Illinois Social Advocacy Grants

This grant provides funding to local governments and nonprofit organizations to support affordable housing, homelessness prevention, and community development initiatives for low- and moderate-income residents in Waukegan and Lake County.

This grant provides funding to organizations that empower communities to advocate for social justice and address issues like housing, immigration, criminal justice reform, and environmental justice.

This funding opportunity supports local news organizations and storytellers in Chicago to promote diverse and equitable media representation while addressing underreported community issues.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for nonprofits and community organizations in Indiana and Illinois to develop and expand programs that improve mental health and substance use outcomes, particularly for underserved populations.

This grant provides financial and in-kind support to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in the U.S. that promote social good, global health, and assistance for military members.

This grant provides temporary financial assistance to individuals in Illinois and Indiana undergoing breast cancer treatment who are facing financial hardship due to their medical expenses.

Title II Juvenile Justice Council grants are specifically awarded to local juvenile justice councils to implement programs, policies and practices that improve the effectiveness of local juvenile justice systems, reduce unnecessary juvenile justice system involvement and/or analyze and reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED) in each council’s local system. Because this model of local governance, collaboration and data-driven decision-making has proven effective, the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission is allocating funding to support local juvenile justice councils and the development of data-driven, collaborative local juvenile justice plans which guide future system improvement efforts. The Illinois Juvenile Court Act provides that each county or group of counties may establish a local juvenile justice council [705 ILCS 405/6-12]. The purpose of this council, according to the Act, is “to provide a forum for the development of a community based interagency assessment of the local juvenile justice system, to develop a county juvenile justice plan for the prevention of juvenile delinquency, and to make recommendations to the county board, or county boards, for more effectively utilizing existing community resources in dealing with juveniles who are found to be involved in crime, or who are truant or have been suspended or expelled from school.” Through juvenile justice councils, the Act prescribes a response to juveniles in conflict with the law that is comprehensive, driven by data and analysis, and collaborative across all systems that touch these youth. As embodied in the Juvenile Court Act, Juvenile Justice Councils provide a structure to ensure that local jurisdictions respond to youth in conflict with the law in a manner which is data-driven, strategic, and focused on serving youth, families and communities in the most effective ways possible. Unfortunately, very few jurisdictions in Illinois have developed councils that operate in the manner envisioned in the Act. In some communities, youth become involved in the juvenile justice system unnecessarily because alternatives do not exist, or are not embedded within the system decision-making process. Because the needs and resources are different in each community in Illinois, a one-size-fits-all approach is not likely to be very effective. Local councils are in the best position to craft solutions that meet the local community’s needs and take into account local resources. Empowering and supporting local juvenile justice councils can also stem the tide of racial and ethnic disparity in the juvenile justice system at the front door and help ensure that no youth enters the juvenile justice system unnecessarily. Such local ownership is the best way to ensure more effective long-term programming and sustained systemic change. This, in turn, will reduce the costs associated with incarcerating youth in correctional facilities, reduce rates of recidivism, reduce the number of crime victims, and ultimately create safer communities in Illinois. Juvenile Justice Youth Serving Programs: The federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provides funding directly to states through its Title II Formula Grants Program (Title II) to support state and local delinquency prevention, intervention efforts and juvenile justice system improvements. These funds are used to help states implement comprehensive state juvenile justice plans based on detailed studies of needs in their jurisdictions. State Advisory Groups, comprised of members appointed by the governor, set priorities for funded activities. The State Advisory Group for Illinois, the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission (IJJC), administers the Title II funds. These funds support a broad range of juvenile justice activities at the state and local level that are designed to improve the juvenile justice system through the development of more effective education, training, research, prevention, diversion, treatment, and rehabilitation programs in the area of juvenile delinquency. These programs or projects can be designed to be developed, implemented and evaluated directly or through grants and contracts with public and private agencies. Title II also funds state and local activities designed to ensure and maintain the state's compliance with the Core Requirements of the JJDPA. • Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders (DSO) • Adult Jail and Lock-Up Removal (Jail Removal) • "Sight and Sound" Separation • Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED); In some communities, youth become involved in the juvenile justice system unnecessarily because alternatives do not exist or are not embedded within the system decision-making process. Because the needs and resources are different in each community in Illinois, a one-size-fits-all approach is not likely to be very effective. Local juvenile justice systems and community-based providers are in prime position to craft solutions and develop youth serving programs that meet the local community's needs and take into account local resources. Empowering and supporting local youth programming can also stem the tide of racial and ethnic disparity in the juvenile justice system at the front door and help ensure that no youth enters the juvenile justice system unnecessarily. Investing in local communities will reduce the costs associated with incarcerating youth in correctional facilities, reduce rates of recidivism, reduce the number of crime victims, and ultimately create safer communities in Illinois.

The Carl R. Hendrickson Family Foundation, established in 1991, is dedicated to enhancing the quality of educational, human services, and healthcare programs for underprivileged communities. With a deep-rooted Christian faith, the foundation offers special consideration to initiatives that not only cater to the basic needs of individuals but also embrace spiritual growth. Emphasizing innovative approaches, it provides financial support to organizations striving to make a significant impact through entrepreneurial methodologies. Grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 are available for either program or general operating support, with the condition that program support requests do not exceed 30% of the program's budget. Organizations with annual budgets under $10 million are eligible to apply. Grant renewed every year. Grant Annual deadline: June 1st

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.

The Lake County Community Foundation Fall Grant focuses on two key priority areas: Leadership Development and Animal Welfare. The Foundation's mission is aligned with fostering a stronger nonprofit sector through leadership development opportunities that benefit Lake County's broader nonprofit community, rather than individual organizations. For animal welfare, the Foundation, through the Lake County Humane Society Fund, seeks to cultivate innovative approaches and address unmet needs for animals in Lake County. This grant embodies the Foundation's commitment to strategic investments that strengthen the community. Within Leadership Development, the Foundation prioritizes projects that build a pipeline of competent, emerging leaders for the county's nonprofit sector. A crucial aspect is increasing access to quality programming for leaders of color and other underrepresented groups, ensuring a diverse and inclusive leadership base. The ultimate goal is to equip leaders to better serve their nonprofit organizations, clients, and communities, thereby amplifying their collective impact across Lake County. This approach reflects the Foundation's theory of change, which posits that investing in leadership capacity will lead to more effective and sustainable social impact. For Animal Welfare, the grant targets organizations dedicated to the needs of animals in Lake County. The focus is on innovative approaches to support animal welfare and addressing needs where the applicant is the sole service provider. This area aligns with the Foundation's broader aim of addressing critical community needs and fostering a compassionate environment for all residents, including animals. The expected outcome is improved animal welfare through targeted interventions and support for organizations making a significant difference in this area. The Foundation's strategic pillars of Economic Justice, Community Ownership, and Rapid Community Response guide the evaluation criteria for all applications. Successful proposals will demonstrate alignment with these pillars and respond to high-priority needs identified by current Lake County data. The Foundation also emphasizes diversity and equity within applicant organizations, seeking staff, leadership, and boards that reflect the communities they serve. Furthermore, strong, documented partnerships, the potential to leverage other resources, and a high probability of affecting significant change over the next three years are key considerations, along with cost-effective service delivery and a proven track record of achieving outcomes. These criteria underscore the Foundation's commitment to impactful, sustainable change.

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.

Value: The Highland Area Community Foundation (H.A.C.F.) appears to be offering a grant for community-related projects. Applicants are required to submit a proposal narrative that includes a description of the organization's general purpose, objectives, and operational scope; a statement of the problem addressed; details on the purpose and expectations of the specific project for which funding is sought, including its relevance to community needs; a proposed program design; and a detailed project budget including other funding sources. Funds must be used specifically for the purpose stated in the grant award, and a progress report with photos is required within 12 months of receiving the award.

Program Summary The PATH program is designed to reduce and/or eliminate homelessness for individuals who may be experiencing (SMI) serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders. Our goal is to ensure that individuals are connected to mainstream MH services and eventually transitioned into stable housing improve their health, and live a self-directed, purposeful life. Funding Priorities or Focus Areas • IDHS is working to counteract systemic racism and inequity, and to prioritize and maximize diversity throughout its service provision process. This work involves addressing existing institutionalized inequities, aiming to create transformation, and operationalizing equity and racial justice. It also focuses on the creation of a culture of inclusivity for all regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or ability. Project Description The Grantee will operate the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) formula grant providing flexible, community-based services throughout the State of Illinois to address the needs of adults ages 18-65+ and families, with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders, who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. PATH links the population of individuals with serious mental illnesses (SMI)/co-occurring substance use disorders (COD), who experience persistent and pervasive health disparities, to mainstream and other supportive services. Collectively the PATH resources help individuals experiencing or at risk for homelessness with SMI/COD secure safe and stable housing, improve their health, and live a self-directed, purposeful life.

This funding program provides financial support to community-based organizations that empower youth aged 12 to 20 through established, youth-led urban greening initiatives focused on social and environmental justice in select states.

The Non-Profit Security Program, administered by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS), aims to support nonprofit organizations at high risk of terrorist or extremist attacks. The program provides funding for physical and cybersecurity enhancements and other security-related activities. The total program funding is $274,500,000 for FY 2024, with a maximum award of $150,000 per site and up to $450,000 per sub-applicant. Eligible applicants must apply through their State Administrative Agency (SAA), and applications are due by June 1, 2024, at 5 PM CDT. The program targets nonprofit organizations described under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, including those automatically exempt such as churches, mosques, and synagogues. The funding can be used for target-hardening activities like the purchase or installation of security equipment. Performance metrics focus on enhancing the protection of soft targets and crowded places through planning, organization, equipment, training, and exercises.

The Hospital Health Protection Grant Program (HHPGP-Sustain25) for State Fiscal Year 2025 provides funding to named safety-net hospitals in Illinois to support their sustainability. The aim is to preserve their operations and ensure continued provision of healthcare services, particularly for those 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 $11,513,900.00, with individual awards ranging from $211,160.00 to $2,645,360.00. Applications are due by August 30, 2024.

The Harry S. Black & Allon Fuller Fund is dedicated to supporting quality health care and human services programming for underserved populations. This grant program aligns directly with the foundation's mission to address critical needs in communities, specifically focusing on improving access to essential services for those who face significant barriers. The fund's strategic priorities are rooted in the belief that robust health care and human services are fundamental to individual well-being and community strength. The primary target beneficiaries of this grant program are underserved populations within the city limits of New York City and Chicago. This includes low-income communities requiring health care access, health education, and health policy advocacy, as well as physically disabled individuals who need access programs, disability policy advocacy, workforce development, and initiatives to enhance their quality of life. The impact goals are to foster healthier, more equitable communities by empowering individuals through improved access to vital resources and support. The grantmaking focus areas clearly define the fund's priorities. In health care, the fund supports access, education, and policy analysis and advocacy, with a specific emphasis on programs serving low-income communities. For physical disabilities, the fund prioritizes access programs, disability policy analysis and advocacy, workforce development, and programs that improve the quality of life for disabled individuals. These areas reflect a comprehensive approach to addressing systemic inequities and promoting inclusive community development. While specific expected outcomes and measurable results are not explicitly detailed in the provided information, it can be inferred that the fund seeks to achieve tangible improvements in the health and well-being of the target populations, increased access to services for the physically disabled, and greater equity through policy advocacy and workforce development. The foundation's theory of change appears to be that by strategically investing in organizations that provide direct services and advocate for systemic change, they can create a lasting positive impact on the lives of underserved individuals in their designated geographic areas.

Program Summary • The Grantee shall deliver mental health services to individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or DeafBlind by utilizing a culturally affirmative approach. This approach will adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act. The culturally affirmative approach shall serve these populations in an individualized manner and shall provide any level of outpatient mental health service delivered by staff who directly provide such in the individual's language and communication mode. Additionally, these staff will exhibit a distinct knowledge base, specialized clinical skills, and specialized cultural linguistic skills. The service delivery may also include staff who exhibit a knowledge base in serving these minority populations and utilize reasonable accommodations for the individual's language needs and communication modes. The Grantee's staff providing mental health services may include case managers, therapists, counselors, and/or psychiatrists. The Grantee shall communicate in an accessible manner, by utilizing Video Phones, TTYs, licensed sign language interpreters and/or other reasonable accommodations according to the individual's needs. Funding Priorities or Focus Areas • IDHS is working to counteract systemic racism and inequity, and to prioritize and maximize diversity throughout its service provision process. This work involves addressing existing institutionalized inequities, aiming to create transformation, and operationalizing equity and racial justice. It also focuses on the creation of a culture of inclusivity for all regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or ability. Project Description • The Grantee must deliver mental health services to individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or DeafBlind by utilizing a culturally affirmative approach. This approach will adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Each of these minority populations have unique cultural and linguistic needs, which are not exclusively homogeneous. Therefore, the culturally affirmative approach must serve these populations in an individualized manner. An individual who is Deaf, Hard of Hearing or DeafBlind, that is served by this grant funding, may reside or be originally from any county in Illinois. The cultural affirmative service delivery must provide any level of outpatient mental health service delivered by staff who directly provide such in the individual’s language and communication mode. Additionally, these staff will exhibit a distinct knowledge base, specialized clinical skills, and specialized cultural linguistic skills. The service delivery may also include staff who exhibit a knowledge base in serving these minority populations, and utilize reasonable accommodations for the individual’s language needs and communication modes. The Grantee’s staff providing mental health services may include, but are not limited to: case managers, therapists, counselors, and/or psychiatrists. The Grantee must communicate in an accessible manner, by utilizing Video Phones, TTYs, licensed sign language interpreters and/or other reasonable accommodations according to the individual’s needs. There are community networks across the state of Illinois that serve as a separate referral source for these populations. In these networks, information is communicated on how and where to access these services that are delivered in a cultural affirmative approach. The Grantee must serve as an embedded entity of these community networks as it relates to their cultural affirmative service delivery of mental health services. The Grantee’s staff will outreach, collaborate, and network across various service systems to effectively address these challenges. As part of this, the Grantee will assist individuals served in addressing the complex language, cultural, clinical, and administrative challenges when navigating the various service systems and their associated processes. Most often, these systems’ information is not readily accessible in the population’s native language and communication mode. Specifically, the Grantee’s staff will assist individuals in identifying and linking to other applicable providers, how to access their services, and/or apply for applicable benefits. Additionally, there is an absence of any evidence-based mental health treatment developed for or evaluated for use with these populations. The grantee must adapt evidence-based mental health treatment using an effective and culturally affirmative approach. This must include but is not limited to: consideration of the individual’s culture, community, beliefs, thinking and learning style, communication mode(s), and language needs. This funding is designated to support costs associated with cultural affirmative service delivery approach; the necessary outreach, networking, and collaboration necessary as an embedded entity providing for these populations; adaptation of evidence-based mental health treatment; and paying for licensed sign language interpreter services. The mental health services provided are billed to Healthcare and Family Services’ Illinois Medicaid as well as any of their associated Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs). Therefore, the Grantee must also have certification as (Comprehensive) Community Mental Health Center (CMHC), as defined in Part 132, Subparts B and C.

This grant provides funding to Illinois courts and related offices to improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities, ensuring they can fully participate in court activities and receive necessary accommodations.

The Hospital Health Protection Grant Program (HHPGP-24Extended25) for State Fiscal Year 2025 provides funding to named hospitals to support their ordinary and contingent expenses. The aim is to improve health equity, access to quality care, and reduce health disparities in underserved communities, in accordance with the Safety-Net Hospital Health Equity and Access Leadership Grant Program. The total funding available is $3,000,000.00, with individual awards ranging from $1,000,000.00 to $2,000,000.00. Applications are due by August 30, 2024.