Illinois Private Grants

This program provides hydration stations to community organizations and educational institutions in Illinois to promote access to safe drinking water and encourage sustainable hydration practices.

The 501vc® Investment Fund is seeking to invest $200,000 to $300,000 in early-stage climate tech startups in the Greater Midwest region, focusing on sectors like advanced materials, renewable energy, and agriculture technologies.

This funding opportunity provides financial support and capacity-building resources to small or emerging nonprofits in McHenry County, helping them strengthen their operations and enhance their community services.

The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation (IEJF) awards grants to support legal assistance for low-income Illinois residents who cannot afford an attorney, aligning with its core mission of promoting equal access to justice. These grants enable not-for-profit organizations to provide critical civil legal aid, ensuring that financial constraints do not prevent vulnerable populations from addressing legal challenges. The foundation's strategic priority is to support direct service staff positions, including attorneys, paralegals, pro bono coordinators, and social/caseworkers, to enhance the capacity of legal service providers to deliver efficient and effective assistance. The grant program targets two primary beneficiary groups: families in crisis and older Illinoisans. For families, the focus is on civil legal assistance in areas such as family law (e.g., orders of protection, child custody, guardianship, divorce), consumer law, and veterans and disability benefits. For older Illinoisans (aged 65 and above), the program aims to protect them from physical and financial abuse and hardship through civil legal assistance in cases involving orders of protection, guardianships, healthcare, consumer and credit issues, housing, and public benefits like Social Security and Medicare. Housing assistance is specifically excluded for families in crisis this year due to existing IEJF programs funded by IDHS and IHDA. The IEJF's grants are designed to achieve significant impact by strengthening the delivery of civil legal services. By funding staff positions, the foundation seeks to increase the availability of legal aid to those most in need. Expected outcomes include improved legal protection for families facing domestic issues, financial difficulties, and challenges related to veteran and disability benefits, as well as enhanced safeguarding of older adults from abuse and financial hardship. The theory of change posits that by investing in direct service staff, legal aid organizations can better address complex legal needs, leading to more equitable justice outcomes for low-income individuals. Measurable results will stem from the effective deployment of grant funds to support direct service staff. Applicants must demonstrate how proposed staff positions will enhance the organization's ability to provide efficient and effective legal assistance in the priority areas. While specific quantitative metrics are not detailed in the provided information, the emphasis on direct service staff suggests a focus on the volume and quality of legal aid cases handled and the number of individuals served within the designated priority areas. The foundation's commitment to organizations with a proven track record (e.g., continuous operation for at least two years, expenditures of at least $200,000 for civil legal assistance, and employment of four or more full-time attorneys or provision of legal representation to at least 200 low-income persons via pro bono attorneys) indicates a desire for sustainable and impactful interventions.

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This funding opportunity supports nonprofit organizations in Scott County, Iowa, and Rock Island County, Illinois, to implement projects that enhance youth education, promote financial stability, and improve community health.

This initiative provides funding and support to nonprofit organizations, local governments, and Tribal governments in coal-impacted communities to develop and scale innovative economic projects that create job opportunities and foster local economic transformation.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations and local government units in McLean County, Illinois, to enhance health and well-being initiatives that address health equity and social determinants of health for underserved populations.

This grant provides financial support and educational resources to diverse-led businesses in Illinois, helping them grow and create new jobs.

This funding opportunity supports nonprofit organizations that provide career development programs for Black youth aged 14-24 in designated NBA markets.

This program provides financial assistance to disadvantaged communities in Illinois for planting trees in public spaces, promoting biodiversity and sustainable urban forestry.

The Envisioning Justice Grants program, supported by Illinois Humanities, focuses on leveraging the arts and humanities to foster a truly just society. This initiative aligns with the foundation's broader mission to create understanding about mass incarceration and its profound impact on communities throughout Illinois. By funding impactful initiatives that use creative and intellectual approaches, Illinois Humanities seeks to build more affirming, engaged, and empowered communities, ultimately contributing to a more equitable and just society. The program targets a diverse range of beneficiaries, specifically prioritizing currently or formerly incarcerated individuals, people serving long-term sentences, justice-involved young people, women (particularly women of color and/or those impacted by gendered violence), the LGBTQAI+ community, migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, immigrants, elderly populations, people with disabilities, and Indigenous populations. Furthermore, the grants prioritize projects that focus on communities that are sites of prisons or jails, experiencing significant incarceration, and/or undergoing significant demographic change due to the criminal legal system. The overarching impact goal is to facilitate understanding of mass incarceration and support those working to mitigate its effects. Envisioning Justice Grants prioritize projects that are regional or statewide in scope and partnership-oriented, emphasizing collaborative efforts to address complex issues. The funded initiatives include prison education programs, independent media, community dialogues, and conferences. These efforts are designed to create spaces for critical reflection, artistic expression, and humanistic inquiry, which are central to the foundation's strategic priorities. While specific measurable results are not explicitly detailed beyond "create understanding" and "build more affirming, engaged, and empowered communities," the program implicitly aims for increased community engagement, enhanced public discourse on carceral issues, and improved conditions for affected populations. Organizations can apply for grants of up to $10,000, with no matching funds required, making the program accessible to a wide range of groups. Eligibility is limited to nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations or those with a fiscal sponsor, based anywhere in Illinois. While all Illinois applicants are eligible, individuals from East St. Louis, Decatur, Carbondale, Galesburg, Urbana-Champaign, and the Bloomington-Normal Metro Area are particularly encouraged to apply. This geographic focus, coupled with the thematic priorities, underscores Illinois Humanities' theory of change: that by supporting arts and humanities initiatives, particularly in highly impacted areas and among vulnerable populations, they can drive meaningful social change and foster a more just and informed citizenry.

This program provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in Lee County for human service initiatives focused on health, education, financial stability, and youth development.

This program provides funding to Chicago-based nonprofits that empower youth aged 16 to 24 through workforce readiness and food security initiatives.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations and qualified government agencies that serve the Village of Milan, Illinois, focusing on youth development, community improvement, cultural activities, and support for underprivileged individuals.

This grant provides funding to arts organizations in Chicago and Cook County to help them adapt and innovate their operations and practices, with a focus on supporting BIPOC-led initiatives and fostering long-term sustainability.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations that offer transportation, safety, and health navigation services for seniors aged 55 and older in the Greater St. Louis area and nearby counties in Illinois and Missouri.

This grant provides financial support and mentorship to early-stage cleantech entrepreneurs in the Midwest who are developing innovative solutions to promote economic growth and environmental sustainability.

This funding supports Illinois nonprofit organizations that provide free legal assistance to low-income residents navigating civil legal issues, ensuring they have access to necessary resources and guidance.

This funding opportunity supports Illinois-based nonprofit organizations with planning and capacity-building initiatives that prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion in their public humanities programming.