Riverboat foundation resuming grant awards

WASHINGTON - The pandemic shut down the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort for most of 2020.

Also shut down was the grant program administered by the Washington County Riverboat Foundation.

Director Patty Koller said there will be two grant cycles in 2021 - a mini grant and a large grant.

In previous years, there were two large grant cycles and one mini grant cycle

The mini grant cycle is for small grants up to $5,000. The applications will be available Feb. 4 and due March 14.

The large grant cycle applications will be available April 5 and due June 6.

Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort. Koller said the funds from the casino were just slightly down compared to previous year.

The Washington County Riverboat Foundation provides significant financial resources to nonprofit organizations and local governments to complete projects that make Washington County a better place to live and work.

A portion of the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort revenue goes to the foundation each year. Those funds are distributed by the foundation board to municipalities and nonprofit organizations.

The first grants were awarded in 2006. Since then the foundation has provided more than $46 million.

In November, the foundation gave $244,315 to nonprofits for derecho and COVID-19 relief.

Over the years the foundation has awarded money to many community projects such as the Washington YMCA, the City Hall and police station renovation and constructing the Ainsworth fire station. Large community center buildings in Wellman and Kalona benefited from large grants from the Riverboat Foundation.

In 2019, the foundation awarded $630,000 in grants in May.

The city of Washington received $425,000, which went to the construction of Wellness Park, renovation of the main shelter house at Sunset Park and the Downtown Investment Grant program.

At the time, City Administrator Brent Hinson talked about the importance of those grants.

'It's incredibly helpful,” he said. 'It really wouldn't be possible to do a lot of things we've done in recent years in Washington without it.”

He added: 'It's been indispensable as far as that goes and the progress we've been able to make here in Washington, and we're very appreciative of it.”