Search Through Grants for Nonprofits Serving Disabled in Illinois in the U.S.

Our Mission

We are committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world.

The world is more just when actions are inclusive, and fair, where past and present barriers are removed to provide equitable access, treatment, consideration, and opportunity.

The world is more verdant and abundant when the planet and its people flourish.

The world is more peaceful when people are free from fear, conflict, violence, and war.

We believe that the people closest to the ground know best how to respond to the pressing challenges of the communities we seek to serve. Our support is centered on mutual respect, learning, and relationship building. We follow the lead of individuals and organizations rooted in spaces, communities, and experiences, investing in their ideas and giving them space to grow.

We focus resources on promising solutions to pressing challenges and embrace creative thinking to increase the odds of meaningful change.

Chicago Commitment

Chicago is a global city with vibrant, diverse neighborhoods and a strong civic culture. And yet historical and current systemic racism creates unequal access to resources and opportunities for Black, Latine, Indigenous, Asian, LGBTQIA+, and disabled people and communities—especially when these multiple identities intersect. A resilient and dynamic Chicago region is dependent upon a more equitable Chicago, where every Chicagoan has the opportunity to prosper and contribute to their community and where Chicago’s diverse voices are elevated, recognized, respected, and included.

We focus on strengthening local organizations including the creative sector; supporting civic partnerships on timely issues; investing in vital communities; and advancing influential leaders with a diversity of experiences and a commitment to racial equity.

Our Areas of Focus

Our focus areas were designed with the priorities of Chicagoans in mind—taking heed of what residents and leaders believe are the most urgent concerns and promising solutions.

• Civic Partnerships
  • Leading or participating in partnerships to address critical or timely challenges with the goal of advancing racial equity and building a more inclusive Chicago.
• Vital Communities
  • Investing targeted resources in a small number of place-based initiatives and organizations that provide infrastructure support to neighborhoods.
• Advancing Leadership
  • Promoting and advancing leaders committed to diversity whose influence will inform and improve decision making across the city.
• Culture, Equity, and the Arts
  • Reflecting diverse creative sector voices and sustaining the creative life of the city.

Advancing Leadership

In conversations with dozens of individuals and organizations across the city of Chicago, we heard a call to support leaders who reflect the city's population. In the private, public, and philanthropic sectors, many individuals who are leaders in their communities, professional fields, or interest areas are not heard in public discourse.

Structural racism has prevented many leaders from being considered for leadership roles. Other forms of discrimination and classism hinder the ability of some leaders to gain recognition for the wisdom and expertise they have earned through lived experience. Our goal is to promote and advance leaders who face or have faced adversity, discrimination, or prejudice to increase their representation across the civic sector; foster their ability to influence decisions; and use their leadership skills to advance policies and practices that contribute to a more equitable Chicago.We include leaders who represent a broad array of Chicago residents and communities and who reflect diversity across multiple dimensions. 

The Chicago Commitment supports leadership advancement within our three focus areas:

• Culture, Equity, and the Arts
• Vital Communities
• Civic Partnerships

Within these areas, we seek to advance equity by expanding access to a wide range of leadership opportunities and by fostering conditions that recognize and support people who bring diverse experiences and perspectives to leadership positions.

Our approach consists of these components:

• Support for Leadership Programs
  • Our priority is to support current and emerging leaders from historically marginalized backgrounds and disinvested communities as they pursue leadership advancement opportunities.
  • We identify and fund leadership programs that:
    • Reflect, serve, and amplify the voices of leaders across Chicago, with an emphasis on communities that have been underrepresented in civic discourse;
    • Are led by and/or predominantly staffed by individuals able to effectively represent communities most affected by structural racism, discrimination, or disinvestment;
    • Provide an in-depth, cohort-based experience over the course of several months, enhancing individual leadership skills, building resiliency in nonprofit leaders, and expanding professional networks; and
    • Demonstrate a clear connection to the arts, community and economic development, or community safety and violence prevention sectors, or substantial participation by staff members of existing grantee organizations in the Culture, Equity, and the Arts; Vital Communities; and Civic Partnerships focus areas.
  • We also consider support for efforts to develop collaborative projects and alumni networking among existing leadership programs.
• Support for Individual Leaders
  • In 2019, we launched a collaborative initiative with the Field Foundation of Illinois entitled Leaders for a New Chicago.
    • These awards support individuals who are leaders in their communities, professional fields, or interest areas and work in the Field Foundation’s focus areas of arts, justice, or media and storytelling.
    • This program advances equity and access to opportunity; it fosters conditions that recognize and promote people who bring a broad diversity of background and experience to leadership positions.
  • Leaders for a New Chicago awards $50,000 to 10 to 15 recipients a year: a no-strings attached $25,000 award to enable individuals to pursue their own self-defined goals, and a $25,000 general operating grant for the individuals' affiliated nonprofit organizations. The program supported 65 recipients during its first six years.
• Support for Leadership Advancement Within Organizations
  • Organizations with a strong infrastructure can often reduce stress on their leaders and prevent the loss of talented staff. To this end, we offer awards to organizations to improve their effectiveness through technical assistance and capacity building.

Making community possible

At U.S. Bank, we are dedicated to supporting our communities through responsive and humbled actions focused on addressing racial and economic inequities and creating lasting change in our communities. Through our Community Possible Grant Program, we are partnering with organizations that focus on economic and workforce advancement, safe and affordable housing and communities connected through arts and culture.

The U.S. Bank Foundation is committed to making Community Possible through Work, Home and Play. We advance this work through collaborative grant making to bring equitable and lasting change through our focus on sustainable, high-impact funding with 501c3 nonprofit partners.

How we partner with nonprofits

We focus on collaborative grantmaking and sustainable, high-impact funding with 501(c)(3) nonprofit partners. We partner with organizations that support:

• Economic and workforce advancement
• Safe and affordable housing
• Community arts and culture

Our strategy

Our community affairs and foundation team work closely with U.S. Bank regional leadership, business resource groups and our National Community Advisory Committee to ensure that prevailing needs are addressed in all the communities we serve.

To make the most meaningful impact, we prioritize organizations that:

• Focus on economic development issues related to work, home and play
• Address more than one of the grant pillars (work, home and play)
• Are based in and serve designated U.S. Bank communities
• Advance diversity, equity and inclusion

Who We Are

The Creag Foundation is a private grant making foundation established in 2009 in Woodinville, Washington.

The founders of the Creag Foundation believe that meaningful change can only be achieved through hard work, creativity and passion. They also understand the practical mechanisms that allow charitable organizations to succeed and grow. As a group, Creag Foundation principals are dedicated to helping today’s most innovative programs improve the human condition in a wide variety of ways.

Our Focus

The broad purpose of the Foundation is to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations who are innovators in the field of human services. Our particular focus is on smaller organizations that are starting out or established organizations that are looking for funding to take their organization in a new direction.

What We Fund

/ What We Fund

The Creag Foundation is focused on innovation in the industry. We will consider proposals from 501(c)(3) organizations that are finding new ways to address societal issues facing the nonprofit community. Applicants must have held 501(c)(3) status for one year before submitting. If your organization has held 501(c)(3) status for over a year, and your believe that your organization has a new approach to an existing social problem or is addressing a previously unaddressed social issue, you are welcome to contact us and request that we consider your organization for a funding opportunity.

Mission

The DanPaul Foundation will use its resources to help train teachers and parents in early childhood development, protect children from abuse and neglect, stimulate children's personal social responsibilities, and offer them opportunities for enrichment and growth.

The Foundation will also encourage children to be concerned and informed about the environment and the underprivileged, particularly with regard to clean air and water, and adequate housing and nutrition for all.

Beliefs

The DanPaul Foundation believes that children should have ample opportunities for enrichment in their lives, and thus strives to provide many different ways to enrich and expand children's minds through direct programs and monetary support to organizations doing similar work.

We have provided or currently provide grants related to the following program areas:

• Workshops, Conferences, + Seminars: We strive to offer educational workshops, conferences, and seminars for parents and teachers on topics related to early childhood development.
• Student Scholarships: We aim to help students attending post-secondary education institutions by providing need-based and academic scholarships.
• Scientific Endeavors: We desire to advance scientific endeavors which seek to improve the quality of life for everyone in the world.
• Clean Air + Water: We hope to pass on knowledge and practical life skills to youth regarding their personal responsibility to the environment, teaching them about issues surrounding clean air and water.
• Child Advocacy: We believe in protecting children from abuse and neglect and particularly love to support programs that provide education and assistance to children as well as organizations advocating or caring for vulnerable children.
• Homelessness: We want to encourage young people to take a personal interest in seeing that adequate housing and proper nutrition, especially for the underprivileged and homeless, are available.
• Poverty + Neglect: We seek to help those in poverty as well as educate youth about their responsibility to consider the underprivileged and take care of those most in need of life's basic essentials like adequate housing and proper nutrition.
• Refugee Enrichment: We wish to help refugee youth by supporting programs that provide them enrichment and help them transition to life in a new country.

The DanPaul Foundation provides grants to 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit organizations as defined by the IRS. The Foundation is interested in providing funding to programs that directly serve the health, education, development, and welfare of the world's youth.

Grants range from a few hundred dollars up to $15,000 per calendar year.

Background

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation seeks to dramatically improve the lives of underserved communities across the globe by supporting scalable, innovative, and impact-first solutions that leverage existing systems and stakeholders. Our goal is to find social entrepreneurs with dynamic products or services that have a proven ability to positively impact the lives of underserved people, and nurture those organizations at the early stages by providing capacity, capital, and community.

Our application process is designed to be open and accessible, and we accept applications year round from across our priority geographies and sectors. Borrowing from our venture capital legacy, we find exceptional entrepreneurs and provide them with: 

Capacity

• The core of DRK’s model is deep and extensive operational and technical support for each portfolio organization, both through dedicated hands-on Board service and specialist capacity-building resources for fundraising, board and organizational development, leadership, financial support, and scaling strategy,

Capital

• DRK provides up to $300,000 USD in either unrestricted grant funding or investment capital over a three-year period, and

Community

• DRK convenes our portfolio and alumni annually, facilitating connections and community. 

What We Fund

DRK Foundation funds early-stage social impact organizations solving the world’s biggest social and environmental problems using bold, scalable approaches.

What stage of growth does DRK Foundation typically fund?

Early stage: Organizations who are early stage, which we define as post-pilot and pre-scale. This typically means: 

• Your program, product or service is already being used in the market or in the field, 
• You have early indication that your model is having its intended impact on the beneficiary populations,
• Your organization is relatively young (ideally between two and five years old, although we will consider both younger and older organizations).

Venture funding: In the case of for profits, we typically support Seed to Series A organizations, and never lead rounds; we also generally but not exclusively refrain from participating in financings exceeding a $15M USD post-money valuation.  

Community Grants

State Farm is committed to helping build safer, stronger and better-educated communities.

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We are committed to auto and home safety programs and activities that help people manage the risks of everyday life.
• We invest in education, economic empowerment and community development projects, programs and services that help people realize their dreams.
• We help maintain the vibrancy of our communities by assisting nonprofits that support community revitalization.

Good Neighbor Citizenship company grants focus on safety, community development and education.

Focus Areas

Safety Grants

We strive to keep our customers and communities safe. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Auto safety — improving driver, passenger, vehicle or roadway safety
• Home safety — shielding homes from fires, crime or natural disasters
• Disaster preparedness and mitigation
• Disaster recovery

Community Development

We support nonprofits that invest and develop stronger neighborhoods. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Affordable housing — home construction and repair
• Commercial/small business development
• Job training
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Financial literacy
• Sustainable housing and transportation
• Food insecurity

Education

Our education funding is directed toward initiatives that support the following programs:

• Higher education
• K-12 academic performance
• K-12 STEM
• Pathways for college and career success

Our Mission

The Old National Bank Foundation believes that social responsibility is essential to fostering vibrant, sustainable communities. We realize this belief through strategic partnerships with charitable organizations addressing defined community needs.

Old National Bank Foundation

The Old National Bank Foundation makes contributions to nonprofit organizations to fund widespread community impact programs and/or projects. The Foundation is part of Old National's overall charitable giving initiative, which enables us to support programs that improve quality of life in areas of Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin where our clients, associates and shareholders live and work.

Invested in our communities

Caring for our clients means being an active and dynamic partner in the cities and towns we serve. Through sponsorships, Old National helps organizations improve the quality of life in the areas where our clients, associates and shareholders live and work.

Old National Bank Foundation Sponsorships

Old National sponsorships provide monetary support for events or activities, while enabling us to partner with many community organizations. Typically such sponsorships are in exchange for advertising and/or publicity that directly benefits Old National. Our goal is to make meaningful contributions, measure the results of our sponsorships, and work closely with the organizations we support.

Here are examples of the types of activities we sponsor:

• One-time events
• Fundraisers
• Golf tournaments/scrambles
• Corporate tables at galas
• Sporting events
• Special events (telethons, marathons, races or benefits)

The Sidney Stern Memorial Trust is devoted solely to the funding of charitable, scientific, medical and educational organizations.

The Board endeavors to support soundly-managed charitable organizations that give service with a broad scope, have a substantial effect on their target populations, and contribute materially to the general welfare. The Board does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

We have strong partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country that are working to advance economic mobility and social progress in low- and moderate-income communities. Our focus areas include basic needs like food and housing, workforce development and education, and community development. In addition to our philanthropic investments, we also encourage our employees to make a difference by offering robust employee giving and volunteering programs, including the opportunity to direct funds to organizations they support through volunteer efforts, and a matching gifts program that doubles their individual giving to causes they care about. Last year, we invested $350 million in the communities we serve, and employees contributed more than 1 million volunteer hours and directed $65 million through individual giving and matching gifts to support nonprofits.Through our regional U.S. sponsorships, we support the economic, social and cultural life of the places we live and work. We provide an extensive program of arts and sports sponsorships to help maintain vibrant, healthy communities.Sponsorships supporting communitiesBank of America welcomes your sponsorship proposal for opportunities that make our communities a better place to live and work. We are particularly interested in providing support to address needs vital to the health of our communities through a focus on:

• preserving neighborhoods;
• educating the workforce for 21st century jobs;
• addressing critical needs such as hunger and emergency shelter;
• arts and culture;
• the environment; and
• diversity and inclusion programs.

Grants are made at the Foundation’s discretion based on our current funding strategies focused on housing, jobs and hunger. 

Ameriprise Financial Grantmaking

At Ameriprise Financial, giving back is deeply rooted in our culture. We’ve initiated positive change in the communities where we live and work for more than 120 years. We believe our community involvement enables us to actively live our values. Through grant making, volunteerism and employee and financial advisor gift matching programs, we support a diverse group of over 6,000 nonprofits across the country.

Focus Areas

Awarding grant dollars to nonprofits is one way we strengthen our communities and help individuals on a path to financial independence. To ensure we're meeting the needs of our communities and making an even greater collective impact, we focus on three key giving areas when awarding grants.

Volunteer engagement is a priority across all focus areas:

The engagement of Ameriprise employees and financial advisors is a critical component of our philanthropy. Whether it’s serving on a nonprofit board, engaging friends, clients and community members in volunteering or providing skills-based support, our relationships with nonprofits go deep. For this reason, we give priority across all focus areas to applications where there is active volunteer engagement of Ameriprise advisors and employees. 

Meeting Basic Needs

At Ameriprise Financial, we help clients achieve financial security and peace of mind. That’s satisfying, meaningful work. We also help the people in our neighborhoods who struggle to meet basic needs such as where their next meal comes from, where they’ll sleep tonight or how they’ll find a higher wage job. We’re here to help them through the three platforms of our Meeting Basic Needs focus area.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Hunger
• Food banks, food shelves and food pantries, daily meal programs or meal services for the homebound
• Hunger-relief programs targeted to meet the special needs of children, ethnic populations or veterans
• Food programs run by nonprofits where hunger is not their sole focus, for example a youth meal program at the YWCA or a backpack program run by a Boys & Girls Club
• Shelter
• Emergency shelter, including youth homelessness
• Transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and efforts to end chronic homelessness
• Housing-first models (programs quickly providing housing and then addressing needed services)
• Achieving and maintaining home ownership, repair and maintenance efforts helping keep seniors, veterans and other populations in their homes 
• Adult Self-Sufficiency: Programs serving adults age 21 and older that help address the following areas:
• Basic hard and soft skills that help adults achieve economic and family stability
• Basic financial and budgeting skills
• Increase employability and wages, including work readiness and job transitions
• Employment of disabled adults

Supporting Community Vitality

We believe communities should be strong, healthy and resilient. We want livable places for all, where neighbors look out for one another, cultural events are well-attended and people pull together in times of crisis and joy. We work to create economic vitality and cultural enrichment through the following areas of focus.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Community Development
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Economic development
• Strengthening and supporting small businesses and nonprofits through technical expertise
• Cultural Enrichment
• Arts education
• Access for underserved populations
• Diverse artists and performances that spark topical community conversations 

Volunteer Driven Causes: Ameriprise employees and financial advisors are outstanding volunteers who serve in teams and also as individuals bringing personal skill-sets to nonprofits. Volunteering is part of the culture at Ameriprise and we are proud to support communities through contributions of both service and financial resources. 

Funding for Volunteer-Driven Causes is determined by current Ameriprise volunteerism. In general, funding is in proportion to the size of the Ameriprise volunteer team supporting a nonprofit. A team may include employees, financial advisors and/or staff or a combination of any Ameriprise volunteers. 

The Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Solutions to the problems of today's world still lie in the values of innovation, practicality, hard work, and compassion.

The Foundation considers applications for grants in the following areas:

• Education
• Social Service
• Health care
• Civic and cultural
• Environmental

The categories above are not intended to limit the interest of the Foundation from considering other worthwhile projects. In general, the Foundation guidelines are broad to give us flexibility in providing grants.

The majority of our grants are made in the U.S. However, like Dr. Scholl, we recognize the need for a global outlook. Non-U.S. grants are given to organizations where directors have knowledge of the grantee.

Grantmaking

The great majority of grants are given to organizations located in, and for projects to be conducted within, the state of Iowa and portions of Illinois, as well as to other organizations in which Mr. Carver had an interest during his lifetime. Generally speaking, the Carver Trust supports biomedical and scientific research, scholarships, and programs addressing the educational and recreational needs of youth. 

Program Areas

Elementary and Secondary Education

Supporting educational opportunities for youth, beginning with kindergarten and continuing through high school graduation, is a cornerstone of Carver Trust giving. Grant-making activities in this area may be divided into three, broad categories, each with the goal of enhancing access to resources and the application of innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Read more about this program area.

Higher Education

The Trust’s interests in the area of higher education extend to those projects that strengthen institutions and offer innovative learning opportunities to students enrolled in baccalaureate and graduate programs throughout the grant-making region of Iowa and parts of Illinois. Typically, funding is awarded to capital or programmatic initiatives that seek to substantively improve instruction or increase access to educational resources, with the goal of better preparing students for future academic and professional challenges. Projects incorporating interdisciplinary approaches and demonstrating the potential for lasting impact among a diverse range of students are especially encouraged. Read more about this program area.

Medical and Scientific Research

The goal of the Trust’s program in medical and scientific research is to provide support for innovative investigation that may hold great promise for advancing scientific knowledge and, in many cases, improving human health. To this end, the Trust has supported a variety of university-based scientific endeavors, most notably in the basic medical sciences, the chemical and biological sciences, and engineering. Although a majority of funding is awarded for the purpose of addressing institutional capital needs, a parallel focus of this program area is the research efforts of particular laboratories, often emphasizing multidisciplinary approaches and encouraging the development of untried, and inherently risky, specific aims. Read more about this program area.

Youth Services and Recreation

Projects receiving Trust funding under the youth program designation are typically designed to complement curriculum-based education and encourage individual development and physical well-being. Of the grants awarded within this category, a significant portion has been directed toward the efforts of organizations advocating for disadvantaged and disabled youth and their families. As an example, improving the conditions at adolescent residential facilities in Iowa, including those that offer opportunities for special-needs populations, has represented an important area of Trust charitable giving around the state.

In addition, grants to help communities establish safe and affordable recreation opportunities are also part of the youth-directed programming. The Trust offers strategic funding for the development of public recreation facilities and related activities for children, with priority given to projects in the Iowa counties of Muscatine, Cedar, Louisa and Scott, as well as Rock Island and Mercer Counties in Illinois. More information on the youth recreation program area may be found under Trust Initiated Programming & Guidelines.

Miscellaneous

Grants listed under this designation are those that, for various reasons, do not fall within the Trust’s primary program classifications. Many grants classified as miscellaneous are for projects receiving special consideration for their direct impact on the local Muscatine region.

Awards in this category of Trust giving may, for example, provide support to organizations mobilizing to help area residents following a natural disaster or emergency, such as flooding or storm damage. Other assistance of this type has been directed to local first-responder and law enforcement agencies, which have received occasional support for specialized medical, firefighting and policing equipment, as well as situations whereby certain area nonprofits are seeking one-time support for urgent capital or programming needs.

Still other miscellaneous grants celebrate special events and aspects of Muscatine and its history, as well as organizations and projects that share a unique connection to the life and interests of Roy Carver. Additionally, occasional grants in this program area may serve to emphasize important natural resources throughout the local area and the upper Mississippi River region, with a focus on projects that help to guide children and youth toward a deeper understanding of, and respect for, the ecosystem and surrounding environment.

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue and further the philanthropic legacy of Gardner Cowles, Jr. and the Cowles family, which includes promotion of education, social justice, health, and the arts.

The Founder

The Cowles Charitable Trust was first established in 1948 by Gardner “Mike” Cowles, Jr. (1903-1985). Born into the Cowles publishing family of Des Moines, Iowa, Mike was the youngest of Gardner Cowles and Florence Call Cowles’ six children. A newspaper editor and publisher by trade, he was committed to his family’s traditions of responsible, public-spirited, and innovative journalism as well as philanthropy. 

The Cowles Charitable Trust supports the arts, education, the advancement of ethical journalism, medical and climate research.

In Youth We Trust is a youth philanthropy program of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois.

Established with a grant from the Ford Foundation in 1994 and endowed by a local donor, In Youth We Trust (IYWT) teaches grantmaking, volunteerism, and leadership skills to today’s youth, preparing them to be the positive change of tomorrow. Since its inception, IYWT has granted over $500,000 to youth projects in Boone, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago counties.

This year, the IYWT Council will distribute up to $40,000 to community projects that benefit local youth, in a grant process that mirrors CFNIL’s Community Grants.

IYWT will have two grant cycles: one for proposals written by youth for youth-led, youth-benefiting projects , and one for proposals written by nonprofit organizations for the purpose of serving youth. 

• The Fall cycle for proposals will be for those written by youth
• The Spring cycle for proposals written by adult nonprofit organizations serving youth

What We Look For

The In Youth We Trust Grant Program of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois looks for projects that:

• Promote collaboration and teamwork.
• Provide creative solutions to community issues.
• Help youth recognize the important role they play within their communities.
• Have a clear, practical plan for implementation.
• Have a realistic budget.
• Have measurable and meaningful results.
• Youth projects should be carried out and completed in conjunction with the spring semester. 

Please visit this page to view details about the nonprofit (adult) In Youth We Trust grant cycle.

Dignity in Pay Program Grant (IL)

Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) are exceptionally underrepresented in the competitive integrated workforce. This underrepresentation is due to an array of factors, which present as barriers to community integration and full inclusion. As an Employment First state, Illinois recognizes that Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) shall be considered the first option, when serving persons with disabilities of working age. One factor contributing to this under representation is the prevalence of programs that pay individuals with I/DD Subminimum Wage. Subminimum Wage (SMW) is allowable through the use of Special Wage Certificates, issued by the Department of Labor (DOL) under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA). The Dignity in Pay Program will support capacity building, program transformation and implementation of best practice within provider agencies who hold 14(c) certificates. This program will aid in the phasing out of SMW for Individuals with I/DD through the expansion of opportunities for Individuals with I/DD to obtain and sustain CIE and access other inclusive and integrated services.

Objective

The Dignity in Pay Program is intended to:

• Support the creation of new opportunities and programs, grow organizational capacity, respond to the needs of individuals with I/DD across all geographic regions of Illinois, and support provider transformation, via training and technical assistance, as part of the overall goal to increase Competitive Integrated Employment for individuals with I/DD.
• Support the responsible elimination of SMW activities and enhancing independence and quality of life of individuals with I/DD. The grant will do this through increased access to CIE and diverse, integrated Community Day Services (CDS). Increased access to these opportunities will result in greater integration in the community, increased earning capacity and development of new, or expansion of existing, skills and support networks.
• Expand community-based opportunities for individuals with I/DD who are currently participating in, or at risk of participating in, Subminimum Wage activity.
• Review of organizational protocols related to a determination of degree to which individuals are deemed disabled for the work to be performed will be completed quarterly.
• Develop standard operating protocol and expectations for data input, tracking and review.
• Develop organizational policies related to review of data (frequency, scope, by whom, for what purpose).
• Enhance data collection and utilization by developing a new, or modify an existing, data tracking system designed to capture and appropriately disseminate individual and aggregate data related to CIE, integrated Community Day Services and SMW.

Program Goals

The Dignity in Pay Program should provide the following:

• Develop new opportunities, programs, and grow capacity to respond to the needs of I/DD individuals in their geographic area; including, but not limited to, supported employment, customized employment, self-employment, entrepreneurship, and diverse day programs that support meaningful days, choice, and community integration.
• Responsibly reduce the number of individuals with I/DD who participate in Illinois SMW to zero by the specified date.
• Ensure provider organizations have adequate guidance to adjust business practices, with a primary emphasis on shifting away from models which promote facility based SMW, to models which promote sustainable integration, inclusion, and opportunities to engage in CIE. These adjustments must create meaningful community connections, through person centered and individualized planning and support.
• Increase both the capacity to serve, and enrollment into, programs which promote CIE, and other integrated Community Day Services (CDS).

Funding

• Tier 1 (0-3 Points): Dignity in Pay Grant of no more than $75,000 annually
• Tier 2 (4-7 Points): Dignity in Pay Grant of more than $75,000 but less than $150,000 annually
• Tier 3 (8-11 Points): Dignity in Pay Grant of more than $150,000 but no more than $225,000 annually

Our Mission

We are committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world.

The world is more just when actions are inclusive, and fair, where past and present barriers are removed to provide equitable access, treatment, consideration, and opportunity.

The world is more verdant and abundant when the planet and its people flourish.

The world is more peaceful when people are free from fear, conflict, violence, and war.

We believe that the people closest to the ground know best how to respond to the pressing challenges of the communities we seek to serve. Our support is centered on mutual respect, learning, and relationship building. We follow the lead of individuals and organizations rooted in spaces, communities, and experiences, investing in their ideas and giving them space to grow.

We focus resources on promising solutions to pressing challenges and embrace creative thinking to increase the odds of meaningful change.

Chicago Commitment

Chicago is a global city with vibrant, diverse neighborhoods and a strong civic culture. And yet historical and current systemic racism creates unequal access to resources and opportunities for Black, Latine, Indigenous, Asian, LGBTQIA+, and disabled people and communities—especially when these multiple identities intersect. A resilient and dynamic Chicago region is dependent upon a more equitable Chicago, where every Chicagoan has the opportunity to prosper and contribute to their community and where Chicago’s diverse voices are elevated, recognized, respected, and included.

We focus on strengthening local organizations including the creative sector; supporting civic partnerships on timely issues; investing in vital communities; and advancing influential leaders with a diversity of experiences and a commitment to racial equity.

Our Areas of Focus

Our focus areas were designed with the priorities of Chicagoans in mind—taking heed of what residents and leaders believe are the most urgent concerns and promising solutions.

• Civic Partnerships
  • Leading or participating in partnerships to address critical or timely challenges with the goal of advancing racial equity and building a more inclusive Chicago.
• Vital Communities
  • Investing targeted resources in a small number of place-based initiatives and organizations that provide infrastructure support to neighborhoods.
• Advancing Leadership
  • Promoting and advancing leaders committed to diversity whose influence will inform and improve decision making across the city.
• Culture, Equity, and the Arts
  • Reflecting diverse creative sector voices and sustaining the creative life of the city.

Culture, Equity, and the Arts Grant

The Culture, Equity, and the Arts (CEA) program is based on the ideal that arts and culture are essential to furthering the Chicago Commitment’s goal: To invest in people, places, and partnerships to advance racial equity and build a more inclusive Chicago.

The arts help to introduce people to diverse perspectives, build bridges across social boundary lines, expose people to culturally relevant experiences, and develop human empathy.

Through this program, we offer unrestricted general operating support, directly and through regranting partners, to large, mid-sized, and small organizations. These resources provide flexible, reliable funding that helps organizations maintain stability, plan ahead, pursue new ideas, and invest in new artistic directions.

We offer multi-year, general operating support directly to organizations with budgets above $1 million. Grant sizes range from $55,000 to $80,000 per year, typically for three years.

About the Foundation

The Kjellstrom Family Foundation was established in 2004 and sustains Janet's memory and philanthropy. With assets over $10M, the foundation contributes over $600,000 annually to local charities.

The Kjellstrom Family Foundation seeks to be flexible for grantees seeking award opportunities. Currently the Foundation will award grants which might be classified as:

• Programmatic
• Capital expenditures, or
• General administration or overhead
• Capacity Building

Challenge Grants

The Foundation will award challenge grants for endowment or capital expenditures. The Trustees have agreed to allocate no more than one-fourth of the annual grant guideline to fund these opportunities.

The organization defines the terms and time frame, with the challenge grant funds being awarded when the match is achieved. (i.e. match ratio of $2 raised to $1 challenge grant, etc.)

The Foundation will also consider grants which would serve as matching funds to a challenge grant. (The Foundation will not match funds toward meeting a Community Foundation Carroll H. Starr Endowment Challenge.) Particularly, the Foundation would be inclined to consider a match to challenge grants issued by an out-of-community entity or person.

Capacity Building

Capacity building grants help leverage other funding, create or sustain better systems or processes, build partnerships or efficiencies and/or enhance knowledge for improved operations or governance. Through KFF's collaborative partner, the Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence, capacity building supports can strengthen organizational systems and build competence and professionalism. Examples of fundable capacity building supports include: board and staff development, strategic action planning, fund development planning, mergers, collaborations, technology, marketing/communications, etc.

Funding

In general, individual grants will not exceed $40,000. Grant awards which match a challenge from an out-of-community entity or person will not exceed $25,000. On the other hand, the Foundation may issue challenge grants for endowment or capital expenditures in an amount not to exceed $50,000.

Homeless Youth (26-444-80-0711-02) Notice of Funding Opportunity

Executive Summary:

The Homeless Youth program serves those youth who are 14 to 23 years of age who cannot return home and/or lack the housing and skills necessary to live independently. The program strives to meet the immediate safety and survival needs of youth (food, clothing, and shelter) and to provide services that help homeless youth transition to independent living and become self-sufficient. Services to be provided will include emergency shelter, outreach/case management and transitional living. The services available to youth in these programs include: housing, food, needed goods, and assistance in obtaining and maintaining available support and services in the community, educational services, basic life skills, employment and/or vocational training. The program also ensures necessary service referrals to CCBYS, Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Prenatal and Parenting.

The Homeless Youth (HY) program is a holistic model designed to increase the safety of youth ensuring that their basic survival needs are met while also providing safe and stable housing; education and employment services, and the life skills necessary to become self-sufficient. The primary service delivery approach includes assessment and individualized case management. The model include requires all of the following basic program components:

All Homeless Youth providers will have the capacity to address the immediately identifiable needs of homeless youth through an emergency safety assessment/care plan that will identify and address immediate needs such as safety, food, clothing, shelter, medical, etc. through direct interventions and appropriate referrals. Providers will have one or more facilities located in areas frequented by and/or easily accessible by homeless youth where Outreach services will be made available. Outreach/Case Management services will include maintaining the capacity to provide case management services to youth not housed in the program at any given time. All providers will have the capacity to provide homeless youth access to age-appropriate emergency/interim shelter available on a 24-hour basis for a maximum of 120 days. All projects will have a Transitional Living Program component that will provide stable, safe living accommodations for youth for a maximum of 24 months. These accommodations may be host family homes, group homes, supervised apartments, etc. Supervised apartments are either agency-owned apartment buildings or "scattered-site" apartments, which are single-occupancy apartments rented directly by youth with support from the agency or rented directly by the supporting agency. All services and supports should be crafted and provided ensuring marginalized communities -youth of color, LEP youth, LGBTQ+ youth, youth with disabilities and/or mental/behavioral health conditions- are being served in culturally and linguistically appropriate ways.

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.

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

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).

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.

Founded in 1974, we are the state partner for the National Endowment for the Humanities and supported by state, federal, and private funds. We provide free, high-quality humanities experiences throughout Illinois, particularly for communities of color, individuals living on low incomes, counties and towns in rural areas, small arts and cultural organizations, and communities highly impacted by mass incarceration. 

Envisioning Justice Grants

These project-based grants support collectives, non-profit organizations, and other groups that use the arts and humanities to work toward a truly just society. Prison education programs, independent media, community dialogues, and conferences are just a few of the impactful initiatives we fund to create understanding about mass incarceration and its impact on communities in Illinois. By supporting those doing this important work, we build more affirming, engaged, and empowered communities.

Envisioning Justice grants have been awarded since 2017, and we work diligently to ensure that the organization will continue to offer this funding opportunity. 

Priority will be given to projects that are:

• regional or statewide in scope
• partnership oriented
• centering impacts of mass incarceration on the following populations:
  • currently or formerly incarcerated individuals
  • people serving long-term sentences
  • young people, particularly those who are justice involved
  • women, particularly women of color and/or impacted by gendered violence
  • LGBTQAI+ community
  • migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants
  • elderly populations
  • people with disabilities
  • Indigenous populations
• Or that focus on communities that are:
• The site of a prison or jail
• Experiencing significant incarceration; and/or
• Experiencing significant demographic change as a result of the criminal legal system

Guidelines

• Organizations can apply for grants of up to $10,000.
  • No matching funds are required.
• Optional Accessibility Fund
  • An additional stipend of up to $250 for services such as American Sign Language interpretation or captioning to help make events more accessible to everyone.
• Optional Media Fund:
  • An additional stipend of up to $100 for services such as documentation, photography, videography, etc.

Background

Since 1953, the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois has made more than $72,500,000 in grants and scholarships to nonprofits and students. This is possible through the generosity of CFNIL’s donors—individuals, families, and organizations committed to improving the region’s quality of life. Endowed gifts create reliable funding for current needs and future opportunities. That’s the power of endowment.

Some donors choose to support specific organizations, while others provide scholarship funding that helps students get to and through school. Some donors decide that they want their legacy gifts to address the challenges and opportunities of future generations. These endowed gifts support Community Grants, CFNIL’s largest and broadest grantmaking program.

CFNIL is pleased to continue its tradition of grantmaking with the fall Community Grants cycle. Community Grants are made in six Focus Areas: Arts & Humanities, Education, Health, Human Services, Sustainable Communities, and Youth & Families. Within Education, CFNIL’s strategy is to invest in complementary education and career pathways, and to support a regional education system that continually produces healthy and productive citizens. More information on Education Works is available here.

Proposals requesting more than $75,000 will be evaluated for their alignment with Education Works. The more you request, the greater scrutiny your proposal will receive.

Focus Areas

CFNIL accepts proposals in the following Focus Areas. Generally, 50% of CFNIL’s grants will be allocated for Education, while 10% will be for each of the following Focus Areas: Arts & Humanities, Health, Human Services, Sustainable Communities, and Youth & Families.

Arts & Humanities

Funding priorities are for those proposals that:

• Increase the availability and access to artistic and cultural experiences, especially those that represent the diversity of our community’s culture.
• Celebrate the region’s history and preserve historical integrity.

Education

Funding priorities are for those proposals that:

• Provide creative and systemic approaches to educational improvement.
• Support the education of current and future medical professionals.
• Fit under CFNIL’s Education Works grant strategy.

Health

Funding priorities are for those proposals that:

• Improve the quality of and access to health services.
• Support wellness.
• Conduct research to promote the health and well-being of our community.

Human Services

CFNIL funding priorities are for those proposals that:

• Serve the basic needs of individuals and families.
• Provide services to persons with disabilities, especially those that promote inclusion.

Sustainable Development

CFNIL funding priorities are for those proposals that:

• Promote neighborhood and economic development.
• Support efforts to ensure safety and access to quality, affordable housing.
• Preserve our natural environment, especially those projects that increase the region’s understanding and appreciation of the environment.

Youth & Families

CFNIL funding priorities are for those proposals that:

• Provide pathways to self-sufficiency.
• Strengthen families.
• Support intellectual, emotional, physical, and social development.

Multi-Year Grants

An organization can only apply for a multi-year grant if seeking funding for projects, programs, or events that align with the following criteria:

• Education Works.
• Medical education.
• Medical research.

 Illinois Arts Council 

The Illinois Arts Council serves the people of Illinois through a variety of grants and services, primarily geared to: 

Support Illinois' Arts Sector: Operating and technical support provided to organizations and programs statewide helps keep Illinois’ arts sector vital, vibrant, and accessible to all.

Advance Arts Education: The arts can be a part of the education of every single child in this state through the programs, services, partnerships, and collaborations of the Illinois Arts Council. 

Foster Creativity and Working Artists: Resources, opportunities, and direct support for the work of individual artists -- the foundation of Illinois' creative environment.

Illinois State funding for the arts includes programs offered by Arts Midwest.

About Arts Midwest

Arts Midwest advances creativity across our region, building unprecedented opportunity for everyone who calls this place home. We support, inform, and celebrate arts organizations and creative communities in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, the Native Nations that share this geography, and beyond. As one of six nonprofit United States Regional Arts Organizations, we work to strengthen local arts and culture efforts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, state agencies, private funders, and many others. Together, we nourish the creative roots of the Midwest—and share our region’s transformative ideas with the world.

This year, we’re pleased to offer two tracks of funding: GIG Fund and GIG Fund: Arts and Wellness.

GIG Fund

The GIG Fund is a grant of $2,000 – $15,000 for nonprofit organizations to offer public-facing arts projects and activities in Midwestern communities.

The goal of the GIG Fund is to make arts opportunities more accessible to underserved audiences across the region. Funds may be used for performances; exhibits; arts festivals; public art, or other activities that provide Midwesterners the opportunity to experience art and creativity. This round of GIG Fund grants is for supporting activities taking place between December 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026. There are three requirements:

1) Engage a Professional Artist or Ensemble 2) Offer at Least Two Activities Featuring the Artist(s) and 3) Reach an Underserved Audience: At least one activity must engage an underserved audience—groups with limited access to the arts due to geography (such as rural audiences), economics (such as lower income audiences), disability, or lack of relevant content (such as families or school communities without ready access to children’s or all-ages programming).

These grants are federal funds that derive from the National Endowment for the Arts. A 1:1 match is required.

For nonprofit, fundraising, and philanthropic professionals and students and community

Breakin' It Down will be sponsoring need-based scholarships for nonprofit, philanthropy, and fundraising  professionals and students  and community to attend the 2025 Breakin' It Down Conference.  Scholarship funds are limited and are not guaranteed, but we will do everything we can to help you join our event.

Anyone who is a nonprofit, fundraising, or philanthropy professional, student, or community  serving under-recognized communities in the Chicago area is welcome to apply. We especially encourage people from an under-represented group - including people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ people, and people with disabilities - to apply.

The scholarships will cover the 2025  BID Conference full registration fees (value up to $60) for nonprofit, fundraising, or philanthropy professionals and students and community who would otherwise be unable to attend the workshops and speed networking with funders. This Conference offers great opportunities for networking and professional development, especially for those serving under-represented and underserved communities in the Chicago area.  The BID Scholarship does not include social components, if any.

Governing Law

The Breakin' It Down Conference Scholarship is subject to all federal, state, and local laws. This scholarship application and terms and conditions are governed and interpreted by the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

By submitting any application for the Breakin' It Down Conference Scholarship, each applicant gives their express permission to be contacted by the Breakin It Down Planning Committee members and/or its fiscal sponsor by telephone, e-mail and/or postal mail for scholarship purposes. 

Corporate Contributions

Community involvement and corporate citizenship are an example of Insperity’s mission in action. We are committed to helping the communities where we live and work because together, we know we can make great things happen.

Grants

Philanthropic grants are a strong part of our community outreach and aid institutions needing financial support to meet important service goals.

Event Sponsorship

Fundraising events are an important part of nonprofit support. Insperity provides event sponsorships to approved charities to assist them in meeting their financial and community goals.

Georgia-Pacific Foundation

Established in 1958, the Georgia-Pacific Foundation sets aside resources to improve life in the communities where we operate. We’ve worked with thousands of outstanding community-based programs, service projects and disaster relief efforts, focusing our investment in four areas we believe make the most impact:

• education
• entrepreneurship
• enrichment of community
• environment

Investment Priorities

• Aligns with GP’s mission and values
• Aligns with GP’s Four Focus Areas of giving: Education, Environment, Enrichment of Community and Entrepreneurship
• Serves communities where GP has manufacturing facilities
• Creates value by contributing to and positively impacting long term well-being and sustainability of GP communities