Marketing Grants for Nonprofits in Illinois

The Community Foundation of East Central Illinois is committed to raising the capacity of nonprofit organizations and their boards. By doing this, we feel that not only will the organizations with which we work be more effective, they will also be able to provide better service to their clients. Additionally, the donors will feel an increased level of confidence in the operation and efficacy of these organizations. Over time, a large cadre of exceptional board members will benefit our area.

To do that, the Community Foundation introduces this threephase training program.

Phase I – Board Building

(Timeframe: Up to 6 months from notification of award)

Objective: To increase the strength of the board through a formalized effort of recruitment, evaluation and education. This process is based on Board Source’s “The Board Building Cycle,” and includes:

• Review of bylaws, financial and other documents;
• Creation of a strategic plan by the board, clearly outlining the separate role of the Board and the staff (or a review of the current strategic plan);
• Formation by the nonprofit board of a Governance Committee charged with the long-term development of the board;
• Training provided by the Community Foundation on the following topics:
• Board responsibilities
• Development of board profile
• Development of pool of potential board members
• Contact of potential board members, explore interests, formal nomination of new board members
• Development of protocol for board orientation
• Engagement and team building
• Formalizing regular opportunities for board education
• Conducting individual board member self-assessments and a board self-assessment
• Development and observation of board terms and officer rotation

Periodic reviews of progress will be made and at the successful conclusion of Phase I, the organization will receive a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation. The grant is unrestricted and can be used for future capacity building or other organizational needs.

Phase II – Unlocking the Inner Fundraiser

(Timeframe: Up to 1.5 years from notification of award)

Objective: To raise the fundraising capacity of the organization by increasing the number of campaigners and donors supporting the organization which will, in turn, increase the charitable dollars donated annually. The process focuses on:

• The Community Foundation leads a discussion on the importance of the board’s role in fundraising;
• The organization submits a statistical data report that identifies the current status of their fundraising campaign (donors, campaigners and dollars raised annually);
• The Community Foundation reviews will help establish a benchmark for fundraising;
• The organization recruits a campaign committee including a campaign chairperson. The campaign committee work includes:
• Setting fundraising timeline/calendar
• Recruiting campaigners
• Developing elevator speech, marketing materials
• Developing social media presence
• Annual campaigns
• Major gift fundraising
• Organization has the option to unlock the Community Foundation contribution through a capital campaign effort.

Periodic reviews of progress will be made and at the successful conclusion of Phase II, the Community Foundation will match new gifts on a dollar-for-dollar basis, up to $5,000. The use of these matched funds is unrestricted.

Phase III – Planning for Sustainability

(Timeframe: Up to 1 year from completion of Phase II)

Objective: To assist the organization establishing a plan for itself on a long-term basis and commitment to sustainability of the organization. The process requires:

• A Community Foundation-led discussion on the importance of endowment-building;
• When the organization raises its first $5,000, it will use the money to establish an endowment with the Community Foundation;
• No part of the monies raised toward the completion of the goals of Phase I or II may be counted toward Phase III.

Again, periodic reviews of progress will be made and at the successful conclusion of Phase III, the Community Foundation will match new gifts on a dollar-for-dollar basis, up to $5,000 in an endowment established with the Community Foundation, bringing the total value of the endowment fund to $10,000.

NOTE: For nonprofit organizations new to U.S. Bank Foundation, a Letter of Interest is available. Community Affairs Managers will review Letter of Interest submissions periodically to learn about new and innovative programs and organizations in their regions and markets. After reviewing a Letter of Interest, a Community Affairs Manager may reach out with a request for a full application. You can access the Letter of Interest by clicking the “Submit a letter of interest” link at the bottom of this page. Letters of Interest may be submitted at any time during the year.

Community Possible Grant

Through U.S. Bank’s Community Possible® grant program, we invest in efforts to create stable jobs, safe homes and communities.

Funding Types

Within these general guidelines, we consider the following funding request types:

Operating grants

An operating grant is given to cover an organization’s day-to-day, ongoing expenses, such as salaries, utilities, office supplies and more. We consider operating support requests from organizations where the entire mission of the organization fits a Community Possible grant focus area.

Program or project grants

A program or project grant is given to support a specific, connected set of activities, with a beginning and an end, explicit objectives and a predetermined cost. We consider highly effective and innovative programs that meet our Community Possible grant focus areas.

Capital grants

A capital grant is given to finance fixed assets. The U.S. Bank Foundation considers a small number of requests for capital support from organizations that meet all other funding criteria, whose entire mission statement fits a Community Possible grant focus area, and with which the Foundation has a funding history. All organizations requesting capital funding must also have a U.S. Bank employee on the board of directors. U.S. Bank does not fund more than 1% of the non-endowment total capital campaign fundraising goal. All capital grant requests are reviewed and approved by the national U.S. Bank Foundation Board or by the U.S. Bank Foundation President.

Focus Area: PLAY

Creating vibrant communities through play.

Play brings joy, and it’s just as necessary for adults as it is for kids. But in low-income areas there are often limited spaces for play and fewer people attending arts and cultural events. That’s why we invest in community programming that supports ways for children and adults to play and create.

Access to artistic and cultural programming and arts education

Our investments ensure economic vitality and accessibility to the arts in local communities, as well as support for arts education. Examples of grant support include:

• Programs that provide access to cultural activities, visual and performing arts, zoos and aquariums and botanic gardens for individuals and families living in underserved communities
• Funding for local arts organizations that enhance the economic vitality of the community
• Programs that provide funding for arts-focused nonprofit organizations that bring visual and performing arts programming to low- and moderate-income K-12 schools and youth centers

Supporting learning through play.

Many young people across the country do not have the resources or access to enjoy the benefits of active play. Supporting active play-based programs and projects for K-12 students located in or serving low- and moderate-income communities fosters innovation, creativity, and collaboration and impacts the overall vitality of the communities we serve. Funding support includes:

• Support for organizations that build or expand access to active play spaces and places that help K-12 students learn through play and improves the health, safety and unification of neighborhoods in low- and moderate-income communities
• Programs that focus on using active play to help young people develop cognitive, social and emotional learning skills to become vibrant and productive citizens in low- and moderate-income communities

Focus Area: WORK

Supporting workforce education and prosperity.

We know that a strong small business environment and an educated workforce ensure the prosperity of our communities and reducing the expanding wealth gap for communities of color. We provide grant support to programs and organizations that help small businesses thrive, allow people to succeed in the workforce, provide pathways to higher education and gain greater financial literacy.

Investing in the workforce.

We fund organizations that provide training for small business development, as well as programs that support individuals across all skill and experience levels, to ensure they have the capability to gain employment that supports individuals and their families. Examples of grant support include:

Small business technical assistance programs

Job-skills, career readiness training programs with comprehensive placement services for low- and moderate-income individuals entering or reentering the labor force

Providing pathways for educational success.

To address the growing requirements for post-secondary education in securing competitive jobs in the workplace, we support:

• Organizations and programs that help low- and moderate-income and at-risk middle and high school students prepare for post-secondary education at a community college, university, trade or technical school and career readiness
• Programs and initiatives at post-secondary institutions that support access to career and educational opportunities for low- and moderate-income and diverse students

Teaching financial well-being for work and life.

Financial well-being is not only critical for financial stability, it’s crucial in helping individuals be successful in the workplace. Examples of grant support include programs that positively impact:

• K-12 and college student financial literacy
• Adult and workforce financial literacy
• Senior financial fraud prevention
• Military service member and veteran financial literacy

Focus Area: HOME

Working to revitalize communities one neighborhood at a time.

Children and families are better positioned to thrive and succeed in a home that is safe and permanent. Access to sustainable low-income housing is increasingly challenges for low-moderate income families. In response, our giving supports efforts that connect individuals and families with sustainable housing opportunities.

Access to safe, affordable housing

We provide financial support to assist people in developing stability in their lives through access to safe, sustainable and accessible homes. Examples of grant support include:

• Organizations that preserve, rehabilitate, renovate or construct affordable housing developments for low- and moderate-income families, individuals, seniors, veterans, and special-needs populations
• Organizations that provide transitional housing as a direct steppingstone to permanent housing
• Organizations that focus on Veterans housing and homeownership
• Construction of green homes for low- and moderate-income communities
• Energy retrofit programs for low- and moderate-income housing developments

Home ownership education

Owning and maintaining a home requires significant financial knowledge, tools, and resources. We support programs that assist low- and moderate-income homebuyers and existing homeowners. Examples of grant support include:

• Homebuyer education
• Pre- and post-purchase counseling and coaching
• Homeownership-retention programs designed to provide foreclosure counseling

NOTE: If your event is less than 30 daysaway, it is unlikely itwill be funded.

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)

Organizational Capacity Building Grants

The Organizational Capacity Building (OCB) grant award program helps nonprofit organizations in Illinois strengthen their infrastructure and capacity to better serve older people. These grants support a variety of initiatives. For example, OCB-funded activities include:

• Board Development
• Communications and Marketing
• Evaluation
• Fundraising
• Human Resources
• Information Technology Improvements
• Internal Operations/Financial Management
• Organizational Strategy Planning
• Strategic Program Planning

OCB Flexible Fund Grants

The Retirement Research Foundation provides OCB Flexible Fund Grants to respond to immediate capacity building needs for Illinois nonprofits that serve older people.  OCB Flexible Fund Grants are available to help organizations identify their capacity building priorities or receive short-term technical assistance:

• Readiness Assessments – Funds may be used to engage a consultant who will work directly with your organization to identify and prioritize capacity building opportunities, and the steps needed for organizational improvement or growth.
• Targeted Consultations – Funds may be used to engage an expert in nonprofit management to provide short-term, focused technical assistance on an emerging issue related to legal, fiscal, human resources, or other areas.

Applications for OCB Flexible Fund Grants are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. Funding requests must be $5,000 or less.  Decisions on OCB Flexible Fund Grants are generally made within four to six weeks.

Charitable Trust – Helping Small Nonprofits Across Illinois

The Charitable Trust Stabilization Fund (“Fund”) was created in 2007 to help small non-profits across Illinois. Money for the Fund comes from the filing fees not-for-profit organizations pay to incorporate with the State of Illinois. The program is funded by non-profits and exists to support non-profits. 

The Spring 2023 Grant Cycle, running from January 1 – March 31, will award grants to non-profit charitable programs in two categories:

• Food and Economic &
• Workforce Development.

The Fall 2023 Grant Cycle, running from July 1 – September 30, will award grants to organizations in two categories:

• Housing and Economic &
• Workforce Development.

In each area, the Charitable Trust Board will consider a range of programs such as but not limited to the following:

Food Programs:

• Food Pantries
• Supplemental School Feeding Programs 
• Summer Feeding Programs 
• SNAP Outreach 
• Farmer’s Market SNAP expansion 
• Access to fresh produce 
• Meal Deliveries

Housing:

• Short Term Housing and Supportive Services
• Emergency Financial Support to prevent homelessness 
• Foreclosure Prevention Counseling 
• Affordable Housing advocacy/construction/rehabilitation 
• Accessibility in Housing 
• Fair Housing Counseling/Education 
• Homeownership Counseling 
• Renters Rights

Workforce & Economic Development:

• Small Business Development Councils 
• Entrepreneurship Training or Services
• Resume Preparation 
• Interview Training 
• Placement and Retention Services 
• GED Classes 
• Vocational Training 
• Apprenticeship Training 
• Industry Certifications 
• Workforce Development for People with Disabilities

NOTE: The Joyce Foundation accepts grant inquiries online throughout the year. Proposals are considered at meetings of the Foundation’s Board of Directors in April, July, and December. Applicants are strongly encouraged to plan their application and proposal submission process for the April or July meetings, since most grant funds will be distributed at those times.

About

Through its grantmaking and other policy-focused efforts, the Foundation seeks to:

• Racial Equity: Incorporate the voices of, and achieve more equitable outcomes for, Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities in the Great Lakes region.
• Economic Mobility: Improve the ability of individuals in the Great Lakes region to move up the economic ladder within a lifetime or from one generation to the next.
• Next Generation: Incorporate the voices of, and improve outcomes for, the next generation of Great Lakes residents, defined as young people born after 2000.

Education & Economic Mobility Grants

The Education & Economic Mobility Program, through the focus areas below, works to increase the number of historically underserved young people who move up the economic ladder by ensuring equitable access to high-quality education and jobs. We invest in local, state and federal policies that ensure historically underserved young people have effective educators, graduate high school with academic and career momentum, and attain college credentials with economic value. We also support policies that help ensure low-wage workers achieve economic stability, dignity, and mobility. In the short term, we will invest in research, policy development, and advocacy to help the education systems recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective Educators

Advance federal, state and district policies to ensure historically underserved students in the Great Lakes region have highly effective, diverse teachers and principals. Efforts include research, policy development, advocacy, and technical assistance to reform teacher preparation, diversify the educator pipeline, build strong pathways from high school into teaching, and overhaul school staffing models to support principals and spread the reach of great teachers. Our investments here are focused on Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota and on national efforts.

College and Career Readiness

Support federal, state and school district policies that ensure historically underserved young people in the Great Lakes region graduate high school ready for college and career success. Efforts include research, policy development, and advocacy to reform dual-credit and remediation policies, expand access to quality work-based learning opportunities, and align K-12, post-secondary and workforce systems.

Post-Secondary Success

Support federal and state policies to close race- and family income-based gaps in college attainment. Efforts include scaling up proven student support models to improve community college outcomes; preserving access for students of color and rural students to affordable, high- quality public college options and to labor markets that require college degrees; seeking racial and family income representativeness at selective public universities; and supporting advocacy, litigation, and policy development to narrow gaps in post-graduate financial outcomes for students of color and low-income students.

Future of Work

Support state and federal policies to help low-wage workers achieve greater economic stability, dignity, and mobility, with a special focus on technology’s role in the workplace and labor market. Specifically, we will support state policy to ensure employees can access public benefits, refundable tax credit policies, and nascent policy development on issues of technology and the labor market.

About

Strengthening the food system and building a just future

The Chicago Region Food System Fund addresses hunger and business disruption by bolstering the region’s communities and local food system in response to COVID-19 and other systemic shocks. The total support granted by the Fund is $11,438,150 to 156 non-profit organizations since June 2020.

Adapting to strengthen resilience in the food system

The pandemic has taught us a lot. A resilient food system is resilient because people, land, and communities are able to adapt to changing conditions, including major shocks, in ways that minimize immediate losses and strengthen the capacity for everyone to thrive. Food system nonprofits and businesses are moving quickly based on that experience, building on assets, and prototyping new ways of doing things in this changed context. It’s a dynamic moment. The CRFSF team wants to support and accelerate that dynamism as much as possible, both in the grants we make and how we partner to capture learning with a commitment to continual improvement.

Diverse approaches, hopeful future

Some see resilience in the context of climate change. Others in the ability to live through and transform trauma. Still others see it as food sovereignty rooted in traditional ecological knowledge as practiced by indigenous communities. Or in locally owned and well-integrated food businesses. No one approach can define and ensure resilience—but together the region’s vibrant web of rural, urban, and peri-urban food communities can build a resilient, racially and economically just future.

Chicago Region Food Fund Grants

The Chicago Region Food System Fund continues its grantmaking with $1.5 million in grants designed to build on community assets to strengthen Chicago’s local food system. The Spring Community Asset Round prioritizes projects that will further cultivate existing community assets to aid in long-term food system transformation. Funding in this round focuses on two areas: building on the resources and capacity of individual organizations, and on strengthening partnerships between organizations and institutions of various size, geography and type that implement community-led food initiatives. 

The CRFSF team takes a broad view of food system work and encourages participation from diverse communities: urban neighborhoods and rural communities; tribal nations; LGBTQIA+ organizations; veterans; food chain workers; food system businesses; investors; and more.

The Fund will focus support for community-based food work in two different ways: building on the assets of individual organizations, and supporting multi-organization initiatives. Funding may range from $10,000 to $250,000 in both categories. The Fund is committed to funding at all levels in each category.

Community Assets

“Community” means different things to different people. For some, it’s centered in a place like a neighborhood or town. For others, a community is cultural. Or springing from an identity such as gender. Or shared experience or status, such as veterans. We respect all these forms of community and ask, as you write, that you focus on the assets your form of community builds on.

Yes, communities suffer from structural disinvestment, racism, and economic discrimination and fall on hard times. The pandemic has had tragic impacts, including on how food is produced, processed, distributed, and consumed in the Chicago region. As we know, these challenges don’t translate into community deficiencies. Rather, they call for community-driven responses that build on the strength within: the gifts of committed people; community associations like block clubs and veterans groups; institutions like schools, houses of worship, and hospitals; the resources inherent in land, water, and buildings; and the local food businesses that bring food from farm to table. Communities gather and deploy these social and physical assets to increase the value and availability of food, while building community wealth. The Chicago Region Food System Fund wants to provide the support communities need to do that.

The Spring Community Asset Round prioritizes projects that will further cultivate existing community assets to aid in long-term food system transformation. While emergency food assistance may still be supported as part of an initiative, it must be coupled with some other food system activity such as a farm or community garden, wasted food rescue, processing food for prepared meals, or support for businesses providing emergency food.

NOTE: Select organizations that submit ideas by the deadline above will be invited to apply for funding, which will be awarded on a rolling basis. 

Citi Foundation has been a longtime supporter of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in the United States and recognizes the critical role they play in bringing financial services to low- and moderate-income and underserved communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDFI industry reported a dramatic 52.3% increase in lending and investment activity over previous levels, totaling more than $38.7 billion in financing. While this is a milestone moment for the CDFI sector, we have heard from our network of stakeholders that there is a need for further sector level investments in training and technical assistance to promote the adoption of best practices in financial management, portfolio management, underwriting practices, impact measurement and tracking. In addition, operational efficiencies could be boosted through the introduction of technology, outsourcing certain functions, leveraging shared services, industry consolidation and/or newly emerging risk-sharing models. And finally, there is a significant need for developing human talent in the industry through skill building as well as efforts to identify and nurture the next generation of future, and diverse, CDFI leaders.

In response, Citi Foundation is pleased to invite ideas to support this next level of growth for the CDFI industry through the creation of the new $50MM Community Finance Innovation Fund that will support intermediary-like nonprofit organizations with the ability to provide technical assistance and capacity building innovations to multiple CDFIs working on a national or regional basis. From the ideas submitted, the Citi Foundation will invite the most promising concepts to submit grant applications for funding.

SELECTION PRIORITIES:

Citi Foundation seeks to support a wide range of innovative approaches for advancing the field of community development finance for the benefit of CDFIs in the following categories:

• Human Capital and Talent Development
• Financial and Risk Sharing Models
• Technology and Operational Efficiencies
• Thought Leadership and Research

NOTE: We encourage applicants to contact us to discuss their potential proposal and its fit with our guidelines.

Nature-Based Climate Action Program

A program to demonstrate and promote tree planting, prairie restoration, and other nature-based solutions to climate mitigation in rural areas.

The Nature-Based Climate Action Program supports projects that use natural systems to address climate change, the threats of extreme weather and habitat loss that contributes to the extinction of vital species. Natural systems solutions – which include the preservation or restoration of critical eco-systems such as forests, prairies and wetlands – have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration by as much as 20 percent of US greenhouse gases.

The Nature-Based Climate Action Program is intended to support such direct action. If your organization is ready to take bold steps to address the climate crisis, we would like to hear from you.

Focus of Support

We seek measurable environmental impact in the form of carbon drawdown and habitat restoration. Because the science supporting carbon sequestration and storage is nascent, and because we see opportunity to enhance public understanding of the challenges, we are interested in projects that can:

• Increase community engagement and support for action to combat climate change;
• Promote broad community understanding and policy change with respect to climate change and habitat loss;
• Contribute to climate science in ways that increases the effectiveness of future land uses or action; and,
• Model action for other organizations and communities.

Examples of projects we would welcome from nonprofit organizations include (but are in no way limited to):

• Purchases of targeted land tracts for restoration or preservation of high plant diversity that may greatly increase carbon capture;
• Large scale carbon farming demonstrations using trees, prairie or wetlands that monitor drawdown and contribute to climate science;
• Projects that activate communities, stimulate media coverage, and encourage greater understanding of climate change by the public;
• Tree planting projects in small cities and towns;
• Large scale demonstrations of regenerative agriculture directed at advancing policy or supporting market-based change like the creation of a viable carbon market.