The recipients of the 2021 large grant cycle were announced by the Washington County Riverboat Foundation Wednesday night.

The foundation board approved five grants amounting to a total of $1.35 million given during their meeting held at Wooden Wheel Vineyards in Keota. The largest dollar grant was $500,000 to the City of Keota for their municipal swimming pool and splash pad project, followed by $400,000 to Hospice of Washington County for their new office building, $200,000 to the Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association for their research and learning center project, $150,000 to the Washington County Hospital Foundation for a complete patient monitoring system, and $100,000 to Washington County Conservation for Kewash Nature Trail paving and enhancement phase two.

Over 40 applications were received for this grant cycle, and Board President Shawn Ellingson stated that they will be hosting an event to celebrate the recipients and those of their recent spring small grant and COVID-19 relief grant cycles on November 17th at the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, for which the foundation is the license holder. This will be an opportunity for these organizations to connect and inform each other about their projects and what they’ve achieved.