Kane County Grants for Nonprofits

History

The Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation was founded in 1984 with the proceeds of the sale of Chicago's Ridgeway Hospital, a nonprofit psychiatric facility focusing on low-income adolescents. One of its primary funding areas is the support of nonprofit agencies which provide medical and psychological services to economically disadvantaged children and adolescents. Since then, the Foundation has expanded its mission to support nonprofit agencies that provide vital comprehensive health care and housing (homeless) services to the economically disadvantaged of all ages. As of September 30, 2023, it has provided $42.5 million in grants and program-related investments to a variety of health care and housing (homeless) services agencies.

Funding Focus

The Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation’s funding focus is to:

• Improve the health of the uninsured, underinsured and low-income metropolitan Chicago residents and the community through increased access to community-based preventive and primary health services, such as medical, dental, vision, mental health, and case management; and
• Support housing programs and services that provide access to prevention, intervention, follow-up, supportive services, and employment training for individuals and families who are homeless or at-risk of being homeless.

Grant Amount Range

The Foundation’s typical grants are between $10,000-$15,000. Grant awards will generally not exceed $30,000.

What We Fund

• Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation will consider funding program and general operating support, and limited capital requests.
• Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation s funding focus/priority is on programs that increase access to care and provide direct services that improve conditions for low-income, underserved communities in the six-county metropolitan Chicago area.
  • Federal guidelines define lower income people as making 50% of the median income or less and moderate income people as making between 50% and 80% of the median income.
• Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation will fund Food Pantries that use food distribution as a gateway to accessing supportive services that assist and empower individuals and families, or where food assistance is part of the overall service plan.
  • For example, the Foundation supports Food Pantries that also provide case management, counseling, access to health care, job training, housing, rent and utility assistance, and information and referrals to other services, etc., which empower individuals and families to be self-sufficient.
• Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation supports programs that have measurable goals and outcomes.

Topfer Family Foundation Grant

The Topfer Family Foundation is committed to helping people connect to the tools and resources needed to build self-sufficient and fulfilling lives.

Program Areas

The mission of the Topfer Family Foundation (TFF) is to fund programs and organizations that connect people to the tools and resources they need to build self-sufficient and fulfilling lives. Programs eligible for TFF funding will adhere to the guidelines listed below and address one or more of the following program areas:

Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment 

Self-sufficiency for children and families begins in a safe, healthy home. TFF supports programs that provide resources, training and treatment for families and children of abuse. Grants are awarded to programs that promote positive parenting, strengthen families, and provide early intervention. Additionally, TFF funds therapeutic support services for victims of abuse to enhance their quality of life and enable them to reach their full potential.

Youth Enrichment 

TFF is committed to helping at-risk youth prepare for self-sufficient, fulfilling lives. Therefore, the foundation funds initiatives that help youth develop practical life skills, promote education, build self-confidence, and provide positive development and enrichment opportunities.

Job Training and Support Services

Self-sufficiency is unlikely without the skills and knowledge to earn a livable wage. Therefore, the foundation supports job training programs and support services that enable people to increase their earning potential and enhance their quality of life through sustainable and meaningful employment. Initiatives eligible for TFF funding include vocational training, remedial education and life skills training. Successful programs will address the multiple needs of the individual to ensure that employment is secured and sustained.

Children's Health

For parents who have faced the expensive and overwhelming task of caring for an ill child, self-sufficiency can be a distant dream. TFF supports organizations that provide access to critical healthcare for low-income children and those with chronic and terminal illnesses. Grants are awarded to programs that address the physical and emotional needs of sick children and their families through compassionate care, medical treatment and intervention services.

Aging in Place

Aging does not lead to an inevitable loss of independence. However, limited access to safe, affordable housing can be a barrier. TFF partners with local organizations that provide housing options for the elderly while ensuring access to the support services needed to maintain their health and independence. Eligible programs include those that offer home modification, home repair, food and nutrition services, and affordable housing alternatives.

Application Process

Applications are accepted year round and scheduled for review based on the order in which they are received. The Board of Directors reviews applications at its quarterly meetings, generally held in March, June, September and December. 

NFL Foundation Grassroots Program

The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program provides non-profit, neighborhood-based organizations with financial and technical assistance to improve the quality, safety and accessibility of local football fields. The program is a partnership of the National Football League Foundation, which provides funding, and LISC, which provides technical assistance and manages the program. 

Objectives

Athletic fields can serve as tremendous community assets by offering opportunities for recreation, education, and relaxation that contribute to the local quality of life. The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program seeks to redress the shortage of clean, safe and accessible football fields in low and moderate-income neighborhoods.

Non-profit neighborhood-based organizations can play a leading role in the improvement of existing or creation of new athletic playing fields. With experience in both real estate development and community building, many of these organizations possess the capacity to address both the capital aspects of playing fields development and the program elements (i.e. youth football leagues, sports tournaments, science fairs, summer festivals, community celebrations, and after-school events). Equally important to this experience, neighborhood-based organizations have connections to their community that legitimize their operations and draw resident support for their work. If local residents have a sense of ownership and see themselves as stakeholders in the creation and maintenance of playing fields, these community assets are more likely to be protected and preserved for long-term use. The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program is intended not only to respond to the immediate shortage of playing fields, but also to build an infrastructure through partnerships and resident involvement that will sustain these open spaces for community use.

To incorporate and improve health and safety on community football fields, the NFL Foundation Grassroots Program collaborates with USA Football, the governing body of American football in the United States, the sole U.S. member of the International Federation of American Football, and a recognized sports organization of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Its nonprofit mission includes designing and delivering premier educational, development, and competitive programs for American football. USA Football partners with leaders in medicine, child advocacy and athletics to support positive football experiences for youth, high school, and other amateur players. USA Football’s mission is to grow, unify and advance America’s favorite sport.

Organizations gain significant benefits by partnering with USA Football, enrolling in its Football Development Model (FDM) education program being among them. Supported by experts in long term athlete development, medicine, and football, the FDM is the sport’s first long-term athlete development model. The FDM teaches sport through a skill-based progression that is developmentally appropriate physically, mentally, and socially for young players. The model is designed to build better athletes and provide youth programs with training and tools to ensure a high-quality and fun experience while keeping focus on the health and well-being of all athletes.

Availability of Funding

There are two levels of funding available:

• general field support (e.g. irrigation, bleachers, lights, etc.); and
• field surface grants.

General Field Support: Applicants may submit requests of up to $50,000 for capital projects not associated with the actual field surface. This support includes the installation/refurbishment of bleachers, concession stands, lights, irrigation systems, etc.

Field Surface Grants: Matching grants of up to $250,000 are available to help finance the resurfacing of a community, middle school or high school football field. Matching grants of up to $250,000 will be available to applicants seeking to install new synthetic sports turf surfaces. The ability of these new surfaces to withstand constant use and require little ongoing maintenance costs makes this an attractive option for communities, schools and youth groups to consider.

A smaller number of matching grants of up to $100,000 will be available to help finance the resurfacing of a community, middle school or high school football field utilizing natural grass/ sod surfaces. If applicants choose to utilize natural grass/sod surfaces as opposed to the synthetic sports surfaces, a minimum five-year maintenance plan and corresponding financial budget must be provided in order to demonstrate that the applying organization will maintain the field despite projected wear and tear and potential overuse by youth sports participants. Funds from the Program may not be used to maintain field surfaces, as all grant funds must be used for capital expenditures. 

Impact Fund Application Process

United Way of Metro Chicago runs a competitive application process supporting high-quality programs that serve individuals and families in our geographic footprint. Agencies selected for funding align precisely with our strategies, present evidence-based models for service delivery, demonstrate effectiveness with data-rich results and utilize United Way’s measurement framework.

Executive Summary

For more than 80 years, United Way of Metro Chicago has mobilized caring people to invest in the communities where resources are needed most. We partner with community stakeholders and organizations to harness all of our resources to support individuals and families in four key issue areas:

• Basic Needs,
• Health,
• Education, and
• Financial Stability, which we believe are essential to building strong households and strong neighborhoods.

United Way’s long-term focus is on rebuilding neighborhoods to be stronger and more equitable, but we know that the economic and health impacts of COVID-19 have left many more families struggling to meet their basic needs, with food and housing insecurity skyrocketing. With this in mind, we will continue to support crisis services that stabilize families across our region and improve the systems that serve them.

We believe that this dual approach will move our communities forward again, by emphasizing immediate support for those in crisis and a long-term vision for recovery. We strive to be a responsive funder and are committed to helping rebuild a Chicago region that is stronger than it was at the beginning of 2020. To achieve our goals, we will focus our grantmaking on high quality basic needs services, innovative models that can transform systems and service delivery, and coordinated, placebased efforts. 

What We Fund

VNA Foundation awards grants to support nonprofit organizations that provide home- and community-based health services to medically underserved populations in Cook County.

We will consider funding program, operating, and capital grants, including indirect costs and salaries that support core staff. Generally, only grant requests of $40,000 or more will be considered, unless smaller grants are required due to organization size or other identifiable factors.

Within all funding areas, VNA prioritizes organizations that:

• serve uninsured populations and/or Medicaid recipients;
• demonstrate culturally competent services; and
• have staff that reflect the population served.

VNA grants generally fit within one or more of the categories listed below.

Access To Healthcare And Preventive Health

• Programs that promote access to care through community-based health care
• Preventive education and outreach that includes linkages to health services
• Health services that integrate healthy food access 
• Health + housing services that focus on health improvement and housing stability
• Timely health policy education and advancement
• Programs that improve chronic diseases as part of a broader care plan (not specific diseases)

• Individuals experiencing homelessness
• Families or communities living below the poverty threshold

Mental Health And Support Services

Mental Health And Support Services

• Efforts focused on early intervention and treatment
• Programs implementing trauma-informed care
• Support of the health and well-being of survivors of violence
• Initiatives that seek to end cycles of interpersonal or family violence
• Catalytic opportunities to improve systems and services

• Survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and other acts of gender-based violence
• Children and youth
• Communities with behavioral health workforce shortages
• Individuals experiencing homelessness

Maternal And Reproductive Health

• Health and wellness services for birthing individuals and their families
• Health services that provide birthing individuals choices on reproductive health
• Education and outreach to address health disparities in maternal and reproductive health
• Workforce training and development initiatives
• Collaborative and catalytic efforts that work towards timely systems change

• Black women and birthing people, a population with high maternal mortality and morbidity rates
• BIPOC-led community-based organizations
• Organizations that provide a full range of reproductive options, including abortion care
• Organizations with a smaller budget size

Technical Assistance And Organizational Resiliency

• Initiatives to enhance the organization’s capacity to deliver on its mission; for example, staff development, technology upgrades, and sustainability efforts
• Initiatives that focus on staff retention
• Innovative approaches to improving health outcomes through systems coordination and collaboration

Generally available only for agencies that have received at least one year of VNA funding. Please have a conversation with VNA staff before submitting a request for this funding area.

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Community Progress Makers Fund

Community Progress Makers is a Citi Foundation initiative aimed at supporting local community organizations connecting low-income communities to greater social and economic opportunity. The Foundation first launched the Community Progress Makers initiative in 2015 with a vision of empowering local community organizations to grow their transformative impact through unrestricted, trust-based funding. The Foundation is committing an additional $50 million to support a fourth cohort of Community Progress Makers. Through an open request for proposals (RFP) process, the Foundation will select 50 community organizations to receive the following over three years: 

• $1 million in unrestricted grant support
• Access to technical assistance from national experts and leading researchers
• Opportunities to connect and share learnings through webinars and local and national gatherings

Selection Priorities

For this funding opportunity, the Citi Foundation will prioritize organizations that demonstrate:

• Deep connections to the communities served
• Track record of partnering with other community organizations and stakeholders to achieve positive change
• Utilization of data to inform planning and the capacity to collect, analyze, and share data, results, and learnings
• Track record and innovative vision in one of the following areas of work: 
  • Affordable Housing and Access, such as efforts to promote housing affordability; home ownership; and resident support services to help people more easily access employment, education, health, and childcare.
  • Economic Development, including the provision of technical assistance to small businesses; commercial corridor revitalization efforts; and green economy strategies that promote job creation.
  • Financial Health, such as efforts in delivering financial coaching; integrated financial capability services; and savings and asset building strategies.
  • Workforce Readiness, including organizations preparing young people and/or adults for careers and entrepreneurship.

Mission Statement

Alphawood Foundation is a Chicago-based, grant-making private foundation working for an equitable, just, and humane society. Each year we award grants to organizations, primarily in the areas of advocacy, architecture and preservation, the arts and arts education, promotion and protection of the rights of LGBT persons and people living with HIV/AIDS, and other human and civil rights.

Areas of Interest

Funding is focused in the following areas:

Arts Empowerment

Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds organizations using the arts as a way of overcoming barriers to access and advancement; and those empowering communities through artistic development and expression.     

LGBTQ+ Health and HIV Prevention

Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds organizations expanding and improving LGBTQ+ affirming health care and those working to treat and prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS.

LGBTQ+ Rights and Education

Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds organizations working to secure the rights and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities; and organizations enhancing the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community.  

Empowering Communities of Color

Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds organizations founded by, for, and with communities of color using effective mechanisms—including advocacy, organizing, and the arts—to lift up and empower traditionally marginalized groups.  

Legal Services & Advocacy 

Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds legal services organizations working to provide access to justice, alleviate poverty, expand the rights of immigrants, and promote social change; and organizations whose advocacy activities advance responsive and accountable policies and institutions.

Preserving the Built Environment

Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds organizations whose primary mission honors, promotes, and sustains the built environment, including those promoting the preservation and protection of historic resources through advocacy, education, fund raising, and/or stewardship.  

General Interest

Alphawood Foundation Chicago values a safe, just, and equitable society; equal access and opportunity; healthy and sustainable communities; and a vibrant creative arts sector. Our funding supports organizations furthering these values.  

Our General Interest funding includes support for an extensive Southeast Asian art history program at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, including scholarship funding for over 100 students from Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia to pursue diploma studies and masters degrees at SOAS.    

Archaeology 

Alphawood Foundation Chicago supports Maya archeological research with a primary focus on fieldwork in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico.

Bringing color and brightness to the communities where we live and operateSince its establishment in 1951, the PPG Foundation has served as PPG's primary grantmaking organization in the United States. Aligned with our global priority areas, the PPG Foundation helps to prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s opportunities, revitalize communities and enable our employees to lead the way to a brighter future.Across each of our priority areas, we partner with organizations serving diverse students and communities to address systemic racism and advance racial equity. By funding educational pathways for Black communities and people of color, we aim to strengthen our focus on education and further support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.

Through the PPG Foundation, we seek to cultivate meaningful, dynamic community relationships to reach the people and places where we can do the most good. Our team of U.S.-based foundation agents works directly with nonprofit partners in their communities to identify opportunities where the PPG Foundation funding and employee volunteers can create positive impacts. From after-school programs and engineering competitions to STEM summer camps, we collaborate with our partners to place students on learning and discovery paths that prepare them for brighter futures.

Eleanor Network: Training and Stabilization

The Eleanor Network: Training and Stabilization cycle focuses on workforce development as an essential economic security initiative. The combination of training opportunities and comprehensive support services is designed to allow women to fully participate in programming that will lead to living wage jobs with benefits–and have clear pathways for career advancement and professional development. Training grantees deliver job skills training and job placement. The Foundation seeks to fund programs whose primary focus is to help women develop the skills and education they need to Secure living wage employment with benefits and a career path or to advance up an existing career ladder to secure a living wage with benefits. Priority will be given to organizations training in areas trending towards high growth–in particular, we are interested in understanding which sectors are positioned to rebound as industries are reopened as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are interested in organizations that have strong relationships with employers or demonstrable proof that program participants have access to employment opportunities. Stabilization grantees will be asked to partner with training organizations to provide services and resources that support women’s full participation in the training/educational opportunities. Supports could include services such as: financial coaching and credit repair, accessing childcare, accessing housing, family stabilization and accessing healthcare (mental and behavioral health counseling or survivor-centered approaches to domestic violence support), or emergency cash support. We are interested in organizations that bring experience connecting women to programs and services that address their comprehensive needs as they are training for new job opportunities.

Priority Populations:

Women, girls, transgender, and gender non-binary people of color, frontline workers, single-parent headed households, immigrants, and domestic workers.

Priority areas:

Chicago South and West Side communities that are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, job loss, poverty, and community violence. See here for more information.

Other Priorities:

Because CFW’s three issue areas are interconnected and we believe it requires a holistic approach. Women and their families experience disparities simultaneously and often need to address them all at once for them to be able to stabilize and advance their health, safety, and economic security. As a result, we will be accepting applications from all three of CFW’s issue areas and encourage applicants to talk holistically about their work.

Community-based/led Organizations

CFW will be prioritizing community-based and led organizations. CFW believes that these organizations will understand the needs of women, girls, transgender, and gender non-binary people of color and their families because they have deep relationships within the community. Community organizations, particularly those that include leadership from the community or are women of color-led are best positioned to identify current needs but also to shift as needs change and to demonstrate a commitment to racial and gender equity. COVID-19 Recovery CFW will be prioritizing strategies and interventions that address the impact of community disinvestment that has been exacerbated by COVID-19 as well as gender responsive approaches to recovery and rebuilding after job loss, health inequities and increased violence that has disproportionately affected women of color and their families. 

Adaptability and Responsiveness

Relatedly, priority will be given to applicants that demonstrate an understanding and ability to shift their approach to program and operations to address the needs/recovery of the community in crisis (COVID-19, State budget crisis, overturning Roe). This includes organizations that are innovative, nimble, and willing to propose solutions that communities believe will best improve their neighborhoods and lives.

Funding

Grants typically range between $20K and $75K.

About the Catalyst Fund

For the 12th year, Chicago Foundation for Women will be raising dollars to match funds provided by the Groundswell Fund’s core program, the Catalyst Fund, a national initiative to bring new funding to women of color-led reproductive justice work. Through this partnership, the Foundation will be able to provide funds for grants to Chicago-area reproductive justice projects led by women of color. Part of Chicago Foundation for Women’s mission has always been to improve women’s access to health services and information. This fund will amplify efforts to expand the reproductive justice platform and diversify the voices of communities of color on these issues.

Catalyst Fund for Reproductive Justice

In 1994, “reproductive justice” was coined by a group of Black women working on intersecting issues of gender justice, reproductive health and rights and international development. This definition then and now is rooted in human rights and four core principles.

• The human right to have a child
• The human right to not have a child
• The human right to parent the children one has
• The human right to bodily autonomy and sexual expression

Chicago Foundation for Women is dedicated to reproductive justice and believes that it exists when all people have the economic, social, and political power and resources to make healthy decisions about our bodies, our families, and our communities. Currently, in Illinois, reproductive justice challenges include “significant barriers to accessing preferred method[s] of contraception, often because of poor or inconsistent policy enforcement and implementation, challenges faced by health care professionals seeking to fulfill the guarantees of state policy, and misinformation or lack of clarity.” The challenges are even more dire for people from marginalized communities.

The Foundation believes that reproductive justice is inherently connected to social justice. The purpose of the Catalyst Fund is to provide resources for women of color-led efforts in the reproductive justice field and facilitate mobilization of resources for institution-building to connect those in the reproductive justice movement with the larger social justice movement. This means supporting a diverse base of organizations and communities that take action using a broad set of strategies, as well as supporting coordination and collaboration among these organizations and communities.

Priority Populations:

Women, girls, transgender, and gender non-binary people of color, frontline workers, single-parent headed households, immigrants, and domestic workers.

Priority areas:

Chicago South and West Side communities that are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, job loss, poverty, and community violence. See here for more information.

Other Priorities:

Organizations/program must be women of color-led, grassroots (organization budget under $3M) and working on reproductive justice issue or working at the intersection of reproductive justice and other justice movements.

Community-based/led Organizations

CFW will be prioritizing community-based and led organizations. CFW believes that these organizations will understand the needs of women, girls, transgender, and gender non-binary people of color and their families because they have deep relationships within the community. Community organizations, particularly those that include leadership from the community or are women of color-led are best positioned to identify current needs but also to shift as needs change and to demonstrate a commitment to racial and gender equity.

In this grant program CFW is prioritizing the “Demand and Antiracist Healthcare System”and are interested in advocacy and interventions that address reproductive health access, black maternal mortality, comprehensive sexual health education, access to contraception and environmental justice that uses a reproductive justice framework.

Adaptability and Responsiveness

Relatedly, priority will be given to applicants that demonstrate an understanding and ability to shift their approach to program and operations to address the needs/recovery of the community in crisis (COVID-19, State budget crisis, overturning Roe). This includes organizations that are innovative, nimble, and willing to propose solutions that communities believe will best improve their neighborhoods and lives.

Funding

Grants range between $15K and $45K.

The Grand Victoria Riverboat Fund was established by the Kane County Board in 1997 under an agreement with the Elgin Riverboat Resort (Grand Victoria Riverboat). The agreement provides for an annual contribution to the county equal to 7.5% of the riverboat's annual net operating income. The Kane County Board utilizes Grand Victoria Riverboat funds to support a variety of projects and programs aimed at strengthening Kane County communities, promoting collaboration among area organizations, and providing long-term solutions to current problems facing Kane County residents.

All projects should address at least one of the following priorities: 

• Education: Kane County seeks to promote or enhance educational and training programs and initiatives that address community and government improvement issues. 
• Environment: Kane County encourages programs and projects that address a broad spectrum of environmental issues. 
• Economic Development: Kane County supports initiatives that promote economic and community development.

Projects that meet the broad eligibility criteria listed above should also address one or more of the following goals/strategies: 

• Promote cooperation among organizations without duplicating services. 
• Demonstrate practical approaches to current issues facing area residents. 
• Enhance or improve the self-sufficiency and effectiveness of area organizations. 
• Emphasize prevention.

PLTW Engineering

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together an unmatched team of 10,000 engineers, construction and craft professionals, architects, planners, technologists and scientists to design and build our critical infrastructure. With an integrated construction and design mindset, we offer full-service capabilities. Founded in 1898 and working from more than 60 offices globally, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee-owned.

Getting students excited about STEM is essential to building a brighter future for all of us. Showing students how STEM topics fit into the real world and real careers can give them the tools to embrace this vital message. Burns & McDonnell and its Foundation have partnered with PLTW to increase access and participation to PLTW programs for students located in Burns & McDonnell communities. PLTW programs empower students to develop and apply in-demand, transportable skills by exploring real-world challenges.

Through this partnership, Burns and McDonnell is supporting PLTW grants to schools interested in starting and expanding PLTW programs beginning in the next academic year.

Program Requirements

Grantee must offer at least one PLTW Engineering course in the 2025-2026 academic year and must offer one additional course each academic year of the grant period (two different courses in two years). Grantee may implement any PLTW Engineering courses of their choosing. Grantee must complete two years of grant reporting. 

PLTW Program Status- New Program

School Type: Public, Charter

Grant Award and Distribution Schedule

• Total Award: $40,000
  • First Year: $20,000
  • Second Year: $20,000

About

The Illinois Department of Human Services was created in 1997 to provide our state's residents with streamlined access to integrated services, especially those who are striving for economic independence, and others who face multiple challenges to self-sufficiency.

Special Education - EI Child & Family Connections (25-444-84-2880-01)

Program Summary

• Introduction to the funding opportunity:
  • Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Division of Early Childhood (DEC) Bureau of Early Intervention (EI) seeks agencies located within Illinois to serve as the Child and Family Connections (CFC) offices for designated geographic areas.
• Description of the purpose and scope:
  • CFC offices are the regional intake entities defined in state statute (325 ILCS 20) and rule (89 IL Admin. Code 500 Section 500.45) as IDHS's designated entity responsible for implementation of the EI Program within its designated geographic area. IDHS is required to assure the designation of regional points of entry to accomplish consistent and equitable intake and service coordination throughout the State, with services defined in 89 IL Admin. Code 500 Section 500.45.

Program Overview

• Background and Context:
  • The EI Program is a statewide program for the evaluation and assessment of eligible children under 36 months of age; Any child under the age of 3 who is the subject of a substantiated case of child abuse or neglect as defined in the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and in Illinois Act (325 ILCS 20/3) (from Ch. 23, par. 4153); or children engaged with Extended Services with any of the following conditions - please see here for more information.

Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program (IL)

Notice of Funding Opportunity Intent

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (the “Department” or “DCEO”) is issuing this Notice of Funding Opportunity to fund proposals establishing a network of Clean Energy Contractor Incubators. It is Illinois’ goal to increase business opportunities for clean energy contractors and nonprofits located in areas impacted by economic, social, and environmental challenges.

This funding opportunity is targeting the following Hub locations/areas:

• Waukegan, Champaign, Danville, Carbondale, East St. Louis, and Alton.

Funding

Total amount of funding expected to be awarded through this NOFO is up to $21,000,000 for the first 12 months of the awards. Awards will range from $500,000 to $2,500,000 million for the delivery of the Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program in each region. The Department expects to make at least 13 awards for though this NOFO.

RAP Flex Funds Cash Assistance - 2A Aurora Repost (IL)

The Provider will issue flex fund checks, as approved by casework supervisory staff, to purchase items and services needed to prevent placement or aid in reunification efforts. Items and services will be identified by casework staff as approved and signed off by supervisory staff. Planning for flex fund spending should primarily occur within the Child & Family Team meetings. Flex funds are intended to be highly individualized to the needs of the child and family consistent with child welfare best practice.

Services are to promote permanency by maintaining, strengthening and safeguarding the functioning of families to:

• prevent substitute care placement,
• promote family reunification,
• stabilize foster care placements,
• facilitate youth development, and
• ensure the safety, permanency and wellbeing of children.

The Flex Funds Cash Assistance Program provides assistance on behalf of children and families to ensure that a child is not placed in substitute care or to assist in returning and remaining home. The program is specifically intended to aid in and improve reunification efforts/performance.

Flexible funds are intended to be highly individualized. The following is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but provides examples of how flex funds may be used:

• Hard goods and services necessary to provide child safety that are not accessible through Norman funding. Please note – Norman must be accessed first for all Norman certified families seeking assistance for Norman eligible payments.
• Service co-pays for clients that are not accessible or affordable through other means.
• Mentors and other para-professional services
• Transportation costs if required to access services in the client service plan.
• Fees for children to attend enrichment activities such as camps, YMCA, etc.
• Non-traditional therapeutic-like services such as art classes, etc.

Funding

• Award Ceiling - $379,842.00
• Award Floor - $7,030.00
• Expected Number of Awards - 1

Driving a Cleaner Illinois - Volkswagen (NOFO) (IL)

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to inform potential applicants of the availability of funds from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Agreement (Trust or Trust Agreement). Under this NOFO, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA or Agency) will fund a portion of the eligible costs associated with the replacement (not repower) of existing diesel public transit buses with new all-electric public transit buses located and operated in any of the three priority areas outlined in the Beneficiary Mitigation Plan (BMP) and in this NOFO. In addition to providing funding for new all-electric public transit buses, Illinois EPA will also fund a portion of new electric charging equipment if charging infrastructure is needed to the extent of what is necessary to charge the new buses in this application.

Funding

• Award Range - Minimum award amount $300,000
• Anticipated Number of Awards - Approximately 40-50 Class 4-8 transit buses

Our Mission

Bright Promises Foundation’s mission is to identify, fund, and share solutions to underrecognized needs of children and youth most adversely impacted by inequity. Our vision is for a Chicagoland where all children and youth reach their full promise and potential.

Healing Youth Racial Trauma

Building on a decade of work to advance the field of childhood trauma, Bright Promises Foundation launched the Healing, Leading, Changing initiative in 2021 to provide community organizations with funding and support to develop, test, implement, document, and disseminate strategies for addressing childhood trauma caused by racism.

The purpose of this initiative is to improve the capacity of youth-serving organizations to address youth trauma caused by racism, and to facilitate a cross-organization Youth Council that will develop tools and resources to share with other organizations so that more youth can heal, become more resilient, and thrive.

Over the next five years, Bright Promises will invest more than $2 million in community organizations to help scale existing programs, create new programs, and broadly share best practices for addressing childhood trauma caused by racism.

Grant Amounts and Available Terms

Organizations can apply for two-year grants of $20,000 per year, or $40,000 over the course of two years. Second year grant installments will only be released if Bright Promises has determined that grantee organizations are meeting objectives and making sufficient progress. Organizations may also apply for a third and fourth-year grant.

Rural IL Opioid Overdose Prevention Initiative - Naloxone Distribution NOFO (IL)

The Rural Illinois Opioid Overdose Prevention Initiative – Naloxone Distribution program is part of the “Empowering and Equipping Law Enforcement Communities in Rural Illinois to Reduce Opioid Overdose” initiative. The purpose of this grant is to address opioid-related morbidity and mortality in Illinois. This grant has two goals Goal one is to provide intensive support to 63 high-need rural Illinois counties that suffer from high burden and are particularly under-resourced by equipping municipal police, sheriff departments, and fire departments in the Target Area with naloxone and provide training for law enforcement officers and firefighters on naloxone administration, overdose prevention, and treatment referral. The Target Area counties include Alexander, Adams, Bond, Boone, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Cook, Crawford, Cumberland, Dekalb, Douglas, Edgar, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Gallatin, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Jackson, Jaspar, Jefferson, Jersey, Johnson, Kane, Lawrence, Logan, Macoupin ,Marion, Massac, Menard, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Perry, Pike, Piatt, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Richland, Saline, Sangamon, Scott, Schuyler, Shelby, St. Clair, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White, Williamson.

Goal two is to pilot Leave-Behind Naloxone Distribution with at least two public safety agencies. LeaveBehind Naloxone Distribution involves public safety officers supplying naloxone kits to individuals present after responding to an emergency call for an overdose. The Leave-Behind approach aligns with the best practices in SUPR’s Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) program identified in the 2019 Illinois Overdose Prevention and Harm Reduction Act4 by directly distributing opioid antagonists to individuals who use drugs, their families, and communities. Law enforcement officers will provide a naloxone kit (including two doses of naloxone), instructions on how to use it, and information about the Illinois Helpline for Opioids and Other Substances so that individuals know how to acquire additional naloxone or treatment and recovery services in the future. 

Funding

Up to $207,703

Rural IL Opioid Overdose Prevention - Public Safety Involved Linkage to Care NOFO (IL)

The Rural Illinois Opioid Overdose Prevention Initiative – Public Safety Involved Linkage to Care program is part of the “Empowering and Equipping Law Enforcement Communities in Rural Illinois to Reduce Opioid Overdose” initiative. The purpose of this grant is to address opioid-related morbidity and mortality in Illinois. Non-fatal drug overdose is one of the strongest predictors of a subsequent fatal overdose. The period following a non-fatal overdose event presents a critical opportunity to prevent future fatal overdose through connecting with survivors around harm reduction and/or linkage to treatment. First responders have unique access to the individuals in their community at highest risk for fatal and non-fatal overdose.

The goal of the Public Safety Involved Linkage to Care program is to utilize collaboration between public health and public safety agencies to engage survivors of overdose and/or people who use drugs (PWUD) that are at high risk for overdose. In response to the current opioid overdose epidemic, public safety agencies can partner with community organizations and leverage everyday encounters with people who use drugs as opportunities to provide linkage to care.

These encounters can serve as:

• Opportunity to direct people to harm reduction services for active drug users and treatment/detox services for drug users looking to reduce or stop using
• Opportunity to provide naloxone, overdose prevention training, and overdose prevention materials to individuals and/or their families
• Opportunity for community stakeholders to work together to reduce overdose mortality.

Funding

Up to $132,010 

Reimagine Youth Development Services (RYDS) Grant (IL)

Firearm violence has deeply harmed neighborhoods, communities, and the entire State of Illinois, both through the immediate loss of life and the long-term, harmful effects of trauma experienced by victims, witnesses, and community members. According to the 2024 U.S. Surgeon General's Report, Firearm Violence: A Public Health Crisis in America, these impacts are felt disproportionately by communities impacted by poverty and other factors. As one of its multiple funding efforts to reduce firearm violence in the most heavily impacted communities across Illinois, the IDHS-Office of Firearm Violence Prevention (OFVP) is seeking to fund youth development organizations in specific community areas across Illinois that will provide structured and unstructured programming to community youth. These programs are meant to serve youth who are the highest risk of becoming victims or perpetrators of firearm violence and should utilize evidence-informed programming and services which will improve youth outcomes and decrease risk factors associated with firearm violence.

IDHS is working to counteract systemic racism and inequity, and to prioritize and maximize equity and diversity throughout its service provision process. This work involves correcting existing institutionalized inequities, aiming to create transformation, and operationalizing equity and racial justice. It also focuses on the creation of a culture of inclusivity for all, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or ability. Organizations that provide services under this funding opportunity and all related RPSA programs must reflect IDHS' commitment to advance equity and racial justice by enabling all to thrive, regardless of race, zip code, and disability.

This NOFO will fund youth development programs to serve high-risk youth that intend to provide afterschool and summer programming utilizing evidence-based and/or evidence-informed programming to improve youth outcomes and decrease risk factors associated with firearm violence. These services include civic engagement and leadership development, life skills development, activities that promote positive educational outcomes, build social emotional persistence and intelligence, develop non-academic interests, and reduce involvement in the justice system.

Funding

Average award amount: $240,000 plus participant incentives (for the civics program) up to $900 per participant.

Illinois Energy Transition Navigators Program (CEJA) (IL)

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (the “Department” or “DCEO”) is issuing this Notice of Funding Opportunity (“NOFO”) to support the Illinois Energy Transition Navigators Program. The goal is to establish a network of community-based providers across the state of Illinois. These providers will offer community education, outreach, and recruitment services to encourage eligible individuals to participate in clean energy workforce and contractor development programs.

The Energy Transition Navigators Program will provide outreach and recruitment for the CEJA workforce and contractor programs. The Department seeks to contract with the community-based provider(s) (“Navigator Teams”) to connect people to the CEJA workforce and contractor programs. Navigator Teams will provide outreach and recruitment services to eligible populations to ensure they are aware of and engaged in the statewide and local workforce and contractor development programs.

Navigator Teams will prioritize individuals eligible for the following programs:

• Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program (20 ILCS 730/5-20) - Creates 13 workforce hubs run by community-based organizations to provide clean jobs training and a career pipeline for eligible participants.
• Illinois Climate Works Pre-apprenticeship Program (20 ILCS 730/5-40) - Creates 3 preapprenticeship centers to train equity investment eligible individuals for careers in clean energy sector construction and building trades.

To ensure that people are fully able to participate in these two workforce programs, Navigator Teams will assist eligible individuals in accessing Energy Transition Barrier Reduction Program services (20 ILCS 730/5-30), including tools, mentoring, travel stipends, work clothes, certifications, childcare, and other support services. These services will be offered through the Climate Jobs Workforce Network and the Illinois Climate Works Pre-apprenticeship Programs. 

Additionally, Navigator Teams will engage eligible individuals to participate in the following programs:

• Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program (20 ILCS 730/5-45) - Creates regional contractor incubators to provide training, mentorship, low-cost capital, business planning, low-interest loans, and recruitment opportunities for small clean energy businesses and contractors.
• Clean Energy Primes Contractor Accelerator Program (20 ILCS 730/5-55) - A program for contractors seeking to expand their capacity and fill the role of the prime contractor on clean energy projects through a structured five-year program with mentorship, operation support grants, business coaching, assistance applying for certifications, procurement programs, and preparing bids

Funding

$200000 - $500000

NM Community Impact Grant

Northwestern Medicine provides financial support to designated nonprofit organizations and governmental and public entities that are working to address identified community health priorities. Two types of financial support may be requested:

• Community sponsorship and donation requests are considered on a rolling basis. Donation requests are considered in amounts up to $9,999.
• Grant awards need to be requested within a specific timeframe. Grants range from $10,000 to $50,000.

Organizations are encouraged to apply for either type of funding, but they are only eligible to receive one grant or one community donation per calendar year. Applicants should bundle their needs and request sufficient funds for the year. Multiple applications from one organization in a calendar year will not be considered unless the previous applications were denied, and the new application is sufficiently different to better align with required criteria.