The Midwest Community Development Institute

Support from private companies and public agencies provides essential funding for the Midwest CDI. In return, by partnering with the Midwest CDI, organizations gain valuable recognition and access to community leaders active in economic development, support training that is essential for the economic revitalization of the region, and successfully achieve marketing and philanthropic goals. There are several ways to become a sponsor. Sponsors may make financial contributions, sponsor scholarships for community leaders, reimburse their staff for attending CDI, or make in-kind contributions, such as providing services free or at reduced cost. For more information on sponsorship options, please contact John Gruidl at 309.298.2984 or by e-mail at JJ-Gruidl@wiu.edu.

GOLD SPONSORS

Ameren Corporation, through its subsidiaries, AmerenCILCO, AmerenCIPS, AmerenIP and AmerenUE is an investor-owned electric and natural gas delivery company serving 2.4 million electric, and 1.0 million natural gas customers throughout Illinois and Missouri, including the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan area.

SILVER SPONSORS

The MAPPING The Future programs (Management and Planning Programs Involving Nonmetropolitan Groups) are based on a strategic visioning and planning process designed to help local residents of rural communities create a long-range vision for their community and a plan of action for achieving it. MAPPING projects enhance local decision-making processes, encourage community engagement and cooperation, develop grassroots leadership and problem-solving, and introduce new resources into the community.

The Peace Corps Fellows Program in Community Development is a unit of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, at Western Illinois University. The two-fold mission of the Peace Corps Fellows Program is to train highly motivated and qualified returned Peace Corps volunteers in the field of community development and to assist small towns with the implementation of their development projects, while enhancing citizen capacity to meet the community’s development goals. Any small town, group of towns, or local/county/or regional agency is eligible to host a Fellow.

Jacob & Klein, Ltd., an economic development law firm located in Bloomington, Illinois, was established in 1979 to advise Illinois municipalities engaged in a variety of economic development activities. The firm has created more than 125 Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Districts and Special Service Areas that have retained or created more than 4,000 jobs and over $2 billion of new investment in development throughout Downstate Illinois. Jacob & Klein, Ltd. offers services to cities and private developer clients in Illinois. The Economic Development Group, Ltd., a related company, was established in 1999 to provide technical assistance and administrative support to local city officials and developers who are establishing TIF Districts. To further enhance economic development efforts in Downstate Illinois, EDG’s experienced professionals provide technical assistance and the necessary expertise to ensure that each community's TIF District is created properly and is administered in compliance with all statutory requirements of the Illinois TIF Act.

USDA - Rural Development is committed to improving the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. Our financial programs support such public facilities and services as water and sewer systems, housing, health clinics, emergency service facilities and electric and telephone service. We promote economic development by supporting loans to businesses through banks and community-managed lending pools. We offer technical assistance and information to help agricultural and other cooperatives get started and improve the effectiveness of their member services. And we provide technical assistance to help communities undertake community empowerment programs.

BRONZE SPONSORS

The City of Moline is located in the heart of the Midwest, nestled between the banks of the Mississippi and Rock River in Rock Island County, Illinois. Home to 43,768 people, Moline is one of four cities making up the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area of over 350,000 people residing in Moline and Rock Island, Illinois and Bettendorf and Davenport, Iowa. Centrally located, Moline offers easy access to a year-round calendar rich in cultural and entertainment opportunities.

The Moline Foundation, founded in 1953, is a community foundation which provides grants to health, human services, education, community development, the arts and other charitable organizations which benefit the citizens of Moline and the surrounding area, including the Quad Cities region in both Iowa and Illinois. The Moline Foundation receives and administers charitable gifts and has a current endowment of approximately $12 million.

The Farnsworth Group is a full-service engineering and architectural firm that offers clients more than 240 professionals located throughout a network of offices in the Midwest and West. With a rich tradition that spans more than 100 years, Farnsworth Group has been assisting its clients with the technical challenges that affect their daily business. Through the course of that time, the tools of our trade have certainly changed. Calculators have replaced the slide rule. Computers have replaced the drawing board. And the Internet has changed just about everything else. But time and technology cannot change our company philosophy, which remains the same today as it did 100 years ago: our clients are our first priority.