Best LaSalle County Grants for Nonprofits in Illinois

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in the Fox River Valley of Illinois.

We are a tax-exempt public charity that allows individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations to establish permanent endowments and temporary funds within the confines of one large foundation.

Foundation funds are used to provide grants to non-profit organizations and scholarships to area students. The Foundation also hosts a Youth Engagement in Philanthropy (YEP) program, which helps high school students learn more about philanthropy and empowers them to make a difference in the community.

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley serves the City of Aurora, Kane County, and Kendall County within the State of Illinois.

Scholarship Program

Scholarships are available to local students who will attend an accredited post-secondary institution within the United States of America on a full-time basis.

Eagle Scout Scholarship Endowment Fund

This fund was created by a local citizen to support scholarships for young men who have earned the rank of Eagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America.

Eligible students must have attended a high school in the Foundation’s service area.

This scholarship was established to honor those who have achieved the Eagle Scout Award and to encourage the progress of younger students aspiring to earn this prestigious scouting award.

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in the Fox River Valley of Illinois.

We are a tax-exempt public charity that allows individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations to establish permanent endowments and temporary funds within the confines of one large foundation.

Foundation funds are used to provide grants to non-profit organizations and scholarships to area students. The Foundation also hosts a Youth Engagement in Philanthropy (YEP) program, which helps high school students learn more about philanthropy and empowers them to make a difference in the community.

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley serves the City of Aurora, Kane County, and Kendall County within the State of Illinois.

Scholarship Program

Scholarships are available to local students who will attend an accredited post-secondary institution within the United States of America on a full-time basis.

Dorothy K. Witte Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund

This Fund honors the memory of Dorothy K. Witte (1912-2008) who taught in East Aurora School District elementary schools for the bulk of her career. She had previously taught briefly in several Lutheran schools prior to having her three children, Elizabeth, Jonathan, and Robert who all graduated from East Aurora High School. After her husband Paul’s death at age 46, she began teaching in the East Aurora School District 131, at Brady Elementary, to support her young family. Her career in education became her life’s passion which spanned 25 years (1958-1982).

Dorothy’s dedication to helping students who had behavioral and learning difficulties led her to be the “go to” teacher for working with students with educational challenges. Often her students were the only English speakers in their home, so she took Spanish lessons to be able to communicate more effectively with the parents of her students. She occasionally made home visits when families felt uncomfortable attending school conferences. Her dining room table at home was often cluttered with lesson plans, teaching supplies, and papers to grade. She was known to stay in her classroom until well after dark working to prepare for class the next day.

Her daughter Beth (1940-2011) followed her mother into a career in teaching/education. Her sons Jon and Bob initially studied to be teachers, but eventually went into the medical field as physicians. They now establish this scholarship to honor their mother and the teaching profession which has been a consistent thread through their family. The funds awarded are intended for a recipient who seeks to pursue a career as a public school educator, helping those who most need the expertise of a skilled and caring teacher.

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in the Fox River Valley of Illinois.

We are a tax-exempt public charity that allows individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations to establish permanent endowments and temporary funds within the confines of one large foundation.

Foundation funds are used to provide grants to non-profit organizations and scholarships to area students. The Foundation also hosts a Youth Engagement in Philanthropy (YEP) program, which helps high school students learn more about philanthropy and empowers them to make a difference in the community.

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley serves the City of Aurora, Kane County, and Kendall County within the State of Illinois.

Scholarship Program

Scholarships are available to local students who will attend an accredited post-secondary institution within the United States of America on a full-time basis.

George & Cora Webster Scholarship Endowment Fund

The George and Cora Webster Scholarship Endowment Fund provides scholarships to African American students who are graduates of high schools located within the Community Foundation service area.

George Webster is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Westinghouse High School in Pittsburgh and attended Pennsylvania State University. In 1963, Mr. Webster enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. His service included sixteen months in Vietnam. After serving ten years in the Marine Corp, he joined the United States Navy. From 1979 until 1982, he was a Navy recruiter in Aurora. He served on five different aircraft carriers, and eventually achieved the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer. Upon his retirement from the service in 1988, he and his wife Cora Webster moved back to the Aurora Community. George was also an Aurora Election Commission Judge for twenty-one years and a member of the Aurora Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association for many years.

Cora Webster was born in Eudora, Arkansas. She worked as a licensed cosmetologist in Texas and was employed by both the May Company and the KMART Corporation in Illinois. Cora (1939-2022) was a member of the Main Street Baptist Church and served as a member of the Nurse’s Aide Ministry.

Mr. and Mrs. Webster were married in December 1969 at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Chicago. They have one son, one granddaughter, two grandsons, and two great-grandsons.

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in the Fox River Valley of Illinois.

We are a tax-exempt public charity that allows individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations to establish permanent endowments and temporary funds within the confines of one large foundation.

Foundation funds are used to provide grants to non-profit organizations and scholarships to area students. The Foundation also hosts a Youth Engagement in Philanthropy (YEP) program, which helps high school students learn more about philanthropy and empowers them to make a difference in the community.

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley serves the City of Aurora, Kane County, and Kendall County within the State of Illinois.

Scholarship Program

Scholarships are available to local students who will attend an accredited post-secondary institution within the United States of America on a full-time basis.

Erlenborn Family Scholarship Endowment Fund

A bequest was received in 1983 from the estate of Viola Erlenborn (1900-1983) to provide scholarships to local students in memory of her husband and son.

In 2002, the Foundation reestablished the fund as an endowment to ensure ongoing recognition of her generosity.

Her husband Alan Erlenborn (1895-1962) served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army during World War I.

After the war, he joined his father Albert J. Erlenborn in the family business on River Street in Aurora.

Albert Erlenborn founded the firm in 1889 as a seed, fertilizer and paper supply company.

Alan Erlenborn later became president and owner of the company, which was renamed Erlenborn Office Supplies.

Alan Erlenborn, Jr. (1921-1944), whose photo is above on the right, served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II and was assigned to the South Pacific in April 1944.

He died in July of that year during active duty in Guam. He received the Purple Heart Medal and is buried in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in the Fox River Valley of Illinois.

We are a tax-exempt public charity that allows individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations to establish permanent endowments and temporary funds within the confines of one large foundation.

Foundation funds are used to provide grants to non-profit organizations and scholarships to area students. The Foundation also hosts a Youth Engagement in Philanthropy (YEP) program, which helps high school students learn more about philanthropy and empowers them to make a difference in the community.

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley serves the City of Aurora, Kane County, and Kendall County within the State of Illinois.

Scholarship Program

Scholarships are available to local students who will attend an accredited post-secondary institution within the United States of America on a full-time basis.

Loraine Heriaud Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund

This fund was created to honor the life of Loraine Heriaud (1915-2003).

Mrs. Heriaud was born in Toronto, Canada. She was a graduate of East Aurora High School and was employed for thirteen years by Provena Mercy Center as a C.N.A. in the Pediatrics Unit.

She was the mother of fourteen children. Her son Frederick was the Aurora Area’s first soldier to be killed in action during the Vietnam War. Her husband Earl passed away in 1969.

This fund, created in 2002, was established as an endowment in 2003 to provide scholarships for students entering the field of nursing.

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a public charitable foundation based in Aurora, Illinois, dedicated to improving quality of life across the Fox River Valley, including the Greater Aurora area and Kane and Kendall counties. The Foundation partners with donors to fulfill philanthropic goals by managing charitable funds and distributing grants and scholarships that address local needs in areas such as education, health and human services, arts and culture, and community development, while ensuring responsible stewardship of resources to create lasting community impact.

Community Foundation Alumni Scholarship Endowment Fund

The Community Foundation has administered a scholarship program since 1949.  Since that time, millions of dollars have been distributed to Fox River Valley area students in support of their educational futures. In 1986, the Community Foundation Alumni Scholarship Endowment Fund was established in honor of all students who have received a scholarship through the Community Foundation Scholarship Program.  This fund is supported primarily through gifts received from those students.

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a public charitable foundation based in Aurora, Illinois, dedicated to improving quality of life across the Fox River Valley, including the Greater Aurora area and Kane and Kendall counties. The Foundation partners with donors to fulfill philanthropic goals by managing charitable funds and distributing grants and scholarships that address local needs in areas such as education, health and human services, arts and culture, and community development, while ensuring responsible stewardship of resources to create lasting community impact.

Coffman Diesel-Automotive Scholarship Fund

The Coffman Diesel/Automotive Scholarship Fund was established by Coffman Truck Sales to award scholarships to area students. Eligibility for the scholarship is restricted to students who have graduated from a high school located within the Foundation’s service area, are home-educated high school graduates, or are General Educational Development (GED) recipients. Students entering their freshman, sophomore, junior or senior year of undergraduate studies may also apply for these awards. Students must reside in the Community Foundation’s service area. Students must attend an accredited institution of higher education within the United States of America on a full-time basis. The type of school may be a two-year college or a professional, trade, or vocational school. Students must pursue the field of Auto Mechanics/Automotive/Diesel Truck Mechanics.

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a public charitable foundation based in Aurora, Illinois, dedicated to improving quality of life across the Fox River Valley, including the Greater Aurora area and Kane and Kendall counties. The Foundation partners with donors to fulfill philanthropic goals by managing charitable funds and distributing grants and scholarships that address local needs in areas such as education, health and human services, arts and culture, and community development, while ensuring responsible stewardship of resources to create lasting community impact.

Child Welfare Society Endowment Fund

This fund was created to provide income for the educational, health and welfare needs of children. This fund also supports annual scholarships for local students who are majoring in Early Childhood Education or Elementary Education. The Child Welfare Society was established in 1938 to assist children requiring transportation to medical facilities. The following year, the membership identified day care as a critical unmet need for the children of women working in defense industries. The organization responded by opening the Jack and Jill Nursery School on Beach Street in Aurora. Several years later, the school relocated to Clark and LaSalle Street where it remained for most of its history. In 1997, it made its final move to the Carriage House at Mutual Ground on Oak Avenue. The school closed in the summer of 2001. Funds to operate the school were raised by members who volunteered at the Gift Corner and through various fundraisers supported by the community. The Gift Corner opened in 1949 at Copley Memorial Hospital. In 1986, the shop moved to its current location at Dreyer Medical Clinic on Galena Boulevard. 

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a public charitable foundation based in Aurora, Illinois, dedicated to improving quality of life across the Fox River Valley, including the Greater Aurora area and Kane and Kendall counties. The Foundation partners with donors to fulfill philanthropic goals by managing charitable funds and distributing grants and scholarships that address local needs in areas such as education, health and human services, arts and culture, and community development, while ensuring responsible stewardship of resources to create lasting community impact.

Barbara Burgin & Edwin & Carol Ehrhart Scholarship Endowment Fund

This fund was created to provide scholarships to students pursuing careers that will positively impact the environment and its inhabitants. Barbara Burgin (1907-1993) was born on a farm near Wheaton, Illinois. She later moved to Aurora, where she lived most of her life. During World War II, Mrs. Burgin was a butcherette at the Kroger Grocery Store in downtown Aurora. When the men returned from the war and assumed those positions, she became manager of several departments at Krogers. Her daughter Carol Ehrhart (1932-2018) was born in Aurora. A graduate of East Aurora High School, Mrs. Ehrhart was employed at Lyon Metal in Aurora. In 2008, she received an award from the City of Aurora as one of the city’s Volunteers of the Year. Mrs. Ehrhart volunteered for the Aurora Public Library and the Friendly Center Club at the Fox Valley Park District. She was a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church. Her husband Edwin Ehrhart (1910-1984) was born on a farm in Naperville. He attended the Naperville schools and also worked at Lyon Metal. Mr. Ehrhart was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church. This fund, which was created in 2005, became an endowment in 2007. Mrs. Ehrhart established the fund to encourage local students to further their educations. As she stated, “Education is essential to our survival and it is my hope that these scholarships will make a difference in the lives of future generations.”

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a public charitable foundation based in Aurora, Illinois, dedicated to improving quality of life across the Fox River Valley, including the Greater Aurora area and Kane and Kendall counties. The Foundation partners with donors to fulfill philanthropic goals by managing charitable funds and distributing grants and scholarships that address local needs in areas such as education, health and human services, arts and culture, and community development, while ensuring responsible stewardship of resources to create lasting community impact.

Austin and Melissa Dempsey Family Scholarship Endowment Fund

The Austin & Melissa Dempsey Family Scholarship Endowment Fund was created to provide scholarships for students who have graduated from Rosary, Marmion, or Batavia High School. Students must also reside in the Community Foundation’s service area. Students must attend an accredited institution of higher education in the United States of America on a full-time basis. The type of school may be a two-year college; a professional, trade, or vocational school; or a four-year college or university. Scholarships from this fund will be merit based and not dependent on financial need of the student.

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a public charitable foundation based in Aurora, Illinois, dedicated to improving quality of life across the Fox River Valley, including the Greater Aurora area and Kane and Kendall counties. The Foundation partners with donors to fulfill philanthropic goals by managing charitable funds and distributing grants and scholarships that address local needs in areas such as education, health and human services, arts and culture, and community development, while ensuring responsible stewardship of resources to create lasting community impact.

Aurora Veterans Advisory Council Community Scholarship Fund

The Aurora Veterans Advisory Council Fund was created in 1998 to address the most pressing issues impacting local military personnel who have served our country in a branch of the United States military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard). In 2015, the Council established the Aurora Veterans Advisory Council Community Scholarship Fund. Each year, this fund will provide five $1,000 scholarships to family members of Aurora veterans.

PLTW Computer Science

Ameren has partnered with PLTW to inspire students and provide the hands-on STEM learning experiences necessary to thrive in life beyond the classroom. Ameren is a long-time supporter of K-12 STEM education in the region and is working with PLTW to provide grant support to high schools interested in implementing or expanding their PLTW Computer Science programs.

At a time when computer science affects how we work and live, PLTW Computer Science empowers students in grades 9-12 to become creators, instead of merely consumers, of the technology all around them. The program's interdisciplinary courses engage students in compelling, real-world challenges. As students work together to design solutions, they learn computational thinking – not just how to code – and become better thinkers and communicators. Students take from the courses in-demand knowledge and skills they will use in high school and for the rest of their lives, on any career path they take.

Through this partnership, Ameren has committed funds to support PLTW grants to schools interested in starting or expanding PLTW Computer Science programs beginning in the next academic year.

PLTW Program Status

New Program

PLTW Computer Science

Ameren has partnered with PLTW to inspire students and provide the hands-on STEM learning experiences necessary to thrive in life beyond the classroom. Ameren is a long-time supporter of K-12 STEM education in the region and is working with PLTW to provide grant support to high schools interested in implementing or expanding their PLTW Computer Science programs.

At a time when computer science affects how we work and live, PLTW Computer Science empowers students in grades 9-12 to become creators, instead of merely consumers, of the technology all around them. The program's interdisciplinary courses engage students in compelling, real-world challenges. As students work together to design solutions, they learn computational thinking – not just how to code – and become better thinkers and communicators. Students take from the courses in-demand knowledge and skills they will use in high school and for the rest of their lives, on any career path they take.

Through this partnership, Ameren has committed funds to support PLTW grants to schools interested in starting or expanding PLTW Computer Science programs beginning in the next academic year.

PLTW Program Status

Program Expansion

Community Development Block Grant Housing Rehabilitation Program

Notice of Funding Opportunity Intent

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (the “Department” or “DCEO”) is issuing this Notice of Funding Opportunity (“NOFO”) to solicit applications for the 2025 Housing Rehabilitation Grant opportunity funded by the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Program Description

The purpose of grants relative to the Housing Rehabilitation (HR) Notice of Funding Opportunity is to provide units of general local government with funds to address housing needs of eligible lowto-moderate income (LMI) households. The program targets projects which preserve singlefamily, owner-occupied housing needing rehabilitation and encourage neighborhood revitalization. As this is a direct benefit activity, 100 percent of CDBG housing rehabilitation funds must benefit low-to-moderate income persons. CDBG funds can be used to rehabilitate only those homes occupied by families verified to be of low-to-moderate income. Project must rehabilitate a minimum of eight (8) homes.

Applications must demonstrate the need for housing rehabilitation and support for the proposed project from eligible residents of the project area. Need should be demonstrated through the submission of surveys, completed within 24 months of the application filing date. Resident support can be demonstrated through submission of public meeting minutes and/or resident signup sheets.

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a public charitable foundation based in Aurora, Illinois, dedicated to improving quality of life across the Fox River Valley, including the Greater Aurora area and Kane and Kendall counties. The Foundation partners with donors to fulfill philanthropic goals by managing charitable funds and distributing grants and scholarships that address local needs in areas such as education, health and human services, arts and culture, and community development, while ensuring responsible stewardship of resources to create lasting community impact.

Aurora Rotary Lyle E. Oncken Scholarship Endowment Fund

The Rotary Club of Aurora created a scholarship fund in 1991 to honor Lyle E. Oncken (1924-2014), a Rotarian who served as club secretary from 1973-1992. Mr. Oncken retired from his position as executive director of INC Mental Health Alliance in 1990. Scholarships from this fund are available to students from throughout the Foundation’s service area who are entering any field of study. However, preference is given to students entering fields that reflect Mr. Oncken’s lifetime interests, primarily in the area of social services.

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a public charitable foundation based in Aurora, Illinois, dedicated to improving quality of life across the Fox River Valley, including the Greater Aurora area and Kane and Kendall counties. The Foundation partners with donors to fulfill philanthropic goals by managing charitable funds and distributing grants and scholarships that address local needs in areas such as education, health and human services, arts and culture, and community development, while ensuring responsible stewardship of resources to create lasting community impact.

Aurora Rotary John M. Lies Service Above Self Scholarship Endowment Fund

The Rotary Club of Aurora created a scholarship endowment fund in 2013 to honor John M. Lies, a former club president. Scholarships from the fund are intended to recognize local students who demonstrate a strong commitment of service to their community and a sincere resolve to become exemplary members of society. John Lies was born in Aurora on June 8, 1946 and lived in Aurora his entire life. He attended West Aurora High School, the University of Michigan and Northern Illinois University. He married his wife Lynn in 1965.  The couple has three children – Robert, Michael and Kathy. Mr. Lies was the president of the Arnold Lies Company. He joined the family business in 1965 and worked at fully developing West Aurora Plaza. He also was a community leader who served as a director of the First American Bank, Merchants National Bank, Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Easter Seals, Rush-Copley Foundation, Rush-Copley Medical Center (chairman from 2002 to 2007), Rush-Copley Medical Center-Chicago and the Aurora Country Club. A dedicated Rotarian for thirty-seven years, Mr. Lies served as president of the club from 1987-1988. As an aviation enthusiast, he became a private pilot and a multi-engine instructor. Mr. Lies loved golf, woodworking and spending time with his grandchildren.