prenatal care. Services, under the supervision of Dr. May Yazeji, will be provided at onsite clinics and through telehealth and community outreach.

·         $193,575 to Narratives for Mental Health at Work, the Quad Cities Area first mental-health-centered workforce development model. Young adults will gain paid employment experience while building tools to manage anxiety, depression, stress, and workplace conflict at The Story Coffee Company. Narratives will also deliver the mental health curriculum to local businesses, offering low- and no-cost access so employers of all sizes can strengthen workplace well-being and career pathways across the region.

·         $200,000 to The Rural Behavioral Health Institute to pilot the evidence-based Screening Linked to Care program in Illinois Quad Cities schools. Fully virtual, the program will deliver bi-annual universal mental health screenings, same-day care for high-risk students, and care navigation support to students at their school.

·         $163,000 to the Vera French Foundation to expand the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team and increase its effectiveness through court-ordered participation to individuals with chronic mental illness who are deemed high utilizers of community resources in Scott County. This approach was identified as a key solution by local law enforcement, healthcare, and judicial stakeholders comprising the Scott County Mental Health Alliance.

·         $200,000 to Youth Service Bureau to form a cooperative service model with Children’s AdvocacyCenter and EveryChild that strengthens the individual organizations while significantly enhancing access to community-wide, trauma-informed care. The formal, collaborative safety net will aid child victims of trauma in the community, ensuring timely, high-quality therapy and family-support services are consistently available during the most critical period following victimization.