Best Grants for Charities in Illinois

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Rev. Clifford K. Cliver & Lucy Cliver Sumsky Scholarship

The Rev. Clifford K. Cliver & Lucy Cliver Sumsky Scholarship Fund acknowledges and supports Chautauqua County foster children by providing scholarships for continuing education.

The SPFFA Educational Scholarship provides financial support of $5000 for university candidates aiming to teach French in primary and secondary schools. To be eligible, applicants must be American citizens or resident aliens, preferably enrolled in a School of Education and pursuing a Master in Teaching with a focus on French. Additionally, applicants need to maintain a GPA above 3.00, ensuring commitment to their educational goals.

The NIDCR Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award aims to enhance the diversity of the dental, oral, and craniofacial research workforce. This program supports exceptional graduate students from underrepresented backgrounds as they transition from PhD or dual degree programs (F99) to mentored postdoctoral positions (K00). Key deadlines for applications span from August 2024 to April 2027, ensuring ample opportunities for eligible candidates to apply.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

Dunkirk Area Labor Council Scholarship

The Dunkirk Area Labor Council Scholarship supports graduating students who are furthering their education in the trades or manufacturing technology.

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

Vision: We envision a vibrant, prosperous northern Chautauqua community, rich in opportunity today and tomorrow.

Our Mission

To realize our vision we focus on:

• strategic and responsive grant making
• encouraging local philanthropy and building permanent endowments for the future
• actively serving as a community leader and partner for the benefit and enrichment in our community.

Scholarships

Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation proudly manages over 200 individual scholarship funds,

David J Lewandowski Memorial Award

The David J Lewandowski Memorial Award is presented to a graduating senior from Dunkirk, Forestville, or Fredonia who is entering a career in the trades, agriculture, conservation, forestry, or emergency services.

Daviess County Community Foundation

The Community Foundation is a charitable resource devoted to our local community. We help people make meaningful gifts that improve life in Daviess County, Indiana today and for generations to come.

The Community Foundation can help you...

• Make a difference where it matters
• Invest in the future of the community you love
• Create greater good together

German American Bancorp Scholarship

Annual scholarship created by Peoples Bank, now German American Bancorp, to help Daviess County students pursue advanced education.

Award Amount

• $2,000

Perry County Community Foundation

The Community Foundation is a charitable resource devoted to our local community. We help people make meaningful gifts that improve life in Perry County, Indiana today and for generations to come.

The Community Foundation can help you...

• Make a difference where it matters
• Invest in the future of the community you love
• Create greater good together

J. Matthew Moore Memorial Scholarship

Annual, renewable scholarship created in memory of Matthew Moore by his wife, Lucy Goffinet, and his parents, John E. and Ann C. Moore, to help students pursuing advanced education.

Award Amount

• $1,580
• May be renewable for consecutive sophomore, junior and senior years. 
• Renewal award amounts may differ from the original award.

The Walter Dean Myers Grant Program, established by We Need Diverse Books, offers $2,000 grants to promising unpublished diverse writers and illustrators. Aimed at enhancing their craft and supporting traditional publication pursuits, this initiative has awarded over 70 grants since 2015, resulting in nearly 60 published books and numerous literary accolades. Applicants must identify as diverse and be U.S. residents, working towards a career in children's literature.

Changing the Way America Thinks About Race Scholarship

Changing the Way America Thinks about Race Scholarship Fund (CHATR) provides scholarships to Black and Brown students in the state of Washington who are pursuing undergraduate studies. CHATR is particularly interested in supporting Black and Brown students from Bremerton High School, The Why Not You Academy, and those who are active in the Rainier Athletes Mentorship program in the Bellevue School District who are interested in using their college experience to help facilitate changing the way America thinks about race. Awarded funds may be used for tuition, books, room and board, and travel to/from school.

Amount

• 2 awards, $5,000 each

Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area

Our Mission

The Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area seeks to ensure that our community thrives today, tomorrow, and forever by building our Community’s Endowment to support high impact charitable projects, helping donors achieve their charitable goals, and leading and partnering in community-level initiatives.

Scholarships

CFHZ awards over $1 million in scholarships each year for students to attend schools of higher education throughout the nation. Our scholarships are possible thanks to the generosity of donors who invest in our community’s future by furthering the education of others.

All Holland/Zeeland area individuals interested in post-secondary education are encouraged to apply for CFHZ scholarships.

The Foundation proudly administers over 100 scholarships, each with unique eligibility criteria that must be met before a candidate can be considered.

Tracy Houting Scholarship

• Graduating senior, graduating early college student, or current college student from one of the following high schools: Holland High School, West Ottawa, Zeeland East, or Zeeland West
• Enrolling/enrolled in a 2 or 4-year degree program at an accredited post-secondary school (including vocational/technical school) within the United States
• Financial need (must submit the page of the FAFSA Submission Summary showing the Student Aid Index amount)
• GPA of 2.5 or greater
• Nominated by high school counselor based on traits like Tracy's (vivaciousness, positivity, and humbleness)
• All other selection criteria being equal, preference given to a student who is active in scouting, cheerleading and/or choral singing, and/or a student with strong interest in Native American culture and history.
• Potentially renewable for one additional year for recipients pursuing 2-year degrees and three additional years for recipients pursuing 4-year degrees.

The FWW Fellowship Award supports emerging physicians and scientists dedicated to advancing women’s health research. Awardees, pursuing MD or PhD programs at U.S. institutions, explore critical health topics such as cardiovascular disease, leading female cancers, and the role of hormones. This initiative encourages diverse applicants and promotes innovative proposals that address health concerns disproportionately affecting women. With a commitment to fostering research excellence, the FWW Fellowship Award empowers the next generation of health leaders.

The FWW Research Awards support short-term studies focused on critical women’s health issues such as cardiovascular disease, female cancers, and hormonal influences on health. Eligible applicants include MDs or PhDs affiliated with accredited institutions. Research proposals must align with FWW's priority areas, and financial support must be confirmed to ensure project completion. Note that sociological studies are not funded, and only one application per Principal Investigator is allowed.

The National Film Preservation Foundation offers Basic Preservation Grants to nonprofit and public institutions for preserving culturally significant American films. Since 1998, they have provided resources to 337 organizations across the U.S. Grants range from $1,000 to $20,000, facilitating the creation of new film preservation elements and public access copies. With an annual award of 30 to 40 grants, this initiative plays a crucial role in ensuring the survival of films that are at risk of being lost.

The National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF) offers Matching Grants to support the preservation of significant American films. Nonprofit and public institutions can apply for projects involving complex preservation efforts, with cash stipends ranging from $20,001 to $75,000. Grants require a matching contribution of one-fifth of the project costs. Since its inception, the NFPF has aided numerous organizations in preserving culturally important films, ensuring their accessibility for future generations.

The Deaconess Foundation offers Nursing Scholarship Grants aimed at supporting local students pursuing nursing degrees with demonstrated financial need. This program reflects the foundation's mission to enhance community health in Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois. Grants are administered in partnership with the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis and the St. Louis American Foundation. Eligible students must be working towards an accredited nursing degree and demonstrate significant financial need, among other criteria.

The Latin Americans United for Progress Dream Scholarship, administered by the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area, supports Hispanic students pursuing post-secondary education. Applicants must be graduating seniors or early college students, demonstrate financial need, and submit a personal statement. With over $1 million awarded annually in scholarships, this program aims to empower the next generation of leaders from the Hispanic community, promoting educational advancement and cultural appreciation.

Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area

Our Mission

The Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area seeks to ensure that our community thrives today, tomorrow, and forever by building our Community’s Endowment to support high impact charitable projects, helping donors achieve their charitable goals, and leading and partnering in community-level initiatives.

Scholarships

CFHZ awards over $1 million in scholarships each year for students to attend schools of higher education throughout the nation. Our scholarships are possible thanks to the generosity of donors who invest in our community’s future by furthering the education of others.

All Holland/Zeeland area individuals interested in post-secondary education are encouraged to apply for CFHZ scholarships.

The Foundation proudly administers over 100 scholarships, each with unique eligibility criteria that must be met before a candidate can be considered.

Kaminski Family Scholarship

• Graduating senior who attends public, private, or home school in the primary service area of the Community Foundation
• Enrolling in a 2 or 4-year degree program at an accredited post-secondary school (including vocational/technical school) within the United States
• Financial need (must submit the page of the FAFSA Submission Summary showing the Student Aid Index amount)

The AASM Foundation Disaster Relief Fund, established in 2005, provides essential financial aid to AASM accredited sleep centers impacted by natural disasters. By supporting these centers, the fund ensures that medical care remains accessible to patients during crises. Past funding has assisted centers after events like Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 Haiti earthquake, helping them recover and restore operations quickly. This initiative highlights the commitment to maintaining patient care in the face of adversity.

The AMA Foundation's Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship offers four $10,000 awards for medical students pursuing sleep medicine in 2025. Eligible applicants must be entering their final year, demonstrate financial need, and express interest in sleep medicine in their personal statement. This scholarship aims to support students dedicated to excellence in medical education and the advancement of sleep medicine as a vital field in healthcare.

The Sleep Research Program for Advancing Careers, funded by the American Academy Of Sleep Medicine Foundation, aims to develop early-career sleep scientists through a structured grant writing curriculum. Participants receive mentorship and training to submit competitive federal career development grants, such as NIH K awards. The program includes lectures and grant review sessions, ensuring applicants complete their proposals successfully. Additionally, a travel scholarship is offered for in-person meetings, fostering collaboration and growth in sleep research.

Hubertus W. V. Willems Scholarship

The Hubertus W. V. Willems Scholarship is one of many funding opportunities available to students through NAACP's Inspire Initiatives. We offer scholarships to outstanding and qualified students pursuing undergraduate degrees. Through the generosity of our donors, we advance efforts to ensure equity in educational opportunity that prepares students for success in school, work, and life.

Scholarship amount:

• $3,000

This a non-renewable scholarship opportunity.

The Young Investigators Research Forum offers a unique opportunity for early career sleep scientists to enhance their research skills. Funded by the AASM Foundation, this program provides travel scholarships for participants to attend the 2025 forum in Bethesda, MD. Participants will engage with senior investigators, learn about funding mechanisms, and refine their research proposals. This forum is designed to build a supportive network, fostering collaborations and mentorship in the field of sleep and circadian research.

AISD 125th Anniversary Consolidated Scholarship

Attending four-year university, two-year college or trade school.

Awards

• (16) $1,200.00

The Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative: University Scholarships, by the American Theatre Wing, supports high school seniors from underrepresented backgrounds with a $10,000 annual scholarship for four years. This initiative addresses financial barriers for students pursuing theatre disciplines, including performance, design, and administration. Scholars are matched with mentors and gain exclusive opportunities such as master classes. This program aims to cultivate a diverse future in theatre, ensuring that talent is nurtured and accessible to all.

The Active Fund Grant, offered by the Kelly Brush Foundation, supports individuals with paralysis from spinal cord injuries in acquiring adaptive sports equipment. This initiative aims to foster active lifestyles and inclusivity through sports. First-time applicants are prioritized for the Fall 2025 cycle, with grants averaging around $3,500, though they can vary. Eligible applicants can receive full or partial awards or a Try-It-First grant to gain experience with the equipment. For guidelines, please refer to the provided FAQs.

Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley 

Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley (CFHV) empowers individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to fulfill their philanthropic goals through the establishment of charitable funds that support the needs of Dutchess, Putnam and Ulster counties. With over $100 million in assets, CFHV manages nearly 600 charitable funds and has distributed more than $777 million in grants and scholarships since January 2000. We lead initiatives to address urgent community needs such as food insecurity and educational challenges, offering both immediate relief and long-term support.

Wappingers Rotary Scholarship

Established by the Rotary Club of Wappingers Falls, scholarships will be awarded to graduating seniors from Roy C. Ketcham High School or who reside in the RCK area who have demonstrated involvement/leadership in community service activities and an ability to succeed in their chosen field.

Type of Award

One-time non renewable scholarship payable to school

Current High School

Roy C. Ketcham High School or resident in the RCK district

The NCUEA-NEA Urban Grants, funded by the National Education Association Staff Organization, aim to enhance membership growth through focused organizing proposals. These grants specifically support initiatives that promote density growth, bargaining readiness, and the development of new units. By prioritizing these areas, the program seeks to strengthen collective action and empower educators in their bargaining efforts.