Milan area nonprofits awarded more than $150,000

Since 2011, the Grant W. Brissman and Virginia M. Brissman Foundation has awarded grants for projects and organizations improving the quality of life in the Village of Milan, Illinois. The Brissman Foundation is a private foundation administered by the Quad Cities Community Foundation.

The Brissman Foundation has announced $159,803 in awarded grants for 27 different organizations. The total is the largest ever awarded by the Foundation. Grants ranged from $1,500 to $10,000 and targeted key areas of focus for the Milan community: enhancing youth development, fostering community development, relieving suffering, and cultural activities.

“It is inspiring to watch this granting program grow year over year,” said Steve Gottcent, grantmaking specialist at the Community Foundation. “That growth speaks to the vision and generosity of Grant and Virginia Brissman and of the many nonprofit organizations serving the Milan community.”

To honor the legacy of Grant and Virginia, every awarded organization is operating directly in Milan or carrying out work with specific benefits to the village and its residents.

Applications for the 2025 Brissman Foundation grants will open on August 15, 2025. Organizations can apply for up to $10,000 to support and grow their missions.

Full list of awarded organizations:  

  • Alternatives for the Older Adult—$8,000

  • Augustana College Communication Sciences and Disorders Department—$1,500

  • Ballet Quad Cities—$3,000

  • Bethany for Children & Families—$2,500

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley—$5,000

  • Boy Scouts of America - Illowa Council—$4,000

  • Children's Therapy Center of the Quad Cities—$10,000

  • Community Health Care, Inc.—$5,000

  • EveryChild—$2,500

  • Figge Art Museum—$5,000

  • Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois Quad Cities—$4,000

  • Heart of Hope Ministries—$5,000

  • Junior Achievement of the Heartland—$5,000

  • Marriage and Family Counseling Service—$2,500

  • Milan Christian Food Pantry—$10,000

  • Prairie State Legal Service, Inc.—$2,500

  • Project NOW, Inc.—$10,000

  • Quad City Arts—$10,000

  • Quad City Symphony Orchestra—$3,000

  • Rock Island Milan Little League—$5,000

  • Safer Foundation - Quad Cities—$8,000

  • SAL Family and Community Services (Skip-a-Long)—$10,000

  • Spring Forward Learning Center—$8,000

  • Trinity Health Foundation—$6,178

  • Two Rivers YMCA—$5,000

  • Youth Service Bureau of RI County—$7,125

  • YWCA of the Quad Cities—$7,000

Grant Brissman was a graduate of Rock Island High School and the former Brown's Business College. He was a pioneer Milan business owner, starting Brissman's Auto Supply in 1948. The business served Milan and the surrounding communities for almost 30 years before he retired in 1978. He was also a founding director and shareholder of Blackhawk State Bank in Milan, where he served on the board of directors for many years.

Virginia Brissman worked for Illinois Bell Telephone Company for 40 years before retiring in 1977. They had been married for 60 years when Grant died at age 88 in 2004. Virginia died at the age of 94. The Brissman Foundation honors Grant and Virginia’s legacy of generosity. The foundation was established through their estates, and the Community Foundation provides administrative and grant-making services for the Brissman Foundation.

Learn more about the Foundation and future grant opportunities at www.qccommunityfoundation.org/brissmangrants.

Will Van CampBrissman Foundation