Rock Valley College recently received the third year of grant funding for the “Linking Talent with Opportunity” (LTO) initiative from the Dr. Louis and Violet Rubin Endowment of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL). The $225,000 for the 2021 fiscal year fulfills the three-year, $675,000 commitment CFNIL made to RVC and Highland Community College to develop and implement a new educational “Pathways” model for RVC and Highland district high schools and business partners.

As of Tuesday, July 7, 2020, all CFNIL staff have ceased working remotely and are back in the CFNIL offices. Our regular business hours are 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. As an organization CFNIL has taken the Rockford region "Clean Hands, Open Doors" pledge, committing to additional measures to help ensure the safety of staff and any visitors to the CFNIL office. Learn more about the "Clean Hands, Open Doors" pledge.

The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) and NW HomeStart are proud to announce the recipients of the 2020 Neighborhood Grants Program. The grants will be awarded to 11 groups and organizations (listed below) working to improve the quality of life in their communities at the neighborhood level. The grants are worth $22,300.

The Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund (ICRF) recently announced it distributed its fourth and largest round of funding thus far, an additional $6.95 million to 42 nonprofit organizations across the state. The Fund, which was established by the United Way of Illinois and the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations in collaboration with the Office of the Governor, focused this round of funding on serving the state’s most vulnerable populations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Arts for Illinois Relief Fund, a statewide effort to support Illinois arts organizations impacted by COVID-19, has engaged with community foundations across the state to leverage matching fund dollars.

The Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project (FLAP) – Proyecto de Ayuda para Trabajadores del Campo y Jardineros is proud to announce that it has received a grant in the amount of $10,000 from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois Natural Disaster Assistance Program to provide financial assistance to undocumented families in Winnebago County who are in crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

June 15, 2020 – Rockford – The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) has named Daniel Ross to succeed Jon Bates as its next president. Ross will assume his new role as the third president in CFNIL’s 67-year history on July 1, 2020.

Watch the first-ever VIRTUAL CFNIL Scholarship Award Night! Originally broadcast June 11, 2020. 144 students from 27 local high schools were awarded 176 scholarships totaling over $300,000 this year. Celebrate the exceptional accomplishments of this year's recipients and the generosity of community members who established these scholarships. Hear testimonials from recipients, encouraging words from special guests, and cheer on the scholars in your family or from your school!

Join us for the first-ever VIRTUAL CFNIL Scholarship Award Night! 144 students from 27 local high schools were awarded 176 scholarships totaling over $300,000 this year. Tune in to celebrate the exceptional accomplishments of this year's recipients and the generosity of community members who established these scholarships. Hear testimonials from recipients, encouraging words from special guests, and cheer on the scholars in your family or from your school!

The 2020 Club Blue grant recipients have been announced! Congratulations to Children's Safe Harbor and KFACT. Typically a Club Blue grants reception is held in the yard at the Community Foundation, but this year the Club Blue board toasted the recipients remotely! 

United Way of Rock River Valley was awarded $250,000 from the Illinois COVID Response Fund to be distributed to nonprofits in support of services provided to residents of Winnebago County. These funds will be distributed in the third round of grants via the Emerging Needs Fund.

United Way of Rock River Valley in collaboration with the 815 Community Response Team, has awarded nearly $250,000 in the second round of grants from its COVID-19 Emerging Needs Fund to 31 non-profit organizations in Boone, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago Counties.

In Youth We Trust is celebrating 25 years of youth leadership and philanthropy! This year the IYWT Council is awarding grants totaling over $24,000 for seven youth-led projects that will benefit the youth of northern Illinois. Join us for a virtual Grants Reception Watch Party, created by and featuring IYWT Council members, testimonials from the grant recipients, and lots of celebrating! The video will premiere from CFNIL's Facebook main page at 7:00 p.m.

In Youth We Trust, the youth philanthropy program of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, has announced the recipients of the 2020 IYWT Grants cycle. The IYWT Council awarded seven youth-led projects over $24,000 for the benefit of youth in northern Illinois:

The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) is pleased to announce its 2020 scholarship recipients: 176 scholarships worth up to $305,046 to local students. The scholarships will support the post-secondary educational aspirations of 144 students from 27 local high schools.

CFNIL lost one of its most enthusiastic volunteers last month when Paula Capriola, a member of Women of Today’s Manufacturing’s (WOTM) scholarship committee and part of the team that started the Howard D. Colman Scholarship program, passed away. Paula’s passion was to help others better themselves through building their careers, and she was a vocal supporter of CFNIL’s scholarships as a way to support our community’s students.

The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois has kept faith with its mission to serve as a catalyst for giving in order to attract, preserve, and grow an endowment for the current and future needs of the people of Northern Illinois for more than 65 years. This uneasy time facing a global pandemic is no different; in fact, it is the foresight and generosity of past generations that allows CFNIL to respond now with both targeted and general support for the challenges facing our local communities.

United Way of Rock River Valley (UWRRV) announced it, in collaboration with the 815 Community Response Team, has awarded $250,000 in the first round of grants from its COVID-19 Emerging Needs Fund to 33 non-profit organizations in Boone, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago Counties that are responding pragmatically to the needs of individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences.

The Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund (ICRF) announced today it has distributed more than $5.5 million to 30 nonprofit organizations across the state, marking the first grants since launching. The Fund established by the United Way of Illinois and the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations, in collaboration with the Office of the Governor, today also announced it has raised more than $28 million from nearly 2000 donors since its launch on March 26.

The Office of Illinois State Treasurer Michael W. Frerichs distributed this information via press release April 9, 2020. Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs today announced that non-profit organizations interested in applying for grants through the Charitable Trust Stabilization Fund now have until April 30 to submit their paperwork. Frerichs decided to give organizations more time to apply given the impact of COVID-19.

On March 27, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Details are still a bit unclear, but here is what we know up to now.