The
Community Needs Fund
It
is the purpose of the Community Needs
Fund to award grants to projects
that enhance the quality of life in the Northern Illinois region.
Eligibility
To
be eligible for funding, an applicant must:
- Be a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, not-for-profit agency and/or organized group carrying out a charitable purpose for the public good in an efficient matter
- Provide
services within
the counties of Boone, Ogle,
Stephenson and Winnebago
- Be
operated and organized in such a manner that no applicable
anti-discrimination laws are violated
- Be current on all final reports for grants from the Community Foundation; if your agency has a program currently being funded with a Community Foundation grant and your final report is not yet due, you must submit an interim letter letting us know the progress of your program (do not use the online final report form for this)
We
Look For
We
welcome proposals for projects that benefit a broad spectrum
of the community or a chronically under-served segment
of the population. We are interested in proposals that
reflect foresight and perhaps, some risk taking. The Community Foundation looks for projects that:
- Address
recognized community issues with innovative approaches
- Build
positively on the rich diversity of our community
- Articulate
meaningful, reasonable, measurable outcomes
- Present
clear work plans which show the ability to achieve the
project's goal
- Build
the self-sufficiency of organizations and/or participants
- Encourage
cooperation, create efficiencies and reduce duplication
of services
- Demonstrate
leadership and develop the leadership potential of the
community
- Demonstrate
quality, vision, effectiveness and good management
- Provide
long-range fund development planning beyond the funding
period
What
We Fund
We award grants in the areas of Health and Human Services,
Education, Neighborhoods, Economic & Community Development,
and Children, Youth, and Families.
1.
Health & Human Services
Encompasses
social service projects that benefit the under-served
segments of our community. For example, issues of homelessness,
health care, hunger, poverty, rehabilitation and the elderly.
-
Empower
the under-served to seek solutions
-
Promote
self-sufficiency
-
Focus on long-term approaches to issues
-
Provide
independence to the elderly and disabled
-
Improve
access to health care
-
Strengthen
the capacity of human service organizations to serve
their constituencies
2.
Education
Encompasses community education projects that serve all
age groups and segments of our population and that are not
normally funded by the public school system.
- Increase
literacy and basic skills development in the community
- Develop
efforts that address the needs of students who are most
at-risk for dropping out of school
- Promote
inclusiveness and diversity
- Provide
creative approaches to improvement of our educational
system
3.
Community and Neighborhood Development
Encompasses programs
that address community and neighborhood development, both
social and economic and our natural resources and environment.
- Encourage
community responsibility for solving community problems
- Develop
leadership and leadership opportunities for youth, minorities
and the economically
disadvantaged
- Enhance
awareness of regional environmental issues
- Encourage
responsible stewardship and conservation of our natural
resources
4.
Children, Youth & Families
Encompasses programs that enhance the quality of life for children and
youth through opportunities to enhance their
intellectual,
emotional, physical, and social development.
- Support
models that encourage an alliance of shared responsibility
and coordination of resources among schools, parents and community-based organizations, and
encourage the expansion or replication of
those programs most effective in poor communities.
- Enhance
the life options of youth through such means as improved
basic skills and school retention;
development of work, life management, and leadership development
skills; and reduction of risk-taking behaviors.
- Support
efforts to enhance parental understanding of strategies
they themselves can use to improve
the educational attainment of their children.
- Strengthen
the capacity of existing institutions to better serve
the needs of children and youth.
Grant
Cycle
The deadlines for submitting all applications are January 15th and July 15th of each year. If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, proposals are due on the next business day. Grants under $10,000 are typically awarded in mid April for the January grant cycle and mid October for the July grant cycle. Grants of $10,000 and over are typically awarded in June for the January grant cycle and in December for the July grant cycle.
Carefully consider the funding cycle that allows you to receive funds prior to the start of your program. Grant applications for summer programs should apply to the July grant cycle the year before the program begins.
Only one proposal per organization per grant program will be considered during the Community Foundation's fiscal year (July 1st through June 30th).
Exceptions to this rule:
- You are invited by a Grants
Committee to resubmit an application in the following grant
cycle.
- Organizations participating in
a collaborative may apply once a year as a member of the collaborative,
and once as itself or as part of a second collaborative.
Grant Committees are comprised of Community Foundation Trustees
and Community Advisors. The Community Foundation's Board of Trustees approves all grant awards.
All grant recipients are required to submit an online final report upon completion of the project for which the grant was made. This report must include the outcomes achieved by the project and a detailed budget explaining how the funds were used. The report may also include an oral presentation or other components as deemed necessary by the Community Foundation.
Final reports are due within one year of grant approval. You may access the final report by clicking here. Past grant recipients will be excluded from future grant consideration if a final report has not been completed for prior funding. If an organization submits an additional application while a Community Foundation funded project is still in progress, an interim letter must be completed and returned by the grant cycle deadline. (Do not use the online final report form for this.)
Grants are made for one year only; should circumstances allow, a multi-year commitment may be considered.
Exclusions
Grants are not made from the Community Needs
Fund for the following:
-
Annual & capital campaigns
- Budget
deficit
- Endowments
- Individuals
- Ongoing
operating & project support
- Regranting
of funds
- Projects
and programs that promote a religion or require participation
in a religious activity as a condition for receiving services.
However, grants may be made to faith-based organizations
for other purposes.
Online
Application
Please Note: As the Community Foundation strives for complete accuracy in its grant programs, we reserve the right to update grant application forms 60 days before the deadline. Only applications started within 60 days of deadline will be accepted. While you may browse the online application at any time, you are reminded to check your calendar before you begin filling out any grant application.
To
start a new application, click New
Application.
To
access an application that you chose to save and finish
later, click Saved
Application.
Please Note: Your computer must use one of the following commonly used internet browsers and have cookies enabled in order to access the online application.
- Internet Explorer version 5.5 SP-2 or higher
- Netscape 6.2.2 or higher
- Netscape Communicator 4.76 or higher
- Internet Explorer 5.1.4 for Mac OS X
Budget Worksheet: For your convenience, we are providing a budget worksheet that you can download by clicking the link below. You may find it easier to complete this worksheet in paper form before entering the information into the online form.
Budget Worksheet
If
you have questions, please contact Barbara Nelson, Vice
President and Senior Program Officer at (815) 962-2110
ext 15 or bnelson@cfnil.org.
