Changes Coming for IPCF Grant Cycles

Starts With Application Period This September

Illinois Prairie Community Foundation has made adjustments to its competitive grants process – starting with fall grants accepting applications this September – in order to balance the spring and fall grant cycles.

“Our Grants Committee recently completed a complete review of the grant cycles, applications, grant agreements and final reports,” said Michele Evans, Vice President (Programs). “They noticed that the volume of applications received during the spring cycle was nearly 3 times those received in the fall cycle.” Changes were proposed to more evenly distribute the workload between cycles.

Key among the changes is the timing of two grant categories. The Mirza/Arts & Culture Grants will shift to the fall grants cycle and the Youth Engaged in Philanthropy (YEP) Grants will shift to the spring grants cycle, ensuring that all youth-oriented programs apply in the same cycle. Additionally, IPCF has made the David and Kay Williams Music Education Grants its own grants category.

Therefore, YEP Grant applications will not be accepted this fall, but will open for requests in spring 2027. No Mirza/Arts & Culture or Williams Grant applications will be accepted in spring 2027, but will open for requests in fall 2027. See below for the new timing of all grant categories and the focus of each.

“The committee also considered whether the foundation should prioritize certain types of grants over others and what selection committees should be looking at in terms of quality of applications,” Evans said.

IPCF will give priority to new and innovative programs. While nonprofits that have received grants for many years in the past may still apply for grants, selection committees will give new programs and those offering innovative ways of addressing long-term challenges greater consideration when making award determinations.

Nonprofit organizations will be limited in the number of times a year they can receive grants for the same program. Previously, nonprofits could apply in both the spring and fall cycles for funding for the same exact program. The foundation will no longer allow that; organizations will need to determine which category best fits with their grant program and only apply for that category. However, if a nonprofit applies and does not receive a grant in either the spring or fall, they may reapply in the other cycle as long as the program meets the focus of another grant category.

In addition, grant applicants will be asked the year their organization began, the primary geographic focus of the program and the total annual budget of the organization (various categories).

To make applying easier, IPCF has integrated a budget table directly into the online application, so applicants will no longer have to download/upload a budget document.

Information about these changes, plus an array of tips to assist applicants are available on the IPCF website.

If you have any questions or comments about the new grants structure, please contact Michele Evans, at 309-662-4477.