Dubuque Racing Association Ltd
Dubuque Racing Association Ltd is a public charity based in Dubuque, Iowa. It operates a casino gaming facility and an adjacent hotel and restaurant, with profits distributed to the City of Dubuque and local nonprofit organizations to lessen the burden of government and promote social welfare.
Dubuque Racing Association Ltd at a glance
In short: Dubuque Racing Association Ltd gave $4.5M across 38 grants in 2025 (avg $119K), mostly in Iowa. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $4,517,507
- +9.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 38
- -25.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $118,882
- +46.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $19,000
- Total assets
- $132,039,970
- +40.7% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Iowa (98% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Dubuque Racing Association Ltd
- How to Apply
-
The association describes an online application process, followed by a grant summary report for organizations that receive funding. The 2026 application cycles are past: Core applications were due May 15, 2026, and Mission applications were due April 17, 2026.
- Review Cycle
- The 2026 Core Grant deadline was May 15, 2026; the 2026 Mission Grant deadline was April 17, 2026.
- Deadline
- The 2026 Core Grant deadline was May 15, 2026; the 2026 Mission Grant deadline was April 17, 2026.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1855 Greyhound Park Drive, Dubuque, IA 52001
Phone: (563) 582-3647
Website: https://dradubuque.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Dubuque Racing Association Ltd
Who Dubuque Racing Association Ltd funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Schmitt Island Development Corporation ($2.6M). Together the top 10 received $4.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
271 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 231 grants of 271 (85%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The association’s grant materials describe a focus on the tri-state area. In 2025, 98% of reported grant dollars went to Iowa recipients, 1% to Wisconsin recipients, and less than 1% to Illinois recipients. The listed awards included organizations in Iowa and Wisconsin.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 38 itemized grants.
Cities
How Dubuque Racing Association Ltd gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.1M (2019) to $9.7M (2022). In 2025 it made 38 grants totaling $4.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Schmitt Island Development Corporation Dubuque, IA | Schmitt Island Fund | $2,567,428 |
| City of Dubuque Dubuque, IA | Charitable contribution set aside for the city of dubuque | $1,258,831 |
| The Butler Children's Garden Foundation Dubuque, IA | Wanderwood Gardens | $50,000 |
| Dubuque Childcare Collaborative LLC Dubuque, IA | Bright Minds Campus Childcare and Training Center | $46,963 |
| DBQ Air Dubuque, IA | Save Our Service (SOS) for Economic Prosperity | $40,000 |
| Presentation Lantern Center Dubuque, IA | New Initiative Helps Dubuque Refugees & Immigrants Thrive | $40,000 |
| Crescent Community Health Center Dubuque, IA | Expanding workforce capacity for the high-need oral health field | $35,000 |
| Camp Albrecht Acres of the Midwest Sherrill, IA | Specialty Van Purchase | $30,000 |
| Dubuque County Historical Society Dubuque, IA | Restoration of the Mathias Ham House | $25,000 |
| Uw Platteville Foundation Inc Platteville, WI | Uw-platteville attracting, recruiting, and retaining diverse populations to the tri-states | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Dubuque Racing Association Ltd?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The 2025 filing also reports a $4,494,500 promotional allowance expense included in gaming revenue and a $1,427,782 food and beverage allowance expense netted with revenue.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $132,039,970 | $40,501,642 | $45,376,028 | $4,517,507 | 38 | $360,739 |
| 2024 | $93,840,154 | $35,289,216 | $40,927,447 | $4,139,292 | 51 | $-1,199,377 |
| 2023 | $72,291,767 | $42,364,391 | $38,488,548 | $8,045,923 | 52 | $1,029,821 |
| 2022 | $63,024,044 | $43,273,258 | $37,044,411 | $9,713,678 | 75 | $247,525 |
| 2021 | $61,524,340 | $44,438,133 | $43,170,438 | $1,323,734 | 55 | $78,994 |
| 2020 | $56,519,036 | $29,067,241 | $28,366,159 | $2,722,656 | 8 | $82,756 |
| 2019 | $57,787,455 | $39,382,122 | $37,710,795 | $1,090,375 | 127 | $174,661 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to operate a casino gaming facility and distribute profits to the City of Dubuque and local nonprofit organizations to lessen the burden of government and promote social welfare. Its grant programs emphasize projects that support population growth, retention, and tourism. The association says its programs began placing greater emphasis on organizational capacity building in 2022, alongside tangible purchases.
Its 2025 grants included organizations whose own missions describe work in recreation, health care, accessibility, history, youth development, animal welfare, and nature. For example, Schmitt Island Development Corporation says it manages the ice arena and Schmitt Island assets to provide recreational opportunities and lessen the government’s facility-management burden. Crescent Community Health Center describes its mission as providing affordable, comprehensive care to improve community health and well-being. The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dubuque describes its work as providing area youth with health, social, educational, cultural, leadership, and character-development programs.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the association reported 38 grants totaling $4,517,507. The grants ranged from $5,300 to $2,567,428, with a median of $19,000. The largest award was $2,567,428 to Schmitt Island Development Corporation for the Schmitt Island Fund, followed by $1,258,831 to the City of Dubuque as a charitable contribution set aside for the city. Other reported awards included $50,000 to The Butler Children’s Garden Foundation for Wanderwood Gardens, $46,963 to Dubuque Childcare Collaborative for the Bright Minds Campus Childcare and Training Center, and $40,000 each to DBQ Air and Presentation Lantern Center.
The association’s 2026 Core Grant program offered requests of up to $50,000; its Mission Grant program accepted requests of $50,000 or more for projects with potential for transformational change. Both programs favor capacity-building projects, provide funds upfront upon award acceptance, require follow-up reports within 12 months, and consider multi-year requests. The Core program describes a process of selecting a grant type, reviewing its guidelines, applying, and submitting a grant summary report if funded. The Mission program uses two phases: an application followed by presentations and a Q&A session for selected applicants. Program eligibility information specifies qualifying tax-exempt organizations or units of political subdivisions; it also says only one application per qualifying organization is accepted and that organizations may not share or borrow another organization’s tax-exempt status.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Kay Takes as 2nd Vice Chair and Mike Donohue as Past Chair. It also lists Brad Cavanagh, Chad Wolbers, Danny Sprank, Ric Jones, Nicole Gantz, Paula Wolfe, Richard Dickinson, and Ron Herrig as members, with Wolbers and Dickinson identified as members at large.
Dubuque Racing Association Ltd is led by Alex Dixon, CEO & President on every filing since 2021; 9 of 30 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Alex Dixon
CEO & President
On filings since 2021
60 hrs/week
$169K (2021) → $209K (2025)
Anthony Williams
CEO & President
New on the 2025 filing
60 hrs/week
$350K (2025)
Lori Thielen
Chair
2nd Vice Chair → 1st Vice Chair, 2023
1st Vice Chair → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ken Haugen
Director of Hotel Operations
On filings since 2024
50 hrs/week
$144K (2024) → $165K (2025)
Miles Breed
Director of F & B
On filings since 2024
50 hrs/week
$164K (2024) → $165K (2025)
Marty Maiers
Director of Marketing
New on the 2025 filing
50 hrs/week
$156K (2025)
Brian Rakestraw
CFO & COO
Director of Casino Operati → Vice President, 2020
Vice President → CFO & COO, 2022
On filings since 2019
60 hrs/week
$313K (2019) → $586K (2025)
Kathy Buhr
Vice President of People, Culture & Continuous Improv.
Director of Philanthropy & Development → Director of Philanthropy, 2023
Director of Philanthropy → Vice President of People, Culture & Continuous Improv., 2025
On filings since 2022
50 hrs/week
$127K (2022) → $192K (2025)
Stacy Kansky
CCO
On filings since 2022
50 hrs/week
$163K (2022) → $402K (2025)
Lance Carnahan
Vice President of Operations
On filings since 2024
50 hrs/week
$160K (2024) → $192K (2025)
Barbara O'Hea
Member
2nd Vice Chair → Member, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Emily McCready
Member
Member at Large → Treasurer, 2024
Treasurer → Member, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gary Dolphin
Treasurer
Past Chair → Member at Large, 2023
Member at Large → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Lynch
Secretary
Chair → Past Chair, 2023
Past Chair → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Van Milligen
City Manager
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mike Donohue
Past Chair
1st Vice Chair → Chair, 2023
Chair → Past Chair, 2025
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Paula Wolfe
Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ric Jones
Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard Dickinson
Member at Large
Secretary → Treasurer, 2023
Treasurer → Member at Large, 2024
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ron Herrig
Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tyson Leyendecker
1st Vice Chair
Treasurer → 2nd Vice Chair, 2023
2nd Vice Chair → 1st Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brad Cavanagh
Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Harley Pothoff
Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kay Takes
2nd Vice Chair
Member at Large → Secretary, 2023
Secretary → 2nd Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2021
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Danny Sprank
Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mike Fitzpatrick
Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nicole Gantz
Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jan Powers
Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chad Wolbers
Member at Large
Member → Member at Large, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dawn Lueken
Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (23)
- Former: Tresa Heber (2021–2024) — Director of Finance
- Former: Herber Riedel (2022–2024) — Member
- Former: Harold Knutsen (2019–2023) — Member
- Former: Chris Kolle (2023) — Vice President of Hr & Continuous Improvement
- Former: Mayor Brad Cavanagh (2023) — Member
- Former: Tami Schnee (2021–2022) — Director of Hr
- Former: Eden Wales-Freedman (2022) — Member
- Former: David Esau (2019–2021) — Former Key Employee
- Former: Jesus Aviles (2019–2021) — Former CEO & President
- Former: John Torres (2019–2021) — Director of Hospitality
- Former: Joseph Hilby (2019–2021) — Director of It
- Former: Liang Chee Wee (2019–2021) — At Large Member
- Former: Roy Buol (2019–2021) — Member
- Former: Rusty Knight (2019–2021) — At Large Member
- Former: Tom Bolduc (2019–2021) — Treasurer
- Former: Ryan Bryte (2020–2021) — Member
- Former: Jackie Lee (2021) — Director of Marketing
- Former: Rita Mohr (2019–2020) — Member
- Former: Tami Conzett (2019–2020) — Director of Guest Services
- Former: William Eichhorn (2019–2020) — Vice President & CFO
- Former: Daryl Klein (2020) — Member
- Former: Dan Kruse (2019) — At Large Member
- Former: Jake Rios (2019) — Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $586K, to Brian Rakestraw (CFO & COO). 9 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Dubuque Racing Association Ltd
How much does Dubuque Racing Association Ltd give each year?
Dubuque Racing Association Ltd gave $4.5M across 38 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $4.1M across 51 grants.
What is Dubuque Racing Association Ltd's typical grant size?
Dubuque Racing Association Ltd's median grant in 2025 was $19,000, and its average grant was $118,882, across 38 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Dubuque Racing Association Ltd give grants?
Dubuque Racing Association Ltd gives mostly in Iowa: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Dubuque, IA (27 grants).
Does Dubuque Racing Association Ltd give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 38 grants with a stated purpose on Dubuque Racing Association Ltd's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Dubuque Racing Association Ltd's largest grantees?
Dubuque Racing Association Ltd's largest 2025 grantees include Schmitt Island Development Corporation ($2,567,428), City of Dubuque ($1,258,831) and DBQ Air ($50,000 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 86% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Dubuque Racing Association Ltd?
Dubuque Racing Association Ltd reported $132.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $40.5M.
What does Dubuque Racing Association Ltd fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to operate a casino gaming facility and distribute profits to the City of Dubuque and local nonprofit organizations to lessen the burden of government and promote social welfare. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Dubuque Racing Association Ltd?
The association describes an online application process, followed by a grant summary report for organizations that receive funding. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Dubuque Racing Association Ltd's EIN?
Dubuque Racing Association Ltd's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 42-1235183. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 14, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 26, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 10, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 30, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 21, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Dubuque Racing Association Ltd's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Dubuque Racing Association Ltd funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/dubuque-racing-association-ltd-morg_6e5387ad1a0c46e7b4d5ca2c5ea930fd
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_421235183_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Dubuque Racing Association Ltd funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/dubuque-racing-association-ltd-morg_6e5387ad1a0c46e7b4d5ca2c5ea930fd},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Dubuque Racing Association Ltd's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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