What Doris & Victor Day Foundation does

The Doris & Victor Day Foundation is a private, perpetual community foundation headquartered at 1800 3rd Avenue, Suite 302, Rock Island, Illinois. Established conceptually in 1965 and formally opened as an operating office in August 1987, it was funded with an estate gift of more than $10 million from founders Doris Damman Day and Victor Day, whose intent was to keep the rewards of their life and work in the Quad Cities invested locally. Assets have since grown to over $16 million. The foundation's core function is grantmaking: it operates two programs serving IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofits in the Quad Cities region. The Responsive Grant Program runs an annual cycle with a deadline of the last Friday of May and awards variable amounts based on organizational strength, community benefit, and project sustainability. The Discretionary Grant Program makes smaller awards of up to $3,499 on a rolling basis for urgent or emergent needs that cannot wait for the responsive cycle.

The foundation does not build or sell technology products. Its operational infrastructure consists of a content website (dayfoundation.org), a GrantInterface-based online portal for application submission and final reporting, and a small LinkedIn and Facebook presence. The portal handles account creation, application workflow, and post-award reporting with a nine-month reporting default. Grant decisions are made by board committees that weigh implementation plans, evaluation rigor, long-term sustainability, and the potential for transformational impact. The organization is staffed by 1-10 employees, including an Executive Director (Tyla Sherwin-Cole), and is governed by a five-person board of directors (President William Stengel, Vice President Stacie Fidlar, Treasurer Dan Fetes, Secretary John Phillips, and Board Member Jessey Hullon).

The foundation's business model is that of a self-sustaining private foundation: investment returns on a $16M+ portfolio fund annual grantmaking, with no donor solicitation or fee-for-service revenue. Grants are awarded across a wide thematic spread, including emergency assistance, affordable housing, childcare, job training, scholarships, education, legal aid, public media, environmental education, LGBTQ+ youth services, senior care, and food security. The foundation explicitly does not fund annual fundraising drives, government or school obligations, debt reduction, endowments, religious advocacy programs, or (with limited exceptions) individuals.

Name

Doris & Victor Day Foundation

Legal name

Doris & Victor Day Foundation

Website

https://dayfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Community foundation grantmaking
• Nonprofit grant programs
• Charitable foundation funding
• Quad Cities philanthropy
• Basic human needs grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Rock Island

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Grantmaking from Investment Returns: The foundation funds its grantmaking activities through returns on its investment portfolio. Initial estate funding was over $10 million, and current assets exceed $16 million. The foundation's investment philosophy aims to grow dollars available for granting to fulfill the founders' vision of making Rock Island and the Quad Cities 'a better place.'

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Doris & Victor Day Foundation is a private charitable foundation that provides grant funding to IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations serving the Quad Cities area, with particular emphasis on Rock Island, Illinois. It operates two primary grant programs — a Responsive Grant Program (annual cycle with deadline the last Friday of May) and a Discretionary Grant Program (up to $3,499 on a rolling basis for urgent needs) — accepting applications through an online Grant Portal. Grantmaking is funded by returns on the foundation's investment portfolio, which has grown from over $10 million in initial estate funding to more than $16 million in assets.

Product overview

The Doris & Victor Day Foundation operates as a charitable grant-making organization in the Quad Cities area (Illinois/Iowa), offering two primary grant programs: (1) Responsive Grant Program — annual competitive grants with deadlines typically in May for broader community needs; and (2) Discretionary Grant Program — smaller grants up to $3,499 available on a rolling basis for urgent or time-sensitive requests. Both programs are accessible through an online Grant Portal. The Foundation focuses on funding nonprofits addressing basic human needs including emergency assistance, affordable housing, childcare, job training, education, and community support services. The Foundation does not operate as a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Responsive Grant Program Annual competitive grant program accepting applications until the last Friday of May, providing variable funding amounts to Quad Cities nonprofit organizations for community programs and services addressing basic human needs such as emergency assistance, affordable housing, childcare, job training, support programs, scholarships, and education.
• Discretionary Grant Program Rolling-basis grant program for requests of $3,499 or less, available throughout the year to address unexpected, emergency, or time-sensitive community needs that cannot wait for the regular responsive cycle.
• Grant Portal Online portal (powered by GrantInterface) where nonprofit applicants create accounts, submit grant applications, and file final reports on grant usage.

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Quad Cities Community Foundation: A community foundation also headquartered in the Quad Cities region that pools charitable assets and grants to local nonprofits. It is the closest geographic and functional peer to Day, competing for the same grantee pipeline and donor-mind-share in Rock Island and surrounding communities.
• Community Foundation of the Great River Bend: A community foundation in Davenport, Iowa that also serves the Quad Cities bi-state region. Operates the same perpetual-asset, competitive-grant model to address basic human needs, directly competing with Day for nonprofit partners on the Iowa side of the metro.
• United Way Quad Cities: A community-resource-mobilization nonprofit serving the same Quad Cities geography, distributing funds to local agencies addressing health, education, and financial stability. Highly comparable mission and footprint, with a different funding model (workplace giving campaigns vs. endowment draw).

Regional players

• Galesburg Community Foundation: A community foundation based in Galesburg, Illinois, serving Knox and surrounding counties with competitive responsive grants and scholarships. Comparable operating model and rural/industrial-midwest community focus, but in a non-overlapping geography to Day.
• Illinois Prairie Community Foundation: A community foundation in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois that makes grants to local nonprofits across human services, education, and arts. Same asset-based grantmaking model in a comparable-size Illinois community, useful as a benchmark for grant size and program design.
• Heart of Illinois United Way: A community-impact nonprofit in the greater Peoria, Illinois region that funds health, education, and financial-stability programs through partner agencies. Comparable cause areas and small-staff operating model, but operates in a different Illinois geography and uses a campaign-driven funding model.

Others

• Council on Foundations: A national membership organization representing philanthropic institutions including private, family, and community foundations. Not a competitor; relevant as the industry association that sets standards, advocacy, and peer benchmarking for foundations like Day.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RIDayFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/doris-victor-day-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments81 records

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Frequently asked questions about Doris & Victor Day Foundation