Search Through Cook County Grants for Nonprofits in Illinois

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.

The Venable Foundation envisions that its philanthropic investments provide essential resources to nonprofit organizations in communities across the country. Guided by the belief that everyone has the right to equitable employment opportunities, healthcare, housing, food, and a vibrant cultural community, Venable grantees ensure that economically disadvantaged people are given the tools they need to thrive.

The average size of a Venable Foundation grant is approximately $10,000. First-time awardees are usually on the smaller end of the spectrum. It is up to the organization to determine what it feels is an appropriate request.

Funding Priorities

Grant support is provided to assist with general operations and projects. Currently, the Venable Foundation’s funding priorities include:

• Human Services
• Legal Services
• Education
• Workforce Development
• Youth Impact
• Health
• Environment
• Arts and Culture

You can learn more about each of these funding priorities below:

Human Services – The Foundation has a strong track record of supporting a breadth of essential human services, including programs that impact people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity, incarcerated and returning citizens, LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities, and those affected by domestic violence and housing insecurity.

Legal Services – We support the delivery of free or affordable legal services in our communities. Pro bono consulting and representation focus on a variety of issues, including domestic violence, housing, immigration, public benefits, and discrimination, among other areas. Legal service nonprofits providing “know your rights” training and other activities are also supported. The Foundation also supports training for youth and adults to ensure diversity and access to careers in the legal profession.

Education – The Foundation supports a wide array of early childhood, in-school, and out-of-school time initiatives that provide in-depth opportunities for learning and engagement to position children for success and level the playing field for economically disadvantaged youth.

Workforce Development – We believe that every individual deserves the opportunity to pursue gainful employment. Thus, we support organizations with the goal of developing the workforce of today and tomorrow. Successful programs recruit and train individuals and place them in relevant jobs so that they can earn a sustainable living wage for themselves and their families. Skill development is focused on low-income, underemployed, and unemployed community members, and on preparing youth for careers after their schooling is complete.

Youth Impact – The Foundation invests in services that impact children in each of our communities. These initiatives ensure economically disadvantaged youth are healthy and safe and have opportunities to thrive.

Health – The Foundation is committed to improving wellness and increasing access to care for economically disadvantaged individuals in the region. Successful organizations and programs work to eliminate barriers to healthcare for all ages and provide accessible and no-stigma testing for a variety of diseases. We support pediatric to geriatric services that address a variety of health concerns.

Environment – We support organizations involved in the preservation of our natural resources and those that are addressing natural or man-made disasters in our target regions. Programs educate communities and work for change on a variety of environmental issues, from wildfires to pollution.

Arts and Culture – The Foundation supports initiatives in the arts that promote deeper public engagement and build up the creative economy, with an emphasis on low-income and underserved communities.

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. 

Non-Enforcement Programs

This funding opportunity houses most of the non-enforcement programs. Please see the specifications for each program explained below. Please note that applications are not limited to these programs.

• Child Passenger Safety Resource Center (CPSRC)
• DUI Court Program
• Impaired Driving Prevention Program (IDP)
• Injury Prevention Program (IP)
• Law Enforcement Liaison Program (LEL)
• Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor (TSRP)

This grant is administered by the Bureau of Safety Programs and Engineering (BSPE) within the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). IDOT serves as the federally-required State Highway Safety Office for the state of Illinois.

Funding amount: $8,000,000.00

Child Passenger Safety Resource Center (CPSRC)

To aid local communities in reducing the death and injury rates on Illinois roads, BSPE established the Child Passenger Safety Resource Centers (CPSRC). The CPSRCs are designed to conduct public information and education campaigns focusing on child passenger safety (CPS) and other highway safety issues. They serve as regional resources providing education, training, and support in promoting CPS programs. The CPSRC program shall also focus on the Strategic Highway Safety Plan priorities areas for their region.

Five (5) CPSRCs are planned to be funded in Illinois and will be staffed by a Child Passenger Safety Liaison. Each CPSRC covers a specific region in the state and coordinates and supports, CPS training, CPS seat distribution, and traffic safety initiatives within that region.

The five regions are:

• Chicago
  • City of Chicago
• Cook and Collar Counties
  • Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Kendall, Grundy, Will, Kankakee, Iroquois
• Northwest
  • Lee, Ogle, Whiteside, Boone, DeKalb, Rock Island, Carrol, Jo Daviess, Winnebago, Stephenson, Henry, Bureau, Stark, Marshall, Putnam, LaSalle, Mercer, Henderson, Warren, Knox, Livingston, Ford
• Central
  • Hancock, McDonough, Adams, Schuyler, Brown, Pike, Fulton, Cass, Morgan, Scott, Mason, Menard, Sangamon, Christian, Logan, Tazewell, McLean, DeWitt, Macon, Piatt, Moultrie, Shelby, Champaign, Douglas, Coles, Vermillion, Edgar, Peoria, Woodford, Macoupin, and Montgomery
• Southern
  • Calhoun, Green, Jersey, Madison, Bond, Fayette, Effingham, Jasper, Crawford, Saint Clair, Monroe, Randolph, Clinton, Washington, Marion, Jefferson, Clay, Wayne, Richland, Lawrence, Edwards, Wabash, Perry, Jackson, Franklin, Hamilton, White, Williamson, Saline, Gallatin, Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Alexander, Pulaski, Massac, Cumberland, and Clark.

Project Goal

To create a coordinated effort to address CPS and other local highway safety issues within the designated region through outreach and education.

Requirements of CPSRC

• Serve as a regional point of contact for CPS programs, trainings, and community events. Additional emphasis areas would be heat stroke/overheating awareness, pedestrian, bicycle, motorcycle, older driver, teen, alcohol, drugged, and distracted driving programs;
• Promote and educate the public regarding the risks of leaving a child or unattended passenger in a vehicle.
• Participate in the development CPS continuing education unit (CEU) opportunities with CPSRCs from all five regions.
• Offer, promote, and teach a minimum of five (5) standardized CPS certification courses and two (2) renewal courses in the region. The CPSRC's Child Passenger Safety Liaison must be the lead on at least 50% of the classes taught in their region.
• CPS courses funded by IDOT should be listed as “open to the public” unless prior approval is granted by IDOT. Reimbursement of technician certification fees are only allowed for Illinois residents.
• Provide public information, educational materials, and technical tools designed to foster community level approaches to highway safety issues, specifically: proper car seat usage, seat belt usage, Illinois’ Seat Belt Law and Child Passenger Safety Protection Act.
• Participate in Statewide CPS Week/Seat Check Saturday promotions and conduct a minimum of one (1) car seat check event during that time.
• Grantees must utilize the electronic car seat check form – www.carseatcheckform.org – to track all car seat checks using IDOT funds including seats that are given to local agencies.
• Distribution of car seats to individuals needing financial assistance.
• Must be able to ensure car seats are being issued to individuals in need. Established need process must be submitted to IDOT with the application.
• Assist local agencies with setting up a minimum of two (2) car seat checks a month.
• Assist local agencies with teen safety fairs, traffic safety presentations and other community events, preferably with focus in communities that are overrepresented and underserved.
• Provide education to the public about child passenger safety and general traffic safety by staffing informational booths at community events.
• Use data-driven approaches to evaluate and address local highway safety issues.
• Participate in local traffic safety networks of law enforcement and local organizations dedicated to highway safety.
• If requested, assist IDOT with the annual statewide seat belt survey.
• If requested, assist with and IDOT motorcycle helmet survey.
• If a CPSRC would like to facilitate training outside of its regional boundaries, the CPSRC must contact the CPSRC that covers that area and discuss a collaborative effort.
• Create meaningful public participation and engagement to ensure diverse views are heard and considered.

RFP: Transfer Innovation Impact Model (TIIM) – Household Wealth

Background

The Transfer Innovation Impact Model (TIIM) initiative creates a learning community for grant recipients to participate in opportunities to share data and best practices to learn from each other in pursuit of improving student outcomes. TIIM is led and supported in part by Bridges to Brighter Futures, a collaboration between the Kinship Foundation and The Chicago Community Trust funded through the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust.

The TIIM RFP invites organizations to apply for a one-year planning grant to develop and advance a transfer model that dramatically improves the bachelor’s degree completion of Chicago community college students. This model will be driven by innovation, research, reporting, and supporting partnerships to create intentional learning communities.   

Successful partnership models will:

• Uncover and address the needs of specific populations of Chicago students, including the most underserved populations and underinvested neighborhoods.
• Collect and share data to understand barriers on individual campuses and demonstrate the effects of interventions over time.
• Create bold, innovative practices that have the potential to improve outcomes for students.

Need/Opportunity Statement

While middle skills certifications provide access to quality jobs, degree attainment remains the strongest pathway to economic mobility, particularly when students pursue college majors related to in-demand fields. Given the diversity of community college students, effective transfer practices have the potential to diversify the bachelor’s degree institutions where community college students enroll after transfer, an even more important strategy for equity now that the U.S. Supreme Court has eliminated race-based admissions strategies.

Currently, 79 percent of students who start at community college in hopes of a more affordable pathway to a bachelor’s degree get their plans derailed by a fragmented system full of unexpected costs and administrative burdens that deter many students from completing the transfer process.

Goals & Outcomes

The goal of the TIIM initiative is to identify and promote strategies that improve bachelor’s degree completion within two to three years of transfer from community college programs for students who traditionally have had lower rates of completion, including Black, Latine and low-income students in Chicago. 

Grant Amounts Available & Grant Term

This grantmaking opportunity will occur in two phases.

• In Phase 1, the TIIM initiative will award five one-year planning grants of $300,000 each.
  • Successful Phase 1 grant applicants will be invited to submit an Implementation application during the planning grant phase.
• TIIM Phase 2 Implementation grants of up to $1,700,000 over three years will be awarded to support the plans created during the planning process.

Please Note: Phase 2 Implementation applications will be invited and submitted in the Winter/Spring of 2026 and will be evaluated competitively among all applying institutions. TIIM will look for plans that set dramatic targets and clear plans for improving the key program outcomes.

RFP: Together Fund (Local Business) – We Rise Together

Background

We Rise Together: For an Equitable & Just Recovery is a coalition of public and private funders and communities accelerating equity in the Chicago region’s economic recovery so everyone who lives here can reach their full potential. To catalyze an equitable economic recovery from the COVID recession, We Rise focuses on grantmaking and engagement in communities hardest hit by COVID and those that are a majority Black and Latine because they are the places and people disproportionately affected by the pandemic. 

Need/Opportunity Statement

In historically underserved, low-income neighborhoods across the Chicago area, mid-stage businesses and worker-owned cooperatives play a critical role in fostering economic vitality, creating jobs, and strengthening social connections. However, many of these businesses face persistent challenges in scaling their operations, securing the tools and resources necessary for growth, and effectively harnessing growth opportunities.  

We know that mid-stage businesses are uniquely positioned to drive inclusive economic growth. However, they often operate with constrained resources and limited access to the capital, vendors, and infrastructure needed to achieve their full potential. Similarly, worker-owned co-ops offer a powerful model for shared ownership and wealth-building, empowering employees with a direct stake in the success of their enterprises. Yet, co-ops face unique challenges in securing resources for infrastructure, awareness, and technical support, particularly in sectors like retail, manufacturing, and trucking that are traditionally underfunded. 

By moving resources directly to nonprofits working alongside these businesses, we aim to catalyze their ability to grow revenue, expand capacity, and invest in transformative initiatives like acquiring commercial spaces, adopting advanced tools, and strengthening their operational resilience. This RFP invites applications that present strategic approaches to strengthen these enterprises, supporting a sustainable recovery and fostering a resilient economic foundation across the region.

Goals & Outcomes

While this is a one-year grant, the activities supported through this funding should be designed to contribute to the broader, long-term goals of improving local economic resilience. Work completed during the grant period should build a strong foundation for continued progress toward the following goals:  

• By supporting business growth and cooperative development, projects should create stable job opportunities, increase local spending, and increase economic resilience within low-income neighborhoods. 
• Through cooperative models and local business growth, projects should promote shared wealth-building, economic autonomy, and the growth of the local economy. 
• Programs should enable businesses to scale effectively, increasing their capacity to serve and uplift their communities. 
• Measure changes in access to capital, financial literacy, and use of business management tools. 
• Track the number of new jobs created or maintained, particularly full-time roles with family-sustaining wages. 
• Monitor improvements in operational resilience, such as enhanced access to infrastructure, technology, or technical assistance.

While this is a one-year grant, the activities supported through this funding should be designed to contribute to the broader, long-term goals of improving local economic resilience. Work completed during the grant period should build a strong foundation for continued progress toward the following goals:  

• By supporting business growth and cooperative development, projects should create stable job opportunities, increase local spending, and increase economic resilience within low-income neighborhoods. 
• Through cooperative models and local business growth, projects should promote shared wealth-building, economic autonomy, and the growth of the local economy. 
• Programs should enable businesses to scale effectively, increasing their capacity to serve and uplift their communities. 
• Measure changes in access to capital, financial literacy, and use of business management tools. 
• Track the number of new jobs created or maintained, particularly full-time roles with family-sustaining wages. 

Monitor improvements in operational resilience, such as enhanced access to infrastructure, technology, or technical assistance. 

Outcomes include up to three of the following:

• Build Knowledge and Narrative 
• Improve Overall Financial Health 
• Increase Fundamental Business Finance Knowledge and Application 
• Strengthen Workforce 

Chicago Region Artistic Vitality

We support over 175 small, professional arts organizations of all disciplines. We provide general operations grants, technical assistance, and other support to help our arts partners sustain their artistry and strengthen their operations. We call this Gen Ops Plus.

To Value Small Arts Organizations

The ecosystem of arts in the Chicago region is big and diverse, yet most nonprofit arts groups operate on small budgets. Together, small arts groups produce most of the art in our region. They reach beyond downtown into nearly every neighborhood. They ensure a perpetual wellspring of new and emerging talent. They challenge. They risk. They fail. They try again. They blow us away.

Many small arts groups – especially the smallest of the small – tend to have fewer options for grants. That’s why we make it our business to support professional arts groups, of all disciplines, that operate on less than $1 million per year.

To Support With Few Restrictions

Unrestricted general operating grants are the life blood of small arts groups, big or small. It allows them the flexibility to spend those dollars where they see fit. Multi-year general operating support provides an extra measure of stability.

To Grow Stronger

It takes training, discipline and often years of experience to master one’s art. Just as challenging, just as important, is mastering the art of running an arts organization. Stronger, more efficient operations tend to allow more time, attention and resources to go toward the art itself. We support the Arts Work Fund and several other technical assistance providers to help organizations grow stronger.

Grant Amounts

Organizations are eligible for grant amounts based on annual expenses for the most recently-completed calendar or fiscal year, ranging from $2,500 to $13,500.

Mission Sustainability Initiative

The Mission Sustainability Initiative (MSI) at Forefront is dedicated to helping nonprofits thrive by providing the resources for leaders to regularly and thoughtfully explore collaboration and partnership strategies. Strategic partnerships and collaborations may take the form of a co-location, a back office collaborative, a joint venture, a merger or acquisition, or other long-term or permanent partnership that changes the way of doing business of the organizations involved. The MSI provides holistic support solutions to nonprofits, including confidential conversations, educational programming, community convening, vetted consultant lists, toolkits, and opportunities to apply for funding.

Grant Project Types

The MSI looks at partnership development in three phases: Pre-Exploratory, Exploratory, and Implementation.

Pre-Exploratory

Pre-Exploratory projects are opportunities for single organizations to explore their partnership goals and readiness. These projects often include organizational assessments and meeting facilitation. The core goal for pre-exploratory projects is the articulation of an organization’s priorities and capacity for strategic partnership, which may or may not include specific plans for developing a partnership in the near future. A possible outcome of a pre-exploratory project is a Letter of Intent to begin an exploratory process.

The maximum amount available for a pre-exploratory grant is $5,000.

Exploratory

Exploratory projects are opportunities for two or more organizations to develop a strategic partnership strategy, build trust between organizations, conduct due diligence, determine mission/vision values alignment, and build a plan for partnership implementation. These projects typically include strategic partnership consulting, accounting, and legal support (if not available pro bono), and meeting facilitation. The core goal for exploratory projects is all partners gaining sufficient understanding and knowledge to move forward in the way that best serves the goals of the organization, which may or may not involve the specific partnership under consideration. A possible outcome of an exploratory project is a Memorandum of Understanding or Partnership Agreement.

Exploratory grants range from $5,000 to $75,000.

Implementation

Implementation projects are opportunities to build the infrastructure that a partnership needs to thrive. The nature of this infrastructure will vary significantly based on the type of partnership. MSI Grants are not currently available for implementation projects, but partnerships in this stage of development are encouraged to contact the MSI Director to discuss other options for support.

Implementation grants range from $5,000 to $75,000.

Cook County Arts Creative Placemaking Program

Cook County Arts Creative Placemaking Program is a $2 million effort providing grants for community-led projects that leverage the arts to enhance quality of life for residents and visitors. Nonprofit organizations located in and serving suburban communities will be the lead applicants for the Creative Placemaking program, and they are encouraged to work with a bevy of community stakeholders. 

The County has partnered with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to manage the grant application process, conduct peer-to-peer Learning Circles, and provide technical assistance to grantees as they work to implement their projects. 

What is Creative Placemaking?

Creative placemaking (or placekeeping, when focused on protecting the distinctiveness of place) integrates arts, culture and design activities into efforts that strengthen communities. In disinvested neighborhoods, it guides residents’ efforts to make social, physical and economic changes in their communities through arts and culture. Such efforts might include renovating a historic theater, building affordable live-work spaces for artists, or transforming vacant lots into lively gathering places or community exhibition sites. 

In suburban Cook County, creative placemaking work will support ongoing initiatives to further economic development, advance equity and uplift the creative sector.

Proposed projects should work to deepen community connections and create a shared vision for change. Proposals might include:

• Artist Murals and Public Art
• Community Gardens
• Cultural Planning/Convening
• Neighborhood Gateways
• Reimagined Public Spaces
• Commercial Corridor Improvements
• Creative Asset Mapping
• New Cultural Facilities

Executive Summary

Outpatient Fitness Restoration provides for outpatient mental health services and fitness education to non-dangerous defendants who are adjudicated unfit to stand trial. The standard for Fitness draws on fundamental principles of fairness to establish that it is both unlawful and unethical for defendants to proceed in a criminal matter without an understanding of the proceedings, its consequences, and the ability to assist their attorneys due to mental illness or intellectual disability. After defendants are adjudicated Unfit to Stand Trial by a judge, they may be committed to restoration in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Illinois courts allow for Fitness Restoration on an outpatient basis and is interested in increasing access to this option for adults and juveniles charged with Misdemeanor and other non-violent offenses for whom outpatient treatment is clinically appropriate. Outpatient Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) consumers may also be monitored through this program. Recognizing that Outpatient Restoration will include a range of customers having varied insurance coverage, the Division of Mental Health clarifies that resources from this grant must not be applied to any costs associated with the delivery of any services and supports that can be reimbursable by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), Medicare, or a private insurance company.

The purpose of this program is to operate an Outpatient Fitness Restoration Program by licensed mental health professionals who will provide community-based fitness restoration services, which include psychiatric, mental health and substance abuse treatment services, housing case management and linkage, as well as legal education, for adults and juveniles found Unfit to Stand Trial (UST) by the County Criminal Courts and remanded by court order to the Department of Human Services for treatment on an outpatient basis. Adults and juveniles will be referred to a Community Mental Health Agency, by the Department of Human Services/Division of Mental Health (IDHS/DMH) Forensics and Justice Services Bureau for court ordered outpatient forensic restoration and treatment services. Services will be provided on site or by telehealth by clinical staff.

The Outpatient Fitness Restoration program is designed to:

The IDHS/DMH will provide outpatient fitness restoration training to clinical staff on an ongoing basis as well as provide technical assistance on clinical and administrative matters involving court ordered consumers. Outpatient NGRI monitoring may include psychiatric, mental health and substance abuse treatment services, housing case management and linkage and/or quarterly progress reporting to the court.

Funding Purpose

The general purpose of this program's funding is Outpatient Fitness Restoration for outpatient mental health services and fitness education to non-dangerous defendants who are adjudicated unfit to stand trial. The standard for Fitness draws on fundamental principles of fairness to establish that it is both unlawful and unethical for defendants to proceed in a criminal matter without an understanding of the proceedings, its consequences, and the ability to assist their attorneys due to mental illness or intellectual disability to achieve for the public good.

Number of Grant Awards

The Department anticipates funding approximately 16 grant awards to provide this program:

• One in Cook County
• 15 outside of Cook County

Expected Dollar Amount of Individual Grant Awards

The Department anticipates that the dollar amount of individual awards will be $ between $17,500 and $350,000 in Cook County and $17,500 and $200,000 outside of Cook County.

Cost Sharing

Providers are not required to participate in cost sharing or provide match.

RFP: Press Forward Chicago – Capacity Building Grant 2025

Press Forward Chicago is a grantmaking initiative administered by The Chicago Community Trust and designed in partnership with the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and local journalism donors and practitioners. By making philanthropic investments in diverse local news outlets in the Chicago region, Press Forward aims to catalyze innovative solutions to the challenges facing local news, amplify impactful journalism practices, and grow financial investments into the media ecosystem to ensure residents have access to relevant, credible, and trusted information.

Through its investments, Press Forward Chicago seeks to:

• Scale proven strategies and innovations that address the challenges of today’s media environment; and
• Revitalize the local news infrastructure, ensuring robust reporting on critical issues facing Chicago's communities.

The goals of this funding opportunity are to:

• Support hyperlocal or local media organizations seeking to increase their current reach through audience expansion and the adoption of new business strategies and approaches; and
• Experimenting with practices to build sustainable revenue models.

Priority Strategies and Activities:

• Press Forward Chicago is eager to consider proposals that address one of the funding priorities below.
  • Grants will recognize organizations’ ongoing efforts to utilize civic journalism and storytelling platforms that amplify the voices of community residents and storytellers, expose critical issues identified by the community, and ignite and inform resident-driven actions.
  • Audience Growth and Engagement: Efforts to increase audience numbers across various platforms, including newsletters. Additionally, growth of audience engagement across platforms.
  • Sustainability: Organizations developing new, scalable business models for their own stability and financial sustainability in local news.

Background

African American Legacy (AAL), an initiative of The Chicago Community Trust, is a philanthropic and educational initiative led by Black civic and community leaders who share the common goal of improving the quality of life among Black people throughout metropolitan Chicago. AAL engages leaders in philanthropy, collectively and individually, and provides support to non profit organizations that work at the community level to educate and engage communities, and to provide neighborhood-based services and solutions to address community problems. Grounded in the philosophies of collective giving, community engagement, and grant making, AAL serves as a convener and catalyst to promote significant impact in Black communities through the organizations that it supports.

Focus Areas

AAL will support community organizations who share the common goal of improving the quality of life among Black people throughout metropolitan Chicago working in working in the following areas:

Community Wealth Building:

We seek to support organizations focused on the shared wealth of their communities, as connected groups of people. It is the shared wealth, not the sum of wealth, of multiple households or whole communities. For this focus area, successful applicants approach economic development in a manner that promotes the local, democratic, and shared ownership and control of community assets. Such initiatives include:

• Worker-Owned Cooperatives: Values-driven businesses that are collectively owned and democratically operated by their employees. Worker Cooperatives generate worker and community benefits.
• Limited Equity Housing Cooperatives: Housing that is collectively owned and democratically managed by residents and that aims to maintain permanent affordability, accessibility, and stability.
• Community Land Trusts: Community-based nonprofits that acquire and steward community land and assets for the explicit purpose of preserving affordability and mitigating displacement from residential and commercial properties.
• Community Investment Vehicles: Legal mechanisms for community investment in neighborhood assets based on shared values and development goals. In its ideal form, CIVs are designed, majority-owned, and majority-controlled by residents or local members.

Community Mobilization

We seek to support organizations doing work in the areas of voting rights/access activism, immigration reform, education inequity, and fighting the erasure of Black people, Black history, and Black stories.

Community Care

We seek to support organizations that actively respond to the disproportionate impact of issues such as employment instability, housing instability, and trauma on Black people and Black communities through the delivery of mental health and wellness services as their primary service.

Grantmaking Criteria

• Black-Led or Black-Serving. AAL is committed to supporting Black leaders in organizations or organizations that serve underinvested communities whose residents or constituents are predominately Black. Black-serving means constituents are predominantly (51%) Black and/or from the African Diaspora (Africans brought primarily to the Americas as slaves who live around the globe—Brazil, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Europe, and Asia). Organizations that are older than five years will not be considered if the Executive Director and Board Chair are the same individual.
• Place-based. Primarily located in the Chicago metropolitan region (which includes Cook, DuPage, Kane, McHenry and/or Will Counties, Illinois), and accessed by Black people living in this region.
• People-driven. Program direction and design are grounded in the needs of the constituency and the community served. Using an asset-based approach means that the organization’s work is done not only for the people involved but also by them.

Funding Amount

Community Wealth Building Applicants Only:

Grants under these priority area for 2025 will range in size between $50,000 to $75,000 based on the scope of the applicant’s general operations or project-based needs. Community Mobilization and Community Care Applicants Only:

Grants under these priority areas for 2025 will range in size between $15,000 to $25,000 based on the scope of the applicants general operations or project-based needs.

FY26 CSA Juvenile Court Assessment Program (JCAP)

Program Description

Grantee will collaborate with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to provide the Juvenile Court Assessment Project. JCAP was developed as part of the IV-E Waiver Project. The purpose of the IV-E Waiver Project was to improve permanency outcomes for custodial parent(s) involved with DCFS who had lost temporary custody of their children. Substance use is a common concurrent challenge for many child welfare clients. Accessing their treatment needs and getting them engaged in treatment, when needed, as soon as possible, is a very important task needed for them to address their substance misuse and become more attentive to their goals. The IV-E Waiver Project is now complete, but JCAP remains active.

In order to focus on earlier engagement of substance-affected families after temporary custody of the child(ren) is taken, JCAP will have a mobile assessment team comprised of a JCAP Assessor and an outreach worker. This feature makes the services available to clients who maybe disabled or have medical challenges. This service is offered in addition to the traditional JCAP assessment services at the JCAP office located in the basement of the Juvenile Court especially for parents who fail to show for their Temporary Custody Hearing. JCAP will notify the TASC Outreach worker within two business days, of the parent’s failure to show for the Temporary Custody hearing. The outreach worker will facilitate outreach and engagement to encourage parents to complete the JCAP assessment. At the parent’s discretion, JCAP assessments may be completed in the field (e.g., the parent’s residence) instead of traditional venues such as Juvenile Court or a county child welfare agency office in Cook County.

JCAP assessors will complete a substance use assessment on clients and provide referral and linkage to substance use treatment agencies involved in the SUPR-DCFS Family Recovery Partnership or other SUPR licensed agencies or treatment providers. JCAP staff will call treatment providers to confirm patient placement in treatment and treatment participation for 30 days after referral. JCAP will collect and enter information for the database.

Comprehensive substance use assessment based on ASAM Dimensional assessment. Services available in office at Cook County Juvenile Center. Efforts are made to engage the client via mobile outreach and assessment team if client fails to be present for TC hearing.

• DSM V diagnostic impression and determination of most appropriate ASAM level of care.
• If detoxification services are required JCAP assessors coordinate admission between detox unit and treatment program.
• May refer to methadone stabilization prior to referral to residential treatment
• Referral of client to specific treatment agency which provides the recommended level of care:
  • Concomitant psychiatric and medical referrals for acute disorders noted at time of substance use assessment.
  • This includes client telephone screening interview, scheduling of intake apt., coordination of transportation to treatment agency, if necessary
• Confirmation of client’s admission into the treatment program.
• Case management for thirty days following referral to assure client participation in treatment.
• Referral to DCFS TSSP Recovery Coach.
  • If the client leaves treatment and returns for another assessment, TASC JCAP will re-engage and facilitate re-entry to treatment.
• Prior to the client’s next court date, the assessors will provide a substance use assessment summary with the following information:
  • A complete alcohol/substance use history including tolerance and withdrawal potential
  • Mental Health status including any history of suicide attempts or current suicidal ideation
  • Presence of current medical problems or medications
  • History of substance use and psychiatric treatment including treatment modality
  • History of current probation or parole status
  • DCFS involvement
  • Financial employment and housing status
  • Treatment recommendation, referral for services and treatment status

Target Population

Adult DCFS clients (mother, father, legal guardian, foster parent, adult ward of the State) 18 or older who has a history or suspected history of substance use. These are individuals who have an open DCFS Case in the Child Protective Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County Juvenile Court due to a child custody matter. The DCFS/POS Caseworker must complete the Referral/Status Form. Translation services are available through the Juvenile Court if scheduled in advance. Serving clients with severe intellectual disabilities would be difficult without assistance from the assigned case manager or family member who would be able to communicate the information necessary to complete the assessment.

Founded in 2002, the Asian Giving Circle (AGC) is a grassroots philanthropic project that supports Asian and Pacific Islander (API) nonprofits in the Chicago region. AGC is composed of members (i.e. donors) that are committed to pooling and directing their financial resources to organizations that are advancing social justice. AGC is designed and dedicated to being responsive to the current issues facing API communities - a landscape of communities that is incredibly diverse, composed of more than 30 ethnic groups speaking hundreds of languages and dialects.

To date, AGC has contributed more than $800,000 to nonprofit organizations serving API communities in the Chicago region. AGC is one of the oldest active giving circles for API communities and originally started as part of the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) Giving Circle Network. 

AGC believes that giving is an act that can transform ourselves and our communities to build the world we need now. While AGC supports organizations that serve the API community due to continued histories of disinvestment, we believe our work and the work we support must support, be informed by, and add value to broader struggles for liberation.

2025 Funding Priorities

In 2025, AGC is requesting general operating proposals from API organizations in the Chicago metropolitan region (which includes the city of Chicago as well as Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties).

Goals & Outcomes

The Chicago Community Trust believes in the collective power of community engagement and the stabilizing power of community wealth. Over a two-year grant term, the Arts and Culture for Wealth Building RFP aims to support projects that both empower residents and drive economic growth through the creative transformation of public spaces, cultural programming, and hyper-local engagements.  

Collective Power

This funding opportunity seeks to support projects that integrate arts and culture into public spaces and drive economic growth in underinvested communities.

To ensure marginalized voices have a say in decisions affecting them by supporting movement building, arts, culture and narrative change, and leadership development. 

Illinois Humanities

Our Mission

Illinois Humanities is a statewide nonprofit organization that activates the humanities through free public programs, grants, and educational opportunities that spark conversation, foster reflection, build community, and strengthen civic engagement for everyone in Illinois.

Our Vision

An Illinois where the humanities are central to making the state more just, creative, and connected.

General Operating Grants

General Operating Grants support organizations that are firmly rooted in the humanities. From cultural and ethnic organizations to museums, libraries, and consortiums, these organizations broaden possibilities and increase access to the public humanities. These unrestricted funds empower growth and sustainability by providing recipients with more flexibility and freedom to allocate resources wherever they need them most.

Definition of the Humanities

The humanities are the examination of what it means to be human through the interpretation and discussion of all forms of thought, interest, and expression.

We value traditional humanities disciplines, such as art history, literature, history, and philosophy. However, our emphasis on the public humanities means that we look at the humanities as more than an academic discipline. For us, the public humanities are a mode of inquiry and conversation that aims to engage, support, or challenge the ideals, beliefs, tensions, and prejudices of the communities in which we live. We believe that important thought can happen outside of the academy–in neighborhood institutions, schools, churches, and at kitchen tables across the country.

We are especially interested in instances of the public humanities that promote civic engagement in raising critical issues facing everyday people and conducted with the hope of increasing their thirst for staying engaged. Rather than being defined by rigid disciplinary boundaries, it is the humanistic lens, which emphasizes curiosity, questioning, and dialogue, that matters.

Guidelines

Grants decisions will be made based on whether organizations have a mission involving the humanities, organizational size, geographical balance, and whether an organization represents a historically disinvested or economically under-resourced community, such as rural or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) communities.

We are committed to serving all geographic areas within the state of Illinois; hence, approximately half of General Operating Grants will be distributed to Cook County-based organizations, and half to organizations located outside of Cook County.

Amount

Up to $10,000.

Crossroad Fund Grants

Crossroads Fund supports grassroots groups working for racial, social and economic justice in the greater Chicago metropolitan area (including Northwest Indiana, which we define as the area between the state border and Gary, IN. All applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for funding:

• Working for Social Change: Crossroads Fund supports organizations working to examine and challenge the underlying causes of injustice affecting their communities. They seek to change the conditions, institutions, and policies that create and maintain inequality and oppression.
• Cross-Issue Organizing: Our grantees work with an understanding of the connectedness among the various people and issues that make up the whole community.
• Grassroots Leadership: We support groups that involve the people who are directly affected by an issue at all levels of the organization - in planning, organizing and leading, and working to continue building leadership within the grassroots community.
• Solid Plan: We fund groups whose work is driven by the following:
  • a clear purpose with well-planned goals, objectives, activities and a tool to measure outcomes and impact;
  • a timeline and budget that reflects the proposed objectives and activities;
  • a realistic fundraising plan.
• Work in the Chicago Metropolitan Area: Crossroads Fund supports organizations rooted in communities in the Chicago metropolitan area. Counties include: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will, along with Lake County, Indiana.
• Budget: Groups with previous year annual expenses under $500,000.

Youth Fund for Social Change

In 2007, Crossroads Fund received a legacy grant from the Girls Best Friend Foundation, supporting the formation of a special grantmaking initiative, which funds youth advocacy and activism projects in the Chicago area. The Youth Fund for Social Change enables us to have a targeted impact on the growing sector of youth organizations in the Chicago area.

The Youth Fund for Social Change provides resources to youth working on social justice issues in their communities. The Youth Fund supports youth activists who want to change and challenge existing policies and/or organized structures that prevent their communities from achieving equality. 

Projects may cover many areas ranging from community, education and schools, health, environment, incarceration, media, racism, discrimination, voting, etc.

Examples of such projects are:

• Community: youth working to find solutions to overall issues of equality like access to education, healthcare, jobs and political power: working on alternatives to detention and incarceration.
• Education and schools: youth organizing for: restorative justice programs in schools; representation on school boards; alternatives to military recruitment on campus; or programs that address sexual harassment, homophobia, gender, or ability stereotypes/oppression.
• Health: youth organizing to expand reproductive health and comprehensive sex education.
• Environment: youth organizing around: lead clean up in their community; environmental pollution; or access to cleaner and better transit.
• Violence: youth working on: alternatives to the criminal justice system; peer to peer intervention; pursuit of strategies to reduce police harassment of youth; strategies to improve public safety in your neighborhood.
• Media: youth holding corporate media accountable by demanding that the public airwaves promote justice and peace rather than hate, violence and war.

Palumbo Family Foundation

Sebastian (Sam) and Mary Palumbo, along with their children, Jessica, Kaitlyn, Samantha, Elizabeth, and Gabriella, founded the Palumbo Family Foundation with the desire to offer boys and girls the opportunity to thrive through education and wellness grants. The pursuit of overall well-being serves to allow them to further their education and careers.

The Palumbo Family Foundation strives to make a difference in two sectors of our communities in the Chicagoland area. One is providing scholarships to well deserving students of lower income families. Without scholarships, many of these students would not realize their dream of furthering their education. The other is providing medical grants to organizations that serve the needs of local medically challenged children.

The Palumbo Family Foundation is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit charitable organization. The administration of the foundation is all volunteers; a 100% of the net proceeds of donations and fundraising events give hope and inspiration to young adults looking for financial help to continue their education after high school; as well as children with medical needs.

The Palumbo Family Foundation encourages suggestions for local charities that you feel would benefit from our support and would like us to consider for future grants or donations.

Midwest Grant Applications 2025-2026 Grantmaking 

Purpose

Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), the Elea Institute is seeking proposals to provide charity care, integrative therapy, and end of life care within 13 counties of Illinois. This grant program will provide funding for up to two years of care and programming. This RFP is meant to identify and provide financial support to non-profit organizations that meet the following criteria. To that end, three below-listed grant programs have been developed.

Background

Elea Institute is a nonprofit charitable organization created out of the proceeds from the 2022 sale of JourneyCare, a nonprofit hospice agency that stood at the forefront of hospice and palliative care in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. The organization’s name is inspired by the mythological figure Elea, who was the personification of mercy and compassion in ancient Athens.

The primary goal of Elea Institute is to honor our heritage and advance the missions that guided JourneyCare and its predecessor organizations: to ensure that all people have access to high-quality hospice and palliative care.

Elea Institute is dedicated to improving care and comfort for people with serious illnesses by awarding grants for innovative programs and initiatives, funding research, and advancing policies to promote high quality, widely accessible hospice and palliative care.

Education Grants Program

Additional Details

Designed to fund education for health care providers, patients, families, and community members related to hospice and palliative care. Staff professional development may qualify if it helps staff provide better care to patients.

Midwest Grant Applications 2025-2026 Grantmaking 

Purpose

Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), the Elea Institute is seeking proposals to provide charity care, integrative therapy, and end of life care within 13 counties of Illinois. This grant program will provide funding for up to two years of care and programming. This RFP is meant to identify and provide financial support to non-profit organizations that meet the following criteria. To that end, three below-listed grant programs have been developed.

Background

Elea Institute is a nonprofit charitable organization created out of the proceeds from the 2022 sale of JourneyCare, a nonprofit hospice agency that stood at the forefront of hospice and palliative care in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. The organization’s name is inspired by the mythological figure Elea, who was the personification of mercy and compassion in ancient Athens.

The primary goal of Elea Institute is to honor our heritage and advance the missions that guided JourneyCare and its predecessor organizations: to ensure that all people have access to high-quality hospice and palliative care.

Elea Institute is dedicated to improving care and comfort for people with serious illnesses by awarding grants for innovative programs and initiatives, funding research, and advancing policies to promote high quality, widely accessible hospice and palliative care.

Integrative Therapy Grants Program

Additional Details

Designed to fund integrative therapy for patients, families, and community members related to hospice and palliative care. Staff professional development may qualify if it helps staff provide better care to patients.

$50,000 – $100,000

1 – 3 projects

up to 2 years

Midwest Grant Applications 2025-2026 Grantmaking 

Purpose

Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), the Elea Institute is seeking proposals to provide charity care, integrative therapy, and end of life care within 13 counties of Illinois. This grant program will provide funding for up to two years of care and programming. This RFP is meant to identify and provide financial support to non-profit organizations that meet the following criteria. To that end, three below-listed grant programs have been developed.

Background

Elea Institute is a nonprofit charitable organization created out of the proceeds from the 2022 sale of JourneyCare, a nonprofit hospice agency that stood at the forefront of hospice and palliative care in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. The organization’s name is inspired by the mythological figure Elea, who was the personification of mercy and compassion in ancient Athens.

The primary goal of Elea Institute is to honor our heritage and advance the missions that guided JourneyCare and its predecessor organizations: to ensure that all people have access to high-quality hospice and palliative care.

Elea Institute is dedicated to improving care and comfort for people with serious illnesses by awarding grants for innovative programs and initiatives, funding research, and advancing policies to promote high quality, widely accessible hospice and palliative care.

Charity Care Grants Program

Additional details

Designed to help patients receive hospice and palliative care by providing financial assistance for those who do not have insurance or cannot afford care. Program will provide funding for the care typically offered by a hospice or palliative care provider. Grants will be for care to be provided in the future, and not charity care that has previously been made available.

$100,000 – $300,000

2 – 5 projects

up to 2 years

The Mead Montgomery Charity Care Grant

In recognition of Mead Montgomery’s dedicated service to Elea Institute, this grant is established to honor his leadership, stewardship, and unwavering commitment to expanding access to compassionate care. Mead’s guidance strengthened Elea Institute’s financial vision, ensuring resources could reach patients and families at their most vulnerable moments. His prior leadership with JourneyCare and Midwest Hospice and Palliative CareCenter further underscored his lifelong commitment to advancing hospice and palliative care.

The Mead Montgomery Charity Care Grant supports nonprofit hospice and palliative care providers in delivering essential services to patients who are uninsured or unable to afford care. By investing in organizations that exemplify financial responsibility, quality care, and equitable access, Elea Institute celebrates Mead’s legacy of ensuring that no one is left without comfort and dignity at the end of life

Project Lead The Way (PLTW)

Our Mission: Empower Students to Thrive in an Evolving World

Our Philosophy for Education: We believe all students – beginning at a young age – need access to real-world, applied learning experiences that empower them to gain the skills they need to thrive in college, career, and beyond.

We believe teachers play an immeasurable role in empowering students, and our programs provide teachers with the support and resources they need to devote more time to inspiring students.

Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together an unmatched team of 12,000 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 75 offices globally, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee-owned.

PLTW Engineering - New Program

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 2026-2027 academic year.

Program Requirements

Grantee must offer at least one PLTW Engineering course in the 2026-2027 academic year and must offer one additional course in the 2027-2028 academic year (two different courses in two years). Grantee may implement any PLTW Engineering courses of their choosing. Grantee must complete two years of grant reporting.

Project Lead The Way (PLTW)

Our Mission: Empower Students to Thrive in an Evolving World

Our Philosophy for Education: We believe all students – beginning at a young age – need access to real-world, applied learning experiences that empower them to gain the skills they need to thrive in college, career, and beyond.

We believe teachers play an immeasurable role in empowering students, and our programs provide teachers with the support and resources they need to devote more time to inspiring students.

Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together an unmatched team of 12,000 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 75 offices globally, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee-owned.

PLTW Engineering - Program Expansion

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 2026-2027 academic year.

Program Requirements

Grantee must use their grant funds to expand their existing PLTW Engineering program. Example expansion activities include but are not limited to adding an additional PLTW Engineering course not previously offered, and/or adding additional class periods of an existing PLTW Engineering courses previously offered, and/or training additional teachers in PLTW Engineering courses for the 2026-2027 academic year. Grantee must complete one year of grant reporting. 

Project Lead The Way (PLTW)

Our Mission: Empower Students to Thrive in an Evolving World

Our Philosophy for Education: We believe all students – beginning at a young age – need access to real-world, applied learning experiences that empower them to gain the skills they need to thrive in college, career, and beyond.

We believe teachers play an immeasurable role in empowering students, and our programs provide teachers with the support and resources they need to devote more time to inspiring students.

Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together an unmatched team of 12,000 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 75 offices globally, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee-owned.

PLTW Gateway - Program Expansion

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 2026-2027 academic year.

Program Requirements

Grantee must use their grant funds to expand their existing PLTW Gateway program. Example expansion activities include but are not limited to adding an additional PLTW Gateway unit not previously offered, and/or adding additional class periods of an existing PLTW Gateway unit previously offered, and/or training additional teachers in a PLTW Gateway unit for the 2026-2027 academic year. Grantee must complete one year of grant reporting.

Project Lead The Way (PLTW)

Our Mission: Empower Students to Thrive in an Evolving World

Our Philosophy for Education: We believe all students – beginning at a young age – need access to real-world, applied learning experiences that empower them to gain the skills they need to thrive in college, career, and beyond.

We believe teachers play an immeasurable role in empowering students, and our programs provide teachers with the support and resources they need to devote more time to inspiring students.

Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together an unmatched team of 12,000 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 75 offices globally, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee-owned.

PLTW Launch - New Program

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 2026-2027 academic year.

Program Requirements

Grantee must offer at least one PLTW Launch module in the 2026-2027 academic year and must offer one additional module for the 2027-2027 academic year (two different modules in two years). Grantee may implement any PLTW Launch modules of their choosing. Grantee must complete two years of grant reporting.

Project Lead The Way (PLTW)

Our Mission: Empower Students to Thrive in an Evolving World

Our Philosophy for Education: We believe all students – beginning at a young age – need access to real-world, applied learning experiences that empower them to gain the skills they need to thrive in college, career, and beyond.

We believe teachers play an immeasurable role in empowering students, and our programs provide teachers with the support and resources they need to devote more time to inspiring students.

Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together an unmatched team of 12,000 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 75 offices globally, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee-owned.

PLTW Launch - Program Expansion

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 2026-2027 academic year.

Program Requirements

Grantees must use these grant funds to expand their program. Example expansion activities include but are not limited to adding an additional PLTW Launch module not previously offered, and/or offering existing PLTW Launch modules to more students, and/or training additional teachers in PLTW Launch Classroom Teacher Training or PLTW Launch Lead Teacher Training for the 2026-2027 academic year. Grantee must complete one year of grant reporting. 

Non-Profit Security Program

The Fiscal Year 2024 Nonprofit Security Grant Program National Security Supplemental (NSGPNSS) provides funding support for physical and cybersecurity enhancements and other security related activities to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist or other extremist attacks. NSGP-NSS seeks to integrate the preparedness activities of nonprofit organizations with broader state and local preparedness efforts.

In FY 2024, there are two funding sources appropriated for nonprofit organizations:

• NSGP-NSS - Urban Area (NSGP-NSS-UA): NSGP-NSS-UA funds nonprofit organizations located within FY 2024 Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI)-designated urban areas (Cook County only in Illinois); and
• NSGP-NSS - State (NSGP-NSS-S): Under NSGP-NSS-S, each state will receive a target allocation for nonprofit organizations located outside of FY 2024 UASI-designated urban areas (all other counties in Illinois outside of Cook County).