Illinois Capacity Building Grants

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations in the greater Quad Cities region that are focused on improving community health through innovative services and partnerships.

This funding opportunity provides unrestricted financial support to nonprofit organizations in Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois that focus on grassroots advocacy, community organizing, and policy initiatives aimed at achieving racial equity and community well-being.

This funding initiative supports community organizations in Chicago that promote equitable access to health resources, focusing on projects that enhance physical activity, healthy eating, and mental wellness, particularly for historically marginalized communities.

This funding program provides financial support to nonprofit organizations that deliver essential social services to residents of Naperville, Illinois, with a focus on areas such as emergency assistance, mental health, and support for seniors, youth, and individuals with disabilities.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to grassroots organizations in the Chicago area that are actively engaged in urgent social justice efforts and need resources to respond quickly to community challenges.

This program provides tailored consulting services to nonprofit organizations in Iowa and select counties in Illinois and Wisconsin, helping them improve operational efficiency and community impact without offering direct financial support.

This program provides funding for feasibility studies that promote economic development and improve community resources in rural areas of Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

This grant provides financial assistance to nonprofit organizations in McHenry County facing urgent, unexpected challenges that threaten their operations or mission.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in Missouri to improve their governance, operations, and strategic direction through the engagement of consultants for capacity-building projects.

The Regional Site Readiness Program is a grant aimed at providing flexible funding for planning, due diligence activities, and infrastructure improvements to prepare various sites across 10 Economic Development Regions for future industrial development.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (the “Department” or “DCEO”) is issuing this Notice of Funding Opportunity (“NOFO”) to request applications for the Rebuild Downtowns & Main Streets (RDMS) Capital Grant Program and for the Research in Illinois to Spur Economic Recovery (RISE) Implementation Grant Program. Donor Name: Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity State: Illinois County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 07/22/2024 Size of the Grant: More than $1 million Grant Duration: 2 Years Details: $20 million has been allocated for RDMS and $10 million for RISE, with individual grants for both opportunities ranging from $250,000 to $2 million. An applicant may receive no more than one award through this NOFO. RDMS will facilitate investment to revitalize commercial corridors and downtown areas in Illinois, offering capital grants to support improvements in communities that have experienced disinvestment, particularly those hardest-hit by the COVID-19 crisis. This support will help to accelerate Illinois’ economic recovery and promote long-term, sustainable, and inclusive growth for the state. RDMS grants are available for capital projects only. Examples of suitable projects include but are not limited to: Improvement and repair of roads, sidewalks, and lighting in commercial corridors and downtowns Development of public spaces that will attract events to and/or add to the appeal of commercial corridors and downtowns Improvement and repair of water and sewer infrastructure serving commercial corridors and downtowns Mixed-use development that will add to the vitality of commercial corridors and downtowns Funding Information Total amount of funding expected to be awarded through this NOFO is $20 million for RDMS and $10 million for RISE Implementation. Awards will range from $250,000 to $2 million for both programs. The period of performance is expected to be late calendar year 2024 through the end of calendar year 2026. Eligibility Criteria An entity must be registered in the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal, at the time of grant application. The portal will verify that the entity: Has a valid FEIN number Has a current SAM.gov registration, SAM.gov registrations must be marked as “public” to allow the GATA Grantee Portal to expedite the review of the federal information; Has a valid UEI number Is not on the Federal Excluded Parties List Is in Good Standing with the Illinois Secretary of State, as applicable Is not on the Illinois Stop Payment list and Is not on the Department of Healthcare and Family Services Provider Sanctions list Eligible Applicants  The following entities are eligible to apply for both RDMS and RISE Implementation grants: Economic development organizations (EDOs) Local units of government (e.g., municipalities, counties, townships) Private Businesses Special purpose local units of government (e.g., library districts, fire protection districts, schools) are not eligible.  For more information, visit DCEO.

This program provides matching grants to local businesses in Libertyville to support growth and sustainability through various improvements, excluding general operational costs.

With generous support from the Wells Fargo Foundation, NALCAB will provide capacity building grants of $30,000 and customized technical assistance (TA) to 10 organizations, prioritizing organizations located in Wells Fargo’s priority geographic markets. Donor Name: National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB) State: County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 09/18/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: Less than 1 Year Details: The primary purpose of this award is to support a nationwide network of Latino- and immigrant-serving organizations to advance culturally relevant approaches to family financial health in low-and moderate-income Latino and immigrant communities. This program of grantmaking, technical assistance and training is intended to strengthen the delivery of financial capability services focused on: Integrating a culturally relevant financial curriculum into asset-building programs like homeownership and small business development services.  Intentionally utilizing financial coaching to prepare participants to access capital for asset-building activities.  Improving organizational capacity to track and report financial health outcomes, with a focus on improving credit, increasing savings, increasing income, and reducing debt.  Prioritizing access to innovative financial products to boost family financial wellness, such as increasing savings, decreasing debt, or building or establishing credit. Wells Fargo Priority Markets: NALCAB will focus on the following priority markets, as communicated by Wells Fargo: Georgia: Atlanta  Illinois: Chicago  North Carolina: Charlotte  Texas: Dallas, Houston  California: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco  Florida: Miami  Tennessee: Nashville New York  Pennsylvania: Philadelphia  Arizona: Phoenix  Missouri: St. Louis  Washington, DC  Minnesota: Minneapolis Grant Period  October 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025. Eligibility Criteria Eligible applicants are any 501(c)(3) nonprofits who integrate, or plan to integrate, culturally relevant financial capability services into existing asset-building programs. Applicants should demonstrate:  A comprehensive and specific strategy that will result in meaningful and measurable impact and change for Latino and immigrant financial health.  Organizational capacity to implement the proposed strategy. Budget and projected outcomes that align with the proposed strategy. For more information, visit NALCAB.

The Hospital Health Protection Grant Program (HHPGP-Equity25) for State Fiscal Year 2025 provides funding to named safety-net hospitals in Illinois. The aim is to improve health equity, access to quality care, and reduce health disparities in underserved communities. Funding will support ordinary and contingent expenses for hospitals participating in the State’s Medicaid managed care program. The grant is authorized under the Safety-Net Hospital Health Equity and Access Leadership Grant Program. The total funding available is $71,430,640.00, with individual awards ranging from $646,600.00 to $9,000,000.00. Applications are due by August 30, 2024.

Grants are available through the Metro East Park and Recreation District for events that promote the use of public parks, trails, and outdoor recreation facilities in Madison and St. Clair Counties in Illinois. The Event Sponsorship Grant Program offers funding of up to $2,500 for public organizations and up to $1,000 for 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations. Eligible events include walking, running, hiking, biking, biathlons, and triathlons that take place within MEPRD's jurisdiction and contribute at least ten percent of event proceeds towards funding improvements or developments to public parks or trails in the designated counties. Eligible applicants must be public organizations or 501(c)3 organizations headquartered within MEPRD's jurisdiction or within 15 miles of it. Only one event sponsorship grant award is allowed per MEPRD fiscal year. For more information, visit MEPRD's website.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is offering a grant of over $1 million, with a total funding of $10,000,000, to educational and non-profit organizations in Urbana, Illinois, to promote bioprocessing through infrastructure and capital equipment expansion, increased training opportunities, and short course offerings, with the project having been partially funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Tech Hubs program.

The Route 66 Black Experiences Grant Program provides direct grant awards to African-American owned/operated businesses and attractions along Route 66, and funding to support research and programs designed to tell the stories of Black experiences related to Route 66. The program, celebrating the Route 66 Centennial, aims to help Black-owned businesses and attractions stay in operation, reopen, and expand, while also supporting research and storytelling efforts related to Black experiences on Route 66. Eligible applicants include Black-owned/operated businesses located along Route 66 with fewer than 20 employees. The 2024 grant round offers a total of $50,000 in awards, with applications due by July 14, 2024, and awards announced the week of August 5, 2024.

This program provides funding for a wide range of projects across various sectors, offering financial support to organizations and individuals in Illinois with awards between $10,000 and $5,000,000.

Equitable Energy Future Grant Program (Notice of Funding Opportunity 3054-2638): The Equitable Energy Future Grant Program, administered by the Commerce And Econ Opp agency, aims to provide seed funding and pre-development funding opportunities to eligible contractors for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in historically disadvantaged communities. The program is designed to remove barriers caused by lack of capital and promote project, community, and business development. The anticipated number of awards is 40, with an estimated total program funding of $25,500,000. The award range is between $250,000 and $1,000,000. The source of funding is the state government of Illinois. There are no cost-sharing or matching requirements, but indirect costs are not allowed. The application period is from November 16, 2023, to June 30, 2024 at 5:00 PM. Technical assistance sessions are offered on November 30, 2023 at 12:00 PM and registration can be done through a provided link. Applicants must be pre-qualified entities registered in the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal. For more information on eligibility criteria and application requirements, please visit the grant application link provided in the description above.

The City of Evanston is seeking applications for its Small Business Recovery Program to protect small business economy and preserve Evanston’s economic and cultural fabric. Donor Name: City of Evanston State: Illinois City: Evanston Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: All Time Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Small, independently owned businesses define Evanston’s economic and cultural identity. The Small Business Recovery Program will help existing small businesses, particularly minority, disadvantaged, and veteran-owned businesses, recover from the sustained negative economic impacts of the pandemic. Funding Information The maximum grant amount per applicant is $25,000. All other expenses are eligible for up to $10,000. Eligible Services  Eligible applicants may request any of the following services: Facade improvements Rehabilitation or renovation of a commercial property Signage, including blade signs Professional Services (accounting, tax, insurance, legal) Marketing / communications technical assistance (including social media and paid advertising expenditures) Capital expenditures, including tools and equipment (software, hardware, process-specific tools or equipment) Training and certifications Relocation and expansion within Evanston (if located in qualified census tracts) Hiring and training of new employees Other expenses may be considered on a case by case basis Eligibility Criteria  Brick and mortar businesses who were open and operating on or before March 13, 2020. The business must have a physical location in Evanston which is also properly registered and/or licensed with the City of Evanston. The business has 50 or fewer employees. Completed applications must include three quotes for each service or expense for which funding assistance is requested, including at least one quote from an Evanston-based provider whenever possible. The business must demonstrate they were negatively impacted by the pandemic and how the requested expenses will aid recovery. In the event applications exceed available funding, priority will be given to M/W/D/EBE businesses or those located in qualified census tracts For more information, visit City of Evanston.