The Zeta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society is a group of professional women Educators from Boone and Winnebago counties, who financially support quality education. The Zeta Chapter has established the Blanche Martin Mini-Grant Program with the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL), which makes financial awards to qualified Early Childhood through Grade 12 Educators currently teaching in Boone and Winnebago Counties.

The mini-grants may be used to fund special classroom activities, purchase educational materials, attend workshops, or implement any other project that enhances or improves the quality of education. The project should:

1. Improve and enhance a classroom’s academic program,
2. Encourage creativity in students,
3. Involve a broad range of students,
4. Have the potential for being replicated, and
5. Be implemented in the same academic year in which the grant is awarded.

To apply for the mini-grants, educators must complete an online application. Applications are available through CFNIL’s Web Portal. Applicants will need to create a new account. Registration instructions are on the logon page. All applications must be submitted by Monday, February 8th by 8 a.m. Grant recipients will be notified by late February 2021. 

Grant recipients will be expected to submit a final report within four months of grant approval. Past grant recipients will be excluded from future grant consideration if the final report has not been submitted for prior funding. Grant recipients will also be asked to prepare a brief presentation about their project to be presented at a Zeta Chapter meeting to be held on Wednesday, May 12, 2021 from 4:30pm to 6:30pm at the Rockford University (Burpee Center), 5050 E. State St., Rockford, IL 61108.

Questions regarding program guidelines and criteria should be directed to Meghan Hembrough, Chairman, Personal Growth and Services Committee, Delta Kappa Gamma Society, Zeta Chapter at meghan.hembrough@harlem122.org. Questions regarding the online application should be directed to James Patterson, Program Director, Community Foundation of Northern Illinois at jpatterson@cfnil.org.