Grant Recipients
Illinois Prairie Community Foundation connects people who care with causes that matter by offering philanthropic leadership, organization and grant-making for the long-term enrichment of our community
Each year, Illinois Prairie Community Foundation awards grants in 6 categories:
Spring Grants: General Grants, Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants (including David and Kay Williams Music Education Grant), Shulman Jewish Life and Education Grants
Fall Grants: Environment & Nature Grants (including Go Green Grant), Women to Women Giving Circle Grants and Youth Engaged in Philanthropy (YEP) Grants.
Past grant recipients looking to view a previously submitted grant application (before 2024), please contact Michele Evans.
General Grants
General Grants are awarded to programs in the fields of education, environment, health and wellness, and youth. Funding comes from endowments and generous donors to the Annual Campaign. You can make a lasting positive impact on our community right now through your gift to the Annual Campaign.
48 General Grants totaling $83,805 awarded in 2023
Allin Township Fire Department - $1,000
"Nozzle Replacement" - To replace old nozzles for fire apparatus that leak water when used, posing problems for firefighters especially during freezing weather.
Alzheimer's Disease & Related Disorders Association - $681
"2nd Annual Bloomington Family Caregiver Conference" - To increase the overall health and happiness for family caregivers of persons living with memory loss, Alzheimer's or another form of dementia.
Back 2 School Alliance - $1,000
"Creating Writers from Kindergarten Through Graduation" - To increase written literacy for under-resourced students by providing them with materials to increase writing opportunities.
Best Buddies Illinois - $1,175
"Best Buddies Leadership" - To provide people with and without intellectual and developmental disorders the opportunity to gain the public speaking skills, self-esteem and confidence needed to successfully advocate for themselves or others.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Illinois - $2,000
"Comprehensive Mentoring Program" - To create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth at risk of failure due to factors in their life.
B-N Tennis Association - $400
"Tennis Buddies at Evergreen" - To provide a comprehensive tennis program to disabled adults, many of whom have "aged-out" of special needs physical activity programs, giving them the chance to socialize and improve athletic skills and overall physical and mental health.
Boy Scouts of America, W.D. Boyce Council - $800
"2023 Outdoor Adventure Camp" - To help youth participating in summer camp develop new skills and interests, practice sportsmanship and good citizenship, and learn to do their best, not just for themselves, but for their family and community.
Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal - $3,500
"STEAM Powered Play" - To increase youth exposure to out-of-school, informal learning opportunities focused on science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM); program is a collaboration with Children's Discovery Museum.
Clinton Community Educational Foundation - $1,500
"Read Across Clinton" - To improve the reading achievement of economically disadvantaged children at Clinton Elementary Schools by delivering books to children on last day of school.
Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois - $4,000
"CAPCIL Transit" - To provide safe, reliable, on-demand transportation services for individuals requiring transportation to and from medical appointments, socialization activities, retail establishments and employment and volunteer opportunities.
Community Connections Group of Central Illinois - $1,200
"Team Connection" - Increase the number of positive social interactions in Livingston County community to enhance residents' "connected-ness" while making small communities better places to live.
Community Health Care Clinic - $2,000
"Furnish the Future" - To address the unmet needs of clinic patients, program will integrate behavior health care into the primary care setting at the clinic and provide free counseling services to patients; grant to repurpose an existing office into a suitable counseling space.
Corpus Christi Catholic School - $500
"Outdoor Education Classroom" - To provide students with hands-on and interactive learning experiences that foster an appreciation for the natural world and encourages the development of skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration.
Dax Locke Foundation - $700
"Camp Hope Adolescent Young Adult Retreat" - To connect teens and young adults in the cancer community through meaningful camp activities to promote fun, build relationships and provide relevant information and resources to help them navigate their disease and its long-term effects.
DeWitt-Piatt Bi-County Health Department - $1,422
"School Dental Sealant Program" - To improve the dental health of low-income schoolchildren in DeWitt County by providing dental exams, cleanings and sealants at the schools; grant to purchase materials needed by dentist.
Dreams Are Possible - $3,000
"DAP Collaboration with Moms at Heartland Head Start and Milestones Early Learning Center" - To provide job training to interested mothers while their children are attending Heartland Head Start or Milestones Early Learning Center, allowing the women to expand their opportunities to become more financially stable and employable.
Easterseals Central Illinois - $1,750
"Timber Pointe Outdoor Center Challenge Ropes Course" - To allow campers with special needs to learn new skills and develop productive behaviors while having fun; grant will purchase/upgrade equipment for Challenge Ropes course.
Encore Developmental Services - $1,000
"Communication and Community Access" - To prepare and support individuals with special needs in DeWitt County develop functional skills so they have independence in communicating effectively with community members; grant to fund trips in community to practice skills, and explore job and volunteer opportunities.
Eugene Field School - $1,000
"Music Garden Completion" - To provide recreational activity, sensory outlet, cognitive enrichment, emotional development, and social and motor skills for students aged 18-22 with special needs; grant to complete construction of music garden, which was started last year.
Eureka College - $2,000
"Color Us Hopeful: Eureka College Coloring Book Program" - To assist Eureka College faculty and students in producing coloring books to be distributed (along with art supplies) to young recipients of food from the Midwest Foodbank.
Eversight - $1,200
"Sight-Saving Recovery Supplies for McLean and Livingston Counties" - To underwrite eye recovery supply kits to ensure the recovery of corneal tissues, honoring the wishes of up to 8 McLean and Livingston County residents giving the gift of sight.
Everyone's Collective - $1,500
"The Collective Food Forest" - To help alleviate two linked global crises - food insecurity and climate change - in rural communities while providing an inviting and enriching environment for local youth to learn sustainable land management practices, engage in project-based learning, and build social capital.
Faith in Action - $2,500
"Volunteer Development: Recruitment, Retention and Recognition" - To engage and retain new and current volunteers provide transportation for older adults to medical appointments, plus add trips to the bank, mall or hairdresser back to list of available services.
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - $2,200
"Camper Caravan - Building Accessibility to Girl Scouts Camp Experiences" - To subsidize camp fees and provide transportation assistance necessary to ensure all girls from the community can access summer resident camps.
Girls in the Game - $1,500
"Bloomington After School" - To provide all elementary-aged girls in Bloomington with quality after-school programming that increases their capacity to lead and make healthy choices.
Girls on the Run of Central Illinois - $1,500
"Power Up With Girls on the Run" - To prepare and empower girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living by underscoring the important connection between physical and emotional health.
Great Plains Life Foundation - $3,000
"Stay 4 Project" - To provide low-income McLean County students with a support grant for unexpected expenses necessary to continue their post-secondary education.
Heartland Community College - $1,250
"Returning Hawks" - To assist students who have less than a semester left to complete their degree but had to drop out of school because of a personal challenge.
Homes of Hope - $1,993
"Heart Healthy Heroes Program (HHHP)" - To assist residents with special needs learn to live a healthier lifestyle by encouraging small daily changes that will aid in creating and sustaining healthy habits.
Lincoln Pastoral Counseling Services - $3,000
"Subsidy Program" - To provide quality, professional, low-cost counseling services to residents of the Logan County area, regardless of their ability to pay full fee for those services.
Living Well United - $500
"Grandparents Raising Grandkids (GRG)" - To offer rural grandparents raising grandchildren a caregivers support system (in partnership with Coordinated Care Services, Inc.) including caregiver in-person and online support groups, caregiver training to assist in making decisions and learning problem-solving and stress-busting skills.
McLean County Children's Advocacy Center - $2,795
"Prevent 360" - To teach students and adults how to prevent, recognize and respond appropriately to child abuse (child sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect), bullying, cyberbullying and digital dangers.
Normal Public Library - $1,000
"Free Period Products at Normal Public Library" - To decrease the number of people effected by period poverty and erase the stigma surrounding talking about menstruation; grant to provide free feminine hygiene products in the 12 bathrooms at Normal Public Library.
One Hope Project - $1,000
"One Hope Project Support Groups" - To increase opportunities for clients with eating disorders to interact with and learn from each other to improve their individual and collective successes towards their recovery.
Piatt County Mental Health Center - $2,000
"Recovery Support Services" - To reduce the overdose fatality numbers of DeWitt County by supplying first responders and community members with leave-behind kits containing the overdose-reversing drug Narcan.
Regional Alternative School - $2,000
"Sewing for Sustainability, Cricut-ing for a Cause" - To teach students about fixing clothing and apparel (as opposed to throwing it away), in addition to creating and selling RAS gear for continuous funding of special projects; grant to purchase sewing machines.
Salem4Youth - $2,000
"Planting4Pollinators" - To enhance the availability of pollinator friendly foliage for both honeybees and native pollinators through strategic plantings and to use this effort to provide practical education for both students and the community at large. Funded by the Deanna Frautschi and Alan Bedell Donor Advised Fund.
St Peter's Lutheran Church - $1,500
"Preschool Playground Park" - To create a place where all members of the community and surrounding county area can enjoy nature, gather together, exercise, and feel well by enhancing the current playground, expand choices of recreation, provide shade and seating for adults.
Sunnyside Community Gardens & Food Forest - $1,000
"Native Pollinator Garden for Bees" - To feed honey bees and beautify the area by expanding the garden's native pollinator area and start another. Funded by the Deanna Frautschi and Alan Bedell Donor Advised Fund.
The Salvation Army - Bloomington - $2,725
"Personal/Household Items Referral Program" - To support low income families by filling in the gap to provide personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies and baby care items to individuals and families to help them stay healthy.
The Salvation Army - Lincoln - $3,000
"The Salvation Army Lincoln 360 Life Center" - To provide healthy nutritious food to supplement periods of financial shortfalls, emergencies or crisis, and provide transitional housing to any veteran.
The Salvation Army - Pontiac - $3,100
"The Salvation Army Pontiac 360 Life Center" - To ensure that food insecure households receive healthy nutritious food to supplement periods of financial shortfalls, emergencies or crisis, and allow and discover if there are any other needs.
Vault Community Center - $4,000
"Golden Gears Small Business Leadership Program" - To educate teens in Clinton about leadership, employment, business and culinary arts to help alleviate the apathy and low self-esteem that is prevalent in students and the community.
Vespasian Warner Public Library - $1,500
"Wonderbook: A Read-Along Experience for Young Readers" - To increase access to materials designed to build confidence in reading for reluctant readers with the purchase of a variety of Wonderbooks (print books with ready-to-play audiobooks inside).
Village of New Holland - $500
"Keep New Holland Clean" - To recycle, restore and rebuild lives in the village through a clean-up day that will encourage homeowners to keep New Holland beautiful and clean up unnecessary items that have accumulated on their property.
Weldon Springs Foundation - $1,500
"Welcome to the Prairie: An Intro to the Natural World Through Observation & Experience" - To provide educational opportunities to children and adults through the nature center and schoolhouse facilities by upgrading the materials and technology available for those programs.
Woodland CUSD 5 - $1,500
"Woodland Mentoring Program" - To increase student success both in school and in the community and decrease the negative influences currently impacting their lives through a mentoring program that pairs students who have been identified as "at risk" in some way with upstanding community members.
YWCA McLean County - $1,914
"Special Needs Program" - To provide a safe and developmentally appropriate environment through after-school care and summer camp programming for children with special needs so that parents are able to maintain employment, attend school, and/or receive respite care.
45 General Grants totaling $77,956.13 awarded in 2022
Best Buddies International - $2,000
"Best Buddies Leadership Program" - To develop leadership skills in students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through school friendship program and ambassador program.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Illinois - $2,500
"Comprehensive Mentoring Program" - To help children improve their relationships with peers and adults, perform better academically and avoid risky behaviors through community- and school-based programs.
Bloomington High School Promise Council - $1,250
"Calculated Success" - To establish a bank of graphing calculators required in upper level math classes that can be loaned to low-income students for use at home.
Bloomington-Normal YMCA - $1,500
"YMCA Youth Programs" - To provide a safe, reliable space for children in after-school program and summer camp to be themselves and learn about being caring, honest, respectful, and responsible in order for them to become upstanding members of the community.
Boy Scouts of America - $1,000
"Outdoor Adventure Camp" - To help youth, who participate in outdoor camping experiences, to develop new skills and interests, practice sportsmanship and good citizenship, and learn to do their best, not just for themselves, but for their family and community.
Children's Home + Aid - $2,000
"Scott Early Learning Center Outdoor Learning" - To provide new plants for the Center's butterfly garden and allow children to plant a vegetable garden, enhancing the outdoor learning curriculum that provides experiential learning in nature and supports children's healthy development and school readiness.
City of Pontiac - $2,000
"Summer Park Program" - To provide quality recreation activities for local youth while introducing them to resources available in the community including the parks and the Recreation Center which they can use year-round to stay active and healthy.
Clinton Community Educational Foundation - $1,000
"Read Across Clinton" - To improve the reading achievement of economically disadvantaged children (K-5) by letting them select a number of high-interest, low-cost books on the last day of school.
Clinton Community YMCA - $1,500
"Clinton Youth in Action" - To develop healthy living, social responsibility and readiness to enter the job market for 12-15 Clinton High School students, while providing labor for other non-profit organizations in Clinton and DeWitt County.
Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois - $2,500
"Dignity Aisle Food Pantry Cooperative" - To increase volunteerism while helping families overcome food insecurities and minimize financial impact due to inflation. Food pantry co-op offers members weekly volunteer opportunities giving them a sense of purpose and the option to learn new skills; in exchange, they are eligible to shop each week in a grocery-style setup.
Community Connection Group of Central Illinois - $1,000
"Team Connection and Building Future Leaders" - To provide a 4-week summer program in conjunction with Boys & Girls Club of Livingston County offering leadership training for local high school age youth; new program being introduced that educates and works with youth and adults with disabilities.
Community Health Care Clinic - $3,070.20
"Putting One Foot in Front of the Other" - To provide consistent podiatry care to patients who suffer from neuropathy, decreased mobility, poor eyesight and those working in environments that cause ingrown toenails and other issues with their feet; grant to purchase instruments for podiatrist who provides services.
Dreams Are Possible - $3,500
"Enrichment and Enhancement Training for Students and Staff" - To prepare women to enter non-traditional areas of employment which have previously been dominated by men because these areas provide increased financial opportunities; staff will receive additional training in the area of Trauma Informed Interventions as many students have decades of trauma that become barriers to success.
Eversight - $1,000
"Sight-Saving Recovery Supplies for McLean and Livingston Counties" - To underwrite eye recovery supply kits to ensure the recovery of corneal tissues, honoring the wishes of up to 5 McLean and Livingston County residents giving the gift of sight, allowing up to 10 individuals to regain the precious gift of sight through a corneal tissue transplant.
Faith in Action of Bloomington-Normal - $2,688
"Senior Transportation in McLean County" - To provide consistent and increased transportation options for the elderly of McLean County especially for medical appointments and grocery shopping; grant to cover cost of Ride Scheduler software for 12 months.
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - $1,500
"Direct Assistance - Girl Scouts of DeWitt, Livingston, Logan and McLean Counties" - To support every girl in our communities as they grow into their full potential by ensuring girls of all backgrounds have equitable access to high-quality educational enrichment, mentoring, personal development, and social emotional learning; grant to subsidize fees required to participate.
Girls on the Run of Central Illinois - $750
"Power Up With Girls on the Run" - To prepare and empower girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living by addressing the need for increased physical activity to build confidence and self-esteem.
Great Plains Life Foundation - $2,500
"Stay 4 Project" - To decrease the number of low-income McLean County students that drop out of high school, by engaging them in activities that will encourage them to graduate and continue their education in a post-secondary educational program; grant covers unexpected expenses necessary to continue student's education.
Homes of Hope - $3,205.50
"Smiling is a Universal Language" - To improve the oral healthcare of residents with intellectual disabilities; grant will provide 21 residents with one additional dental cleaning giving them the recommended two cleanings per year, plus purchase water flossers as recommended by residents' dentists.
Illinois Spina Bifida Association - $700
"Community-Clinic Connection/Hospital Stay Financial Assistance" - To provide financial support to reduce family stress and improve financial wellness for Central Illinois residents with spina bifida, allowing caregivers to provide more support to their family members.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $750
"IWU Language School for Kids (LSK) Programming 2022-23" - To introduce children to the rich diversity of the human experience by promoting cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity to others through language immersion summer programs and regular LSK offerings.
Lincoln Pastoral Counseling Services - $2,500
"Subsidy Program" - To subsidize program offering quality, professional, low-cost counseling services to residents of Logan County regardless of her/his ability to pay full fee for those services.
Living Well United - $1,000
"Program of Intergenerational Education (PIE)" - To reduce social isolation in the senior population and bring generations together to share a common project at monthly pie-making workshops.
Marcfirst - $1,000
"Celebrating Our Uniqueness" - To raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life, as well as awareness of the barriers that people with disabilities still sometimes face in connecting to the communities in which they live.
McLean County Children's Advocacy Center - $1,500
"Prevent 360◦" - To teach students and adults how to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to child abuse (child sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect), bullying, cyber bullying, and digital dangers; this social-emotional programming will be provided in local schools.
Miller Park Zoological Society - $2,500
"Endangered Species Pollinator Garden Creation Phase Two" - To change and expand the pollinator garden at the Zoo to include native endangered plants, sensory exhibits, better signage and seed/plant exchanges, thereby improving opportunities within the garden for education and improving the environment using thriving pollinators. Funded in part by the Go Green Grant through gifts from Deanna Frautschi and Alan Bedell Donor Advised Fund.
Normal Community High School - $961.49
"A Green Outdoor Classroom at NCHS" - To create an outdoor classroom at NCHS designed and built by the STEM Capstone students in the Technology Department partnering with the students in the Student Support Program who will help design, build, plant and water the trees and flowers.
Normal Community High School - $2,460.94
"Maker Space at NCHS" - To provide NCHS students the opportunity to use hand and power tools to teach the concepts of technology and engineering; grant will purchase additional tools for the room.
Normal Police Department - $1,000
"Renovation of Normal Police Department Family Room" - To provide a space at the Normal Police Department that acknowledges the need for a supportive room for victims and witnesses of crimes to meet with police; project will include updated furnishings, calming decorations and a supply of convenience items.
Normal Public Library - $1,320
"Computational Thinking Programs for Families at Normal Public Library" - To improve computational thinking skills for children (aged 8-12) and their families in McLean County through monthly programs; grant to purchase Root Robots.
Normal Township Activity & Recreation Center (ARC) - $2,500
"Green Space Project: Therapeutic Garden" - To overcome barriers by providing outdoor space that is fully accessible with diverse programming from partners like U of I Extension that will motivate seniors to engage with nature and each other in the fresh air.
Regional Alternative School - $1,000
"Representation in Literacy Project" - To create a culturally responsive library to engage students in robust and relevant conversations and encourage literacy, resulting in less disruption to the academic environment and more student engagement and learning.
Second Presbyterian Church of Bloomington - $1,500
"Church Garden Redesign" - To provide an urban pollinator garden as a place of beauty, respite, meditation, and education for use by the downtown community including visitors to the Free Pantry, visiting groups to the church, church staff and congregation.
Sugar Grove Nature Center - $1,500
"Leave No Trace" - To educate visitors of all ages to the importance of the principles of Leave No Trace, thereby avoiding costly restoration programs or restricting access to protected the land.
Sunnyside Community Garden and Food Forest - $1,000
"Bees and Pollinators for Sunnyside" - To increase pollination of fruit trees at the garden, bee hives and colonies will be purchased from a local source.
The Baby Fold - $1,000
"Autism Playground Safety Items and Shade Shelter Completion" - To give the children with autism a more enjoyable outdoor experience and allow for more time on the playground; grant would install sun shade shelter at playground.
The Salvation Army Lincoln - $2,500
"Salvation Army Lincoln Food Pantry and Veterans Shelter" - To provide food and hygiene products to clients of the food pantry and bedbug equipment to clients of veterans shelter.
The Salvation Army of McLean County - $2,000
"Personal Hygiene Referral Program" - To provide hygiene products to families and individuals in McLean County once every 90 days, with a referral from a partner agency.
The Salvation Army Pontiac - $2,200
"Salvation Army Pontiac Food Pantry Basics for Families and Students" - To provide specialty items that are higher in cost and not available to clients via state or federal feeding programs, including gluten-free items needed for children with food allergies, diets that require low-sodium or sugar-free products, plus provide basic cleaning and personal hygiene supplies.
United Way of Decatur & Mid-Illinois - $2,500
"Dolly Parton Imagination Library in DeWitt County" - To provide a high-quality, age-appropriate book monthly to registered children in DeWitt County from birth until their 5th birthday at no cost to the child's family; program seeks to improve kindergarten readiness.
United Way of Logan County - $1,500
"Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in Logan County" - To provide age-appropriate books directly to the homes of all preschoolers on a monthly basis for five years, fostering a love for learning and reading; program gives children a head start to kindergarten..
Vault Community Center - $3,000
"The Golden Gears Café Small Business Leadership Program" - To educate teens in the areas of leadership, business, culinary arts and basic cooking skills, helping to alleviate the apathy, low self-esteem, and lack of purpose that is prevalent in many students.
Vespasian Warner Public Library District - $1,000
"Extending Access: Laptop Computers at the VWPL" - To purchase laptop computer that visitors can use at the library, encouraging learning through opportunities for collaboration and personal development.
West Bloomington Revitalization Project - $1,300
"Adopt-A-Pot" - To make the city's west side a more welcoming and safe place to live and visit, while introducing children and community members to gardening and spark excitement for beautifying their community. Funded in part by the Go Green Grant through gifts from Deanna Frautschi and Alan Bedell Donor Advised Fund.
YWCA McLean County - $1,300
"YWCA Young Wonders Youth Development" - To provide a safe and developmentally appropriate environment for children that further supports their social, communication, recreational, and self-regulation skills to help them be successful in life; grant will purchase various recreational equipment for program.
40 General Grants totaling $51,642 awarded in 2021
Allin Township Fire Department - $700
"Tactical EMS PPE" - To purchase a protective vest for Emergency Medical Technicians to wear in incidents where their safety could be compromised.
The Baby Fold - $2,500
"Autism Playground Shade Shelter" - To purchase and install a shade shelter allowing students with autism to comfortably learn and play on sensory playground.
Back 2 School Alliance - $1,000
"Getting Ready for Pre-School" - To provide early literacy materials to pre-school backpacks for young children attending Back 2 School Party before 2021-2022 school year.
BCAI School of Arts - $1,000
"BCAI Summer Arts Exposure" - To provide materials and supplies for summer arts immersion experience for children (ages 7 and older) which allows them to experience programming in visual, media, business, performance and sustainability arts.
Best Buddies Illinois - $500
"Best Buddies Leadership Program" - To develop leadership skills
in students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through school friendship program and ambassador program.
Black Nurses Association of Central Illinois - $500
"2021 Virtual 5K Walk/Run for Health" - To engage community members in a physical activity and celebrate their participation.
Bloomington Library - $500
"Memory Care Collection & Outreach" - To support and educate residents, caretakers and professionals on the medical and social aspects of Alzheimer's Disease and other memory-related conditions.
Bloomington-Normal YMCA - $2,000
"Y Academy @ Camp Sparrow" - To provide academic intervention and summer camp opportunities for students adversely affected by COVID-19.
B-N Mulberry School - $912
"Learning Outdoors" - To increase opportunities for outdoor, open-air learning and engagement for students through construction of an outdoor shaded learning and arts space.
Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal - $2,100
"STEAM Powered Play" - To provide STEAM program access to at-risk youth; in partnership with the Children's Discovery Museum.
Boys & Girls Club of Livingston County - $1,000
"Money Matters" - To increase the financial literacy skills of youth, providing them with tools and resources to develop their decision-making skills and put them on a path to financial well-being.
Children's Home + Aid - $2,500
"Bloomington Crisis Nursery" - To prevent the abuse and neglect of infant and young children who are at risk of maltreatment due to crisis situations and to support and strengthen parent's abilities to function successfully by providing crisis counseling, parenting education and resource referral services.
Clinton Community Education Foundation - $1,000
"Read Across Clinton" - To improve the reading achievement of economically disadvantaged children by providing each child a variety of books to take home on last day of the school year.
Community Connection Group of Central Illinois - $1,200
"Building Future Leaders and Entrepreneurs" - To help youth in Livingston County bridge the gap between high school and their future though a 4-week summer program.
Community Health Care Clinic - $2,000
"Technology to Support Dental Hygiene Expansion at the CHCC" - To increase access to appropriate, affordable dental care for uninsured adults in McLean County by becoming a clinical practice site for Illinois Central College's dental hygiene program; grant to purchase new laptops and electronic medical record licenses to support this partnership.
Dreams Are Possible - $3,500
"Expanding Your Opportunities" - To prepare women for economically sustainable employment, students will attend basic forklift training at Heartland Community College, as well as supplemental enrichment classes.
Easterseals Central Illinois - $1,200
"Timber Pointe Outdoor Challenge Course" - To purchase and upgrade equipment for Challenge Course necessary to meet best practices during a pandemic allowing campers to realize the potential in themselves.
Fostering Dignity - $500
"Backpacks for Youth" - To purchase backpacks that will be distributed to local DCFS offices for use by staff when removing a child from an abusive or neglectful situation.
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - $1,000
"Camperships - DeWitt, Livingston, Logan & McLean County Girl Scouts" - To fund resident camperships for at-risk girls in 4 counties, ensuring every girl has access to enrichment programming on their journey to reach their full potential.
Girls In the Game - $650
"Girls in the Game After School" - To provide a safe, noncompetitive environment for girls at five District 87 schools to learn and stay active in this weekly after-school program.
Girls on the Run - $500
"Power Up With Girls on the Run" - To help more girls attending McLean County schools recognize their inner strength during after-school program that focuses on building confidence through running, culminating in a 5K race.
Great Plains Life Foundation - $2,000
"Stay 4 Project" - To provide support for first-year college or trade school students for rent, food, books or computers.
Heartland Community College Foundation - $1,500
"Student Emergency Fund" - To provide temporary, short-term financial assistance to students facing unexpected financial hardship; students work with college success coaches to help them identify their financial challenges while also providing temporary financial relief.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $1,000
"IWU Language School for Kids (LSK) Summer and Fall 2021 Programming" - To support the operational costs of running the LSK language program, including the development of teaching materials, such as open-source digital repository of voice recordings with stories in languages other than English.
Lincoln Pastoral Counseling Services - $1,000
"Subsidy Program" - To decrease mental health issues within the community by increasing the amount of subsidy funding provided to those unable to pay full fee for counseling services.
Living Well United - $650
"Mix & Fix - Healthy Eating Recipe Card and Sample Program" - To make recipe cards for healthy meals using mainly items already provided at the local food pantry.
Livingston County Special Services Unit - $2,300
"LCSSU's Practical Assessment Exploration System (PAES)" - To allow special needs students to explore various jobs, while using real tools, and developing proper work behaviors; grant will provide consumable supplies to be used by students in the PAES lab.
Midwest Food Bank - $1,500
"Hope Pack Weekend Feeding for Local Children at Risk for Food Insecurity" - To provide supplemental weekend food to children with food insecurity throughout the school year, ensuring students arrive at school on Monday morning ready to learn.
Miller Park Zoological Society - $1,000
"Endangered Species Pollinator Garden Creation" - To change and expand the pollinator garden at zoo to consist of native endangered plants, sensory exhibits, better signage, and seed/plant exchanges, thereby improving the environment directly and indirectly through people and thriving pollinators.
Regional Alternative School - $1,500
"RAS Virtual Reality Work Skills Laboratory" - To increase the technical skills students have exposure to through experiential virtual reality learning.
Salvation Army Lincoln 360 Life Center - $1,500
"Salvation Army Lincoln Food Pantry and Veterans Shelter" - To provide food, hygiene products and bedbug equipment needed at food pantry and veterans homeless shelter.
Salvation Army of McLean County - $2,000
"Salvation Army Bloomington Youth Camp" - To bring at-risk children out of their home environment to participate in experiences not found in an urban setting while increasing self-esteem and developing social Skills.
Salvation Army Pontiac 360 Life Center - $1,500
"Salvation Army Pontiac Food Pantry" - To provide healthy, nutritious food, and paper and hygiene products to Livingston County residents at no cost.
Sunnyside Community Gardens & Food Forest - $930
"Sunnyside Strawberry Apprenticeship" - To create a small strawberry farm that would allow 1-2 youth every season to have a part-time summer job and gain lifelong lessons; grant would purchase plants and materials to create strawberry beds.
Tri-Point National Honor Society - $1,200
"Tree Restoration Project" - To create a space behind the school where football field and track field used to be; adding trees will develop an area for students and community to enjoy safely.
Vault Community Center - $2,000
"The Golden Gears Café: Small Business Leadership Program" - To educate Clinton are teens in the fields of leadership, business, culinary arts and basic cooking skills, helping to alleviate apathy, low self-esteem and lack of purpose prevalent in local students.
Vespasian Warner Public Library District - $800
"Library of Things at the Vespasian Warner Public Library" - To create a unique collection of items such as tools, sports equipment and art supplies that can be borrowed for free with a library card, opening the door to learning new skills without the investment in new equipment.
West Bloomington Revitalization Project - $1,000
"Facilitating DIY Energy Efficiency for West Bloomington Residents" - To add a variety energy efficiency tools and supplies to the Tool Library inventory to enable residents (renters and homeowners alike) to implement simple Do-It-Yourself energy efficiency improvements to their residences.
Western Avenue Community Center - $500
"Teen Girls Exploration of Career Tracks" - To provides teen girls in the community with the opportunity to explore a variety of future career options.
YWCA McLean County - $1,000
"YWCA Fitness Fliers" - To give children aged 5-12 in Youth Development program the chance to utilize larger muscle groups in a safe, monitored environment; grant to purchase equipment such as roller skates, tricycles, scooters and safety equipment.
37 General Grants totaling $62,220 awarded in 2020
Best Buddies - $1,300
"Best Buddies Leadership Program" -To develop leadership skills in students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through school friendship program and ambassador program.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Illinois - $3,000
"Community and School Based Mentoring" - To increase graduation rate in local school districts and increase the number of children who finish high school with the skills needed to be college or workforce ready.
Bloomington Parks Recreation & Cultural Arts Dept. - $1,123
"Empire Junction Pollinator Garden" - To create a pollinator garden that will both benefit the environment and provide educational and outreach work opportunities for park users and neighborhood residents.
Boy Scouts of America W.D. Boyce Council - $750
"2020 Multi-Week Adventure Camp" - To provide boys and girls an unforgettable positive outdoor experience; learning teamwork, self-respect and respecting others, self-confidence and participate in Scouting's unique programming.
Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal - $2,100
"STEAM Powered Play" - To provide STEAM program access to at-risk youth; in partnership with the Children's Discovery Museum.
Boys & Girls Club of Livingston County - $2,000
"Building Future Leaders" - To provide older Club members with opportunities that prepare them for life after high school.
C.H.A.R.M. - $1,900
"10th Annual West Bloomington Neighborhood Block Party" - To provide resources, school supplies, educational and nutritional components for low-income families in west Bloomington.
Children's Home + Aid - $2,438
"Doula Program" - To reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect and develop strong parent-child attachments to help mothers build healthy futures for their babies.
Clinton Community Education Foundation - $1,500
"Read Across Clinton" - To improve the reading achievement of economically disadvantaged children by providing each child a variety of books to take home on last day of the school year.
Community Connection Group of Central Illinois - $1,000
"Building Future Leaders and Entrepreneurs" - To help youth in Livingston County bridge the gap between high school and their future though a 4-week summer program.
Community Health Care Clinic - $2,500
"Expanding Capacity at McLean County's Free Dental Clinic for the Uninsured" - To offer acute, restorative and preventative adult dental services to more Clinic patients through purchase of additional dental equipment.
Dreams Are Possible - $3,859
"Preparing Women for Employment With a Living Wage" - To prepare women for economically sustainable employment by creating skill-based workers, helping them transition from jobs to careers, and preparing them to expect and advocate for a living wage, benefits and dignity in the workplace.
Environmental Education Association of Illinois - $1,200
"Increasing Early Childhood Outdoor Education in Central Illinois" - To increase student outdoor learning experiences by providing educators with the knowledge, training and experiences needed to feel confident in taking their students outside.
Faith in Action of Bloomington-Normal - $1,600
"Faith in Action of B-N Expansion" - To increase access to medical transports and services for more McLean County residents 60 or over to decrease social isolation.
Fostering Dignity - $1,100
"Backpacks for Youth" - To purchase backpacks that will be distributed to local DCFS offices for use by staff when removing a child from an abusive or neglectful situation.
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - $800
"G.I.R.L. Outreach Program - DeWitt County" - To increase lifelong success and well-being of at-risk girls within our communities through the direct delivery of leadership and personal development programming.
Girls In the Game - $1,400
"Girls in the Game After School" - To provide a safe, noncompetitive environment for girls at five District 87 schools to learn and stay active in this weekly after-school program.
Girls on the Run - $1,000
"Girls on the Run McLean County Expansion" - To help more girls attending McLean County schools recognize their inner strength during after-school program that focuses on building confidence through running, culminating in a 5K race.
Heartland Community College - $2,500
"Complete and Connect Lincoln" - To help individuals in Logan County earn a sustainable living wage and have a successful career path by reducing the number of individuals in Logan County without a high school diploma.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $1,300
"Summer Immersion Language Camps" - To introduce children (PreK-5) to the rich diversity of the human experience by expanding summer offerings to less-commonly taught languages, such as Korean, Mandarin and Sign Language.
Jump 4 Joy Squad Inc. - $600
"Jump 4 Joy Summer Camp" - To increase health and fitness awareness among McLean County children and teens, instilling a desire for lifelong physical and mental well-being through a free 2-day summer jump rope camp.
Junior Achievement - $1,000
"JA Inspire Interactive Career Pathway Education" - To expose 8th grade students to new careers or help them better understand the path to careers of interest.
Lifesong for Orphans-The Forgotten Initiative - $2,200
"First Response" - To provide items necessary when a foster child is placed in a home, making the home safe and comfortable for the child.
Lincoln Pastoral Counseling Services - $1,000
"Subsidy Program" - To decrease mental health issues within the community by increasing the amount of subsidy funding provided to those unable to pay full fee for counseling services.
Living Well United - $1,500
"LeRoy Living Well Center" - To reduce isolation of seniors in LeRoy, Ellsworth, Bellflower, Arrowsmith and Saybrook by helping them build strong social networks of care, and keep their minds and bodies in the best shape possible to encourage aging successfully in their own homes and communities.
Marcfirst - $2,000
"Family Transitions" - To give parents of young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities the information and tools they need to navigate the transition from school support to the adult world.
McLean County Children's Advocacy Center - $1,200
"Darkness to Light: Stewards of Children" - To educate and empower adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.
Midwest Food Bank - $3,000
"Hope Pack Weekend Feed Program for Children in Need" - To provide food insecure children with supplemental weekend food throughout the school year, ensuring students arrive at school on Monday morning ready to learn.
Prairie Central High School - $1,000
"Foundations of Fitness Physical Education" - To create an overall culture in Physical Education of engagement and motivation to acquire and improve physical skills; grant to purchase a projector unit for the school gym.
Recycling Furniture for Families - $2,000
"Providing Furniture for Families in Need" - To provide safe and clean furniture to families in need.
Royal Families Kids Camp - $1,100
"Royal Families Kids Camp #362" - To break the chains of abuse, neglect and abandonment for foster children ages 6-12 by creating life-changing moments in the healthy and safe environment of a week-long summer camp.
Salem 4 Youth - $650
"Planting for Pollinator Sustainability" - To educate both students and the community about the importance of both pollinators and the necessary/native forage plants to the survival of pollinators which are vital to our worldwide food supply.
The Salvation Army - $2,000
"Personal Hygiene Referral Program" - To provide hygiene products to families and individuals in McLean County once every 90 days with a referral from a partner agency.
United Way of Logan County - $1,800
"Dolly Parton Imagination Library" - To provide a book a month to enrolled Logan County children for the first five years of life.
Vault Community Center - $3,400
"The Golden Gears Café: Small Business Leadership Program" - To educate Clinton are teens in the fields of leadership, business, culinary arts and basic cooking skills, helping to alleviate apathy, low self-esteem and lack of purpose prevalent in local students.
Western Avenue Community Center - $2,200
"Evening Summer Camp for Young Adults" - To provide a safe, supervised space for young adults to spend time for two summer evenings a week between leaving work and going home.
YWCA McLean County - $1,200
"Young Wonders Youth Development Program" - To provide a safe and developmentally appropriate environment for children that further supports their social, communication, academic, recreational and self-regulation skills to help them be successful in life.
42 General Grants totaling $56,756 awarded in 2019
Best Buddies - $1,000
"Best Buddies Leadership Program" -To develop leadership skills in students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through school friendship program and ambassador program.
Bloomington-Normal Mulberry School - $1,200
"#MulberryArts: Fine Arts Education" -To support and enhance the arts education opportunities for Pre-K through 2nd grade students through field trips and classroom projects.
Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal & West Bloomington Active Gardens - $1,000
"Young Gardeners Internship and Grow Your Garden" - To cultivate curiosity and build knowledge about environmental stewardship and healthy eating through hands-on gardening activities.
Boys & Girls Club of Livingston County - $1,000
"Connecting Teens and Building Self-Esteem Through Mentoring" - To provide rural youth with opioid/substance use and misuse with support from mentors who are living healthy, drug-free lifestyles.
C.H.A.R.M. - $1,000
"West Bloomington Neighborhood Block Party" - To provide resources, school supplies, educational and nutritional components for low-income families in west Bloomington.
Chenoa Public Library - $500
"Building the New Library: Memory by Memory" - To encourage children and adults to read throughout the summer while introducing children to the building trades and arts while the new library is being built.
Chestnut Health Systems - $3,000
"Hope and Help for the Homeless" - To supply clients with a mental health disorder, substance use disorder and co-occurring behavioral health disorders with housing and utility deposits along with essential household items.
Child Protection Network - $500
"Caring After Abuse: A Caregiver Support and Education Group" - To provide education about trauma and its effects, self-care tactics for caregivers and information on parenting children who have experienced trauma.
Children's Discovery Museum Foundation - $2,300
"STEAM Powered Play" - To increase youth exposure to out-of-school, informal learning opportunities focused on science, technology, engineering, art and math in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of B-N.
Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois - $1,400
"Hand Up Project" - To empower the low-income population to lead a lasting self-sufficient lifestyle through a series of classes and coaching.
Community Health Care Clinic - $2,500
"Restorative Dental Care at McLean County's First Dental Clinic for the Uninsured" - To offer acute, restorative and preventative adult dental services to existing Clinic patients.
Cultural Festival - $500
"Storytelling (African Drumming and Hawaiian Dance)" - To provide cultural storytelling through segments on drumming and hula tradition while also offering opportunity to drum and dance.
DeWitt Piatt Bi-County Health Department - $1,614
"Dental Clinic" - To provide dental education and preventative dental services to low-income school children and link them to local dentists for treatment of acute dental problems.
Environmental Education Association of Illinois - $500
"Increasing Participation in Birding Citizen Science Programs in Central Illinois" - To provide citizens and educators in Central Illinois with birding skills necessary to increase bird data collected, providing valuable scientific data to national citizen science programs.
Faith in Action of Bloomington-Normal - $2,300
"Medical Transportation Program Support" - To purchase software that will help staff work more efficiently and free staff to concentrate of supporting volunteers.
Farmer City Public Library - $700
"Lending STEAM" - To purchase STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) products which could be checked out or used in library by patrons and their families.
Fostering Dignity - $1,000
"Backpacks for Youth" - To purchase backpacks that will be distributed to local DCFS offices for use by staff when removing a child from an abusive/neglectful situation.
Fox Center Family and Friends - $500
"Respiratory Equipment" - To purchase equipment for residents of Fox Center who have respiratory difficulties.
Friends of the Autism Place - $1,500
"Resource Room" - To provide resources and therapeutic items for parents to check out and try at home before fully committing to purchasing a product that may not be beneficial for their child.
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - $650
"Outdoor Skill Development I and II at Camp Peairs" - To support two Outdoor Development events that will help girls develop life and leadership skills, discover new abilities and take on unique challenges in the outdoors.
Girls in the Game - $1,000
"After School Program" - To provide a safe, noncompetitive environment for girls at five District 87 schools to learn and stay active in this weekly after-school program.
Girls on the Run of Central Illinois - $750
"Girls on the Run McLean County Program" -To help girls attending Cedar Ridge Elementary School recognize their inner strength during after-school program that focuses on building confidence through running, culminating in a 5K race.
Great Plains LIFE Foundation - $1,000
"Stay 4 Project" - To provide support for first-year college or trade school students for rent, food, books or computers.
Green Top Grocery - $1,000
"LINK Match Program" - To provide LINK users who shop at Green Top Grocery with vouchers to purchase local produce at Downtown Bloomington Farmers Market.
Heartland Head Start - $2,935
"On the Road to School Readiness" - To enhance ability of teachers to provide quality activities that build children's skills through hands-on activities with the purchase of Creative Curriculum support materials.
Illinois State University - $500
"Reduce and Recycle: An Evaluation of School Recycling Systems in District 87" - To expand recycling/composting methods in two schools to test new ways to make waste reduction fun and easy for students and staff.
Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries - $500
"Improving the Goodwill Career Center in Bloomington" - To update computer equipment in Career Center allowing users to build skills, create resumes and find employment.
Lexington Elementary School - $700
"Learning Doesn't Stop on the Blacktop" - To purchase equipment that will help teachers and students increase active learning on the blacktop throughout the year.
Lifesong For Orphans - $1,000
"The Forgotten Initiative First Response Program" - To provide items necessary when a foster child is placed in a home, making the home safe and comfortable for the child.
Living Independence for Everyone - $1,000
"Equipment Loan Closet Enhancement" - To allow Central Illinois residents to live more health and independent lives by borrowing durable medical equipment for free for up to 90 days; grant to purchase equipment.
Midwest Food Bank - $3,000
"Backpack Program" - To add a nutritious fruit product to backpack of shelf-stable food that is given to low-income students in McLean, DeWitt, Livingston and Logan counties to eat over the weekend.
Muscular Dystrophy Association - $1,000
"Central Illinois Summer Camp" - To allow children aged 8-17 who have a muscle disease to attend week-long summer camp where they will learn independence and engage in typical camp activities.
Odell Public Library - $500
"Showtime at the Library" - To maintain and strengthen children's reading skills over the summer through program that includes activities focused on theme.
Project Oz - $2,400
"McLean County Youth Intervention Program" - To provide safe, emergency shelter in Host Homes for youth, up to age 18, separated from their families.
Recycling Furniture for Families - $2,000
"Providing Furniture to Families in Need" - To provide safe and clean furniture to families in need.
Salvation Army - $2,000
"Pathway of Hope" - To provide targeted services to families with a desire to take action, break the cycle of crisis and enable a path out of intergenerational poverty.
Timber Pointe Charitable Foundation - $1,000
"Outdoor Education and Environmental Center" - To restore the Tim Dawkins Nature and Environmental Education Center, replace inventory and revitalize nature and environmental programs at Timber Pointe.
Vault Community Center - $4,000
"The Golden Gears Café: Small Business Leadership Program" - To provide cooking classes taught by students and local chefs at this student-run café that teaches real-world experience in small business skills, management and operations.
Vespasian Warner Public Library District - $700
"Memory Lab" - To provide tools and education for patrons to preserve their memories for a lifetime, while also allowing library staff to digitize many items in archives so they can be posted online for public view.\
West Bloomington Revitalization Project - $1,000
"Rick Heiser Memorial Garden" - To create a garden next to WBRP building with volunteers helping in a learn-and-do workshop; at the end of the season, youth will learn how to harvest seeds then teach a harvest workshop with their new skills.
YouthBuild McLean County - $2,000
"Safety, Health and Wellness for Youth by Youth" - To train 40 YouthBuild students in health and wellness topics so they may educate more teens in McLean County about healthy lifestyles.
YWCA McLean County - $2,089
"Young Wonders Early Learning Spanish Education" - To begin a Spanish curriculum in toddler through 5-year-old classrooms where 20% of children and families speak Spanish as primary language; program will help the children communicate with each other and staff communicate more effectively with families.
37 General Grants totaling $61,722 were awarded in 2018
Back 2 School Alliance - $2,500
"Getting Ready for High School"- To supply 8th grade students with higher-quality backpacks that can be retained and reused in high school to transport required laptops.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Illinois - $1,800
"Community and School-Based Mentoring" - To purchase materials to train school-based mentors for children in their schools who are considered at risk of failure, impacting the child's attitudes and behaviors about relationships, academics and risky behaviors.
Bloomington Area Career Center - $1,000
"Geometry in Construction" - To better prepare students interested in a career in construction by integrating geometry in construction course.
Bloomington Library - $500
"Bingo for Books!" - To promote access to books to low-income families at event at Western Avenue Community Center where families can tour the bookmobile, sign up for library cards, check out materials and learn about the library's offerings.
Bloomington-Normal Mulberry School - $1,000
"#MulberryLearnsOutdoors: Outdoor Classroom Project" - To build an outdoor classroom space providing a hands-on learning environment that engages students in STEAM learning experiences.
Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal - $1,000
"Integrating Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into Programming" - To provide a foundation for safe and positive learning and enhance students' abilities to succeed in school, careers and life. Grant will support staff training in SEL program.
C.H.A.R.M. Inc. - $1,000
"West Bloomington Neighborhood Block Party" - To provide resources, school supplies, educational and nutritional components, as well as legal aid access for low-income families in west Bloomington.
Center for Youth and Family Solutions - $2,500
"Specialized Assessment and Supplemental Funds" - To provide specialized assessments and condition-appropriate treatment for area children that exhibit mental health struggles beyond what conventional intervention can address.
Child Protection Network - $1,500
"Gas Cards for CASA Volunteers" - To purchase gas cards to assist volunteers who travel when providing medical, legal, personal and educational advocacy for children in foster care.
Children's Home + Aid - $2,075
"Parents Care & Share - Father Engagement Initiative" - To increase fatherhood programming by developing 5 Dad Support Groups that provide weekly peer-to-peer groups focused on parenting education and support.
Clinton Community Educational Foundation - $1,000
"Read Across Clinton" - To improve reading achievement by providing free books to economically disadvantaged children on the last day of school for summer reading.
Community Players Theater - $500
"Summer Children's Theater Camp" - To engage and educate the youth of the community about live theater, building a lifelong love and passion for theater.
Ecology Action Center - $4,610
"Reducing Barriers for Sustainable Recycling" - To supply household recycling carts to low-income households in Normal and to provide permanent receptacles for public access in Downtown Bloomington.
Faith in Action of Bloomington-Normal - $2,000
"Medical Transportation for Seniors" - To improve the health of the senior population in cities it serves through increased accessibility to medical and dental appointments by volunteer drivers.
Flanagan Public Library District - $600
"Summer Reading Program - Reading Takes You Everywhere!" - To help students retain and enhance their reading skills over the summer by providing fun goals while allowing them to choose what they want to read.
Fostering Dignity - $1,000
"Backpacks for Youth" - To purchase backpacks that DCFS can give to children being removed from their homes so that they are not forced to use trash bags to transport their belongings.
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois Inc. - $1,000
"G.I.R.L. Resident Camp at Camp Peairs" - To provide financial assistance for camp fees to girls from low-income families, allowing girls to learn critical life skills while discovering nature, trying new things and making new friends.
Homes of Hope, Inc. - $4,000
"Smiling is a Universal Language" - To ensure that residents with disabilities will have access to adequate restorative and preventative dental care as a part of the established Heart Healthy Hero Program.
Lincoln College - $1,200
"Lincoln College Jazz Playformance" - To offer reduced tuition for after-school program that invites children to play and create in a world of musical games wrapped in rhythm, melody, word-play and story.
Max's Miles Foundation - $4,979
"The Harmony Park Project" - To develop an inclusive park in Bloomington that is safe and accessible for children and adults of all abilities. Grant will purchase the Merry-Go-All, an adapted piece of equipment that brings the joy of the merry-go-round to children of all abilities.
McLean County Center for Human Services - $1,000
"Youth Outreach Services" - To help children and youth lead productive, healthy lives through individual and family counseling, advocacy and case management.
McLean County Extension Service Foundation - $1,000
"Trades 4-H SPIN Club" - To provide skill-based education and training for youth interested in the electrical trades in collaboration with Bloomington-Normal Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee.
Multicultural Leadership Institute, Inc. - $1,440
"Raising Awareness of Poverty Throughout McLean County" - To increase local awareness of poverty by training volunteers in use of the Poverty Simulation kit so they may offer simulations to local community groups.
Muscular Dystrophy Association - $2,000
"Central Illinois Summer Camp" - To allow children aged 8-17 who have a muscle disease to attend week-long summer camp where they will learn independence and engage in typical camp activities.
Odell Public Library District - $1,000
"Reading Takes You Everywhere" - To help children maintain and strengthen their reading skills over the summer break from school.
Pontiac Township High School - $1,200
"Fresh Food For All" - To engage students in the production of food by utilizing Tower Garden hydroponic growing systems to produce fresh vegetables for the cafeteria and culinary program.
Project Oz - $2,173
"Livingston County Youth Intervention Program (YIP)" - To provide a safe, stable living option for youth in Livingston County, up to age 18, who are separated from their families.
Recycling Furniture for Families - $2,500
"Providing Furniture for Families in Need" - To repair and restore donated furniture so that it is safe, hygienic and available free of charge to families living at or below the federal poverty level.
Salem Children's Home - $907
"Bees Helping Boys - Queen Rearing Initiative" - To enhance the Bees Helping Boys program by starting a Queen Raising Initiative where students will learn to raise queens, helping them gain confidence by learning a new skill.
SBL Peace Meal - $1,500
"Emergency Meal Distribution" - To provide food security to seniors who live alone by delivering 4 shelf-stable meals that can be stored and eaten when winter weather prohibits volunteers from reaching their homes.
The Salvation Army - $1,000
"Youth Night" - To provide low-income youth in McLean County a safe place to meet weekly to develop character-building skills such as leadership and self-awareness, as well as create arts and crafts. A nutritious meal is provided at Wednesday Youth Nights.
Vespasian Warner Public Library District - $1,888
"For Little DeWitt and Victory! - DeWitt County and the Civil War" - To digitize three handwritten books that show the contributions of DeWitt County men who served in the Union Army during the Civil War.
West Bloomington Active Garden - $1,250
"Young Gardeners Internship and Grow Your Garden" - To launch a new Young Gardeners internship program for two junior or senior high school students at Sunnyside Garden and provide access to fresh produce through Grow Your Garden summer program.
Western Avenue Community Center - $1,000
"Broadening Horizons to Increase Resiliency" - To level the playing field in terms of experiences for low-income children by offering additional learning and enrichment experiences beyond the after-school program.
Write Stuff for Kids Inc. - $2,000
"Summer Lunch Program" - To provide DeWitt County youth with a safe, supervised place to go during the summer months to receive a free nutritious lunch and engage in positive activities.
YouthBuild McLean County Inc. - $1,500
"Health and Wellness for Youth by Youth" - To decrease the number of McLean County youth affected by obesity and self-harming behaviors while increasing nutrition and fitness habits for youth by training older YBMC youth to teach their younger peers.
YWCA McLean County - $2,600
"Young Wonders Healthy Kids" - To improve children's physical, social and emotional health by ensuring they receive the recommended amount of physical exercise for their age by utilizing age-appropriate equipment.
27 General Grants totaling $58,328 were awarded in 2017
ADV & SAS (Streator) - $700
"Community Awareness: Recognize, Respond, Refer" to increase community awareness of domestic and sexual violence and how to respond, thereby increasing the number of victims/survivors seeking help and, in the long term, reducing the incidence level.
Back 2 School Alliance - $600
"Back 2 School Party" to expand program to cover school supplies for pre-school children.
Big Brothers Big Sisters - $3,000
"Community and School-Based Mentoring" to keep children enrolled in school, promoted to the next grade on time, and graduating from high school through a cooperative program with several McLean and DeWitt County schools and Promise Councils.
Bloomington Area Career Center - $1,000
"Construction Trades" to engage students through a partnership with Habitat for Humanity in an integrated STEM-based course that will lead to enhanced understanding of mathematical concepts, problem-solving and collaborative skills, and a strong foundation in basic construction concepts.
Bloomington-Normal Mulberry School - $1,000
"Science Curriculum Pre-K to 2nd Grade" to acquire teaching materials materials for an improved science curriculum that meets Next Generation Science Standards in three key areas.
Bloomington-Normal YMCA - $3,000
"Safety Around Water" to provide the Safety Around Water curriculum, a proven method for teaching children fundamental water safety skills, through an 8-session course that will serve approximately 100 kids.
Carlock Elementary School - $1,000
"Enhancing Reading and Writing Workshop" to purchase books to use in the workshops. The workshop approach to instruction allows teachers to differentiate for all levels of learners within their classrooms.
Central Illinois Pride Health Center - $1,000
"LGBTQ Youth Support Lending Library" to support group members as they learn about others in similar situations as them and to provide resources to assist youth and their parents in finding information necessary to make educated decisions.
C.H.A.R.M., Inc. - $1,000
"Community Enrichment" to assist in bridging the gap between local law enforcement and West Bloomington residents and to provide resources that combat food insecurity, gang membership, and violence and crime.
Children's Home + Aid - $3,500
"Doula Program" to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect for babies of single, low-income, high-risk mothers and to strengthen parent-child attachments to help mothers build healthy and safe futures for their babies.
Clinton Educational Foundation - $2,000
"Read Across Clinton" to improve the reading achievement of economically disadvantaged children by providing free books on the last day of school for summer reading.
Clover Leaf Industries NFP - $1,500
"Basic Work and Application Skills Training" to assist adults with cognitive and/or physical disabilities to develop specific marketable job skills.
Community Health Care Clinic - $4,200
"A1C Challenge" to engage patients diagnosed with diabetes in a self-management program to improve their hemoglobin A1C (a clear indicator of controlled disease). The program utilizes goal setting, text messaging, peer support, and encouragement and incentives.
Faith in Action of Bloomington Normal - $4,250
"Senior Medical Transportation" to improve the health of the senior population in cities it serves through increased accessibility to medical and dental appointments by volunteer drivers.
Fostering Dignity - $1,400
"Backpacks for Youth" to purchase backpacks that DCFS can give to children being removed from their homes so that they are not forced to use trash bags to transport their belongings.
Home Sweet Home Ministries - $1,078
"HSHRenew" to increase the amount of textile and shoe recycling, thereby decreasing the amount of these materials that go to the landfill. Funds will be used toward purchase of an additional collection bin.
Homes of Hope - $1,000
"Heart Healthy Hero Program" to decrease the percentage of obesity within the organization for both staff and clients.
Illinois Spinal Bifida Association - $1,500
"Community-Clinic Connection" to increase the resilience of families living with spinal bifida by connecting families in need with social and community networks and other resources.
LIFE CIL - $2,500
"T'NT (Teens in Transition)" to support up to 30 individuals with disabilities to participate in T'NT which is a Common Core aligned program designed to prepare individuals ages 16-22 to become employed, independent community members.
Miller Park Zoological Society - $2,500
"Wild About Jumping" to increase zoo guests' knowledge of wildlife, conservation, and the environment through first hand interactive experiences about adaptations that are vital to a species' survival.
Odell Public Library - $1,500
"Reading by Design-Summer Reading Program" to help children maintain their reading skills over the summer break from school.
Prairie Creek Public Library District - $2,000
"2017 Summer Reading Program" to support age-appropriate activities and incentives for pre-school, K-5th grade, middle school and high school, and adults, that will encourage local residents to read.
Project Oz - $3,000
"Ending the Silence" to improve youth mental health and decrease rates of suicide among pre-teens and teens in McLean and Livingston Counties
Recycling Furniture for Families - $3,100
"Furniture Repair and Restoration" to repair and restore donated furniture so that it is safe, hygienic, and available free of charge to families living at or below the Federal poverty level.
The Baby Fold - $2,500
"Healthy Start Doula Services" to increase healthy birth outcomes, ensure pregnant women receive information and support during pregnancy, and promote pre-natal care.
Western Avenue Community Center - $3,000
"Closing the Gap Tutor Training" to provide students in grades K-6 with a safe, welcoming environment that encourages their social and academic growth. Program will serve 40-45 students and will involve over 50 volunteers.
Write Stuff for Kids - $2,000
"Summer Lunch Program" to provide DeWItt County youth with a safe supervised place to go during the summer months to receive a free nutritious lunch and engage in positive activities. Last year up to 60 children per day participated.
YouthBuild McLean County - $3,500
"Health and Wellness By Youth for Youth" to decrease the amount of self-harm and attempted suicide actions while increasing the nutrition and fitness habits of youth. Thirty YBMC students will provide training, mentoring and peer support to 150 community youth between the ages of 9 and 18.
28 General Grants totaling $38,929 were awarded in 2016
Back 2 School Alliance - $2,000
"Back Pack Program" to help provide students the necessary supplies to succeed in school and ensure that they do not miss days at the beginning of the school year because they have not registered or received required immunizations.
Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal - $2,200
"Summer Brain Gain" to support a six-week program that aims to mitigate summer learning loss in elementary and middle school children through fun, engaging, theme-based activities.
Carlock Public Library - $1,500
"Read for the Win Summer Reading Program" to support a six-week summer reading program for children ages 3 years through 6th grade that incorporates structured activities designed to instill a love of reading and to combat summer learning loss.
Cedar Ridge Elementary School - $500
"Cedar Ridge Chess Club" to provide membership and/or tournament fees for students at a school in which 85% qualify for free or reduced-fee lunch; program has expanded from 8 to 20 weeks and includes 50 students in K through 5th grade.
Child Care Resource and Referral - $1,550
"Car Seat Distribution and Education Program" to support increasing the safety and welfare of children through parent education on proper car seat use and to distribute car seats to low-income families.
Church of Christ, Uniting - $1,000
"Lexington Community Garden" to support a program that provides free organic produce to members of the community, educates people in all aspects of gardening and food preservation, and builds community through the sharing of knowledge, resources, labor, and harvest.
Collaborative Solutions - $2,000
"Trauma Intervention - OPTIONS" to support a program that provides out-of-office crisis intervention and counseling to clients with volatile/violent mental health issues and support to their families.
Community Health Care Clinic - $1,725
"Dental Clinic Planning Grant" to assist the planning phase of the community's first ongoing charitable dental clinic which will entail research of other clinics' operational policies and procedures, facilitation of stakeholder meetings, development of a dental services operation plan, and timeline for clinic launch.
Conexiones Latinas de McLean County - $1,650
"Roots to STEM: Our Future Leaders" to provide class fees for low-income 5th grade students at Bent Elementary School to participate in a Challenger Learning Center mission and expose them to STEM fields to which they can aspire.
David Davis Mansion - $1,000
"Education Programs" to support programs that educate students and the community about the David Davis Mansion through unique first-person interpretation of stories of the Davis household and of their special relationships with Abraham Lincoln and others.
El Paso Public Library - $800
"Treasure Chests of Knowledge" to help purchase curriculum materials for area educators through the creation and loan of themed educational trunks that contain materials pertinent to such subjects as geology, trees, pollinators, animals, fossils, insects, and dinosaurs.
Faith in Action - $2,500
"Medical Transportation" to help pay expenses for expansion of the program to include door through door transportation to medical and dental appointments, thus removing barriers for seniors to receive preventative and ongoing healthcare services.
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - $500
"Safety First!" to pay for 20 life jackets for girls participating in boating activities at Camp Peairs.
Home Sweet Home Ministries - $1,026
"Mobile Health Expansion Project" to pay for equipment and supplies for on-site non-mental health services at the Center for Human Services, thus removing a barrier for CHS clients to follow through with recommended medical services that will augment and improve their mental health treatment.
Illinois State University-McLean County Wellness Coalition - $1,500
"Increasing Access to Healthy Foods and Eliminating Food Waste in McLean County" to support three key programs of MCWC - the Community Garden initiative, Veggie Oasis, and a community summit to promote a coordinated approach to food issues in McLean County.
Labyrinth Outreach Services to Women - $4,900
"Client and Case Management Software" to purchase ClientTrax software and 3 months of the database management subscription that will replace Microsoft Word and Excel programs currently being used to track clients, program participation, and outcomes.
Lincoln Heritage Museum - $600
"Living History at Lincoln Heritage Museum" to help with the purchase of historic costumes and props to be used in living history, first-person storytelling in historic environments within the galleries of the museum.
Livingston County Public Health Department - $670
"Save Lives - Immunize" to purchase an Illinois Department of Public Health approved cooler to be used for the transport of vaccine for immunization clinics in outlying schools and communities in Livingston County.
Livingston Family Care Center - $2,000
"Livingston Family Care Center" to purchase medications and medical supplies for uninsured or under-insured clients of the Center.
Logan County Genealogical Association - $500
"Cemetery Walk" to help with expenses for an event in which five costumed actors will depict local historic figures and enact vignettes about their lives; the event is in conjunction with the National Railsplitting Festival in Lincoln in September 2016.
PATH - $500
"Diabetes Self-Management Program" to support a program that empowers individuals with diabetes to improve their health status, health behavior, and self-efficacy thereby reducing health care costs and decreasing emergency room visits.
Prairie Creek Public Library (Dwight, IL) - $1,500
"Read for the Win Summer Reading Program" to support age-appropriate activities and incentives for pre-school, K-5th grade, middle school and high school, and adults, that will encourage local residents to read.
Prairie Pride Coalition - $1,000
"World AIDS Day/Memorial AIDS Quilt Exhibition" to help with expenses to exhibit several sections of the nationally renowned AIDS Memorial Quilt that helps educate viewers on the impact that AIDS has had on the world and, specifically, our local communities, and to foster behaviors and choices that help reduce the incidences of HIV and AIDS.
Recycling Furniture for Families - $1,500
"Beds for Youth" to provide children in need in McLean County with a clean, safe bed to sleep in with no cost to their families.
Salem4youth (Flanagan, IL) - $1,000
"Bees Helping Boys" to purchase four nucs (nucleus of bees) and the construction/maintenance of 10 hives for a program that teaches beekeeping to young men who reside at Salem4youth, an organization that strives to facilitate familial reconciliation.
Salvation Army - $1,000
"Youth Night" to purchase fresh produce to include in the meals offered to 30 children during the Wednesday Night Youth Program which operates during the school year.
West Bloomington Revitalization Project - $820
"Tool Library Online Workshops" to purchase a GoPro video camera, head mount, and computer to create a YouTube channel dedicated to educating library members and local residents on how to use tools available in the Tool Library to complete various home improvement projects.
Write Stuff for Kids - $1,500
"Summer Lunch Program" to help pay for food for a program that provides DeWitt County youth with access to a healthy, nutritious lunch five days a week during the summer months.
19 General Grants totaling $36,185 were awarded in 2015
Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal - $5,430
"Passport to Manhood" - To address several key areas of the development of adolescent boys while stressing and promoting positive values and behaviors.
Cedar Ridge Elementary School - $2,000
"Cedar Ridge Library" - To purchase books written in Spanish for the school library at Cedar Ridge, home of a bilingual program for Spanish speaking students.
Center for Youth and Family Solution - $1,800
"The Bloomington-Normal Area Project" - To provide one- to three-week summer programs at neighborhood sites for age-appropriate activities, socialization, and nutritional activities to promote healthy food choices.
Church of Christ, Uniting - $1,000
"Lexington Community Garden" - To provide fresh, free, organic produce, educate those interested in all aspects of gardening and food preservation, and build community through the sharing of knowledge, resources, volunteer labor, and harvest.
DeWitt County Human Resource Center - $2,000
"Summer Lunch Program" - To provide DeWitt County youth with a safe and supervised place to go during the summer months to receive a free and nutritious lunch.
Eureka Public Library District - $1,900
"Quad Squads" - To introduce aviation to middle school students through the use of technology, remote control devices, video editing and journaling. (Funding is expand program to McLean County.)
Faith in Action - $2,000
"Rural Expansion" - To expand non-medical services to older adults living in the rural communities of Downs, Heyworth, and Towanda, including no-cost transportation to medical appointments and grocery shopping.
Home Sweet Home Ministries - $3,000
"Bread for Life Food Co-Op Gardens" - To provide meaningful work to co-op members that helps them provide nutritious food for their families and others and increases skills, physical and mental well-being, and self-confidence.
Illinois State University Horticulture Center - $1,000
"Literary Garden" - To foster an appreciation and understanding of plants through education, conservation, and application of sustainable technologies while connecting nature-inspired passages with the Midwestern authors who wrote them.
Labyrinth Outreach Services to Women - $2,000
"Healing Through Self Care" - To combine information with actual applied experiences to increase the physical and mental health of Labyrinth clients through promotion of stress reduction and greater understanding of the connection between nutrition, exercise, and being healthy.
McLean County Health Department - $1,000
"Emergency Preparedness" -To provide a variety of interactive activities to engage children and their families in planning for emergencies and preparing them for potential disasters.
Miller Park Zoological Society - $1,000
"Junior Zookeepers" - To provide learning and leadership opportunities to young people, knowledge to guests, and services to Miller Park Zoo.
Partners for Community - $2,000
"Recycling Furniture for Families" - To purchase bed frames and mattresses for children since the supply of used beds does not keep pace with the need.
PATH - $2,160
"Diabetes Self-Management Program" - To empower individuals with diabetes to improve their health status, health behavior, and self-efficacy thereby reducing healthcare costs and decreasing emergency room visits.
Prairie Creek Public Library, Dwight - $1,000
"2015 Summer Reading Program" - To provide a structured, educational and enjoyable summer reading program to residents of Dwight and surrounding areas.
Project Oz - $2,000
"SAME - Students Achieving More Everyday" - To help at-risk and underachieving students stay in school with the goal of earning their diploma.
Salem4Youth, Flanagan - $1,180
"Bees Helping Boys" - To educate young men regarding the environmental importance of bees and to provide a small business of honey production where students learn about harvesting and packaging honey as donor gifts and for sale to the general community.
Salvation Army- $1,384
"After School Program" - To provide homework help and a safe place to spend time after school.
YWCA McLean County- $2,331
"Adult Services-Home Care Services" - To provide a variety of in-home services to help keep seniors living independently in their homes.
11 General Grants totaling $31,391 were awarded in 2014
Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal- $4,170
"Triple Play" - Participation will promote increased physical activity, making smart food choices, and increasing social relationship skills. Program will serve approximately 120 youth, ages 6-18, from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Community Health Care Clinic - $4,500
"Medication Management" -Program will enhance the nurse practitioner model of care by ensuring patients have access to free medications to treat both acute and chronic conditions. Program is expected to improve patient health outcomes and remove barriers that prevent patients from filling prescriptions they cannot afford. Recommended amount will serve approximately 1,000 patients.
DeWitt County Human Resource Center - $3,695
"Summer Lunch Program" - Program provides DeWitt County youth with a safe and supervised place to go during the summer months to receive a free and nutritious lunch and to participate in recreational and educational activities. Expects to serve 30 youth per day between June 8 and August 9.
Ecology Action Center - $1,625
"Yard Smart Demonstration Garden" - Goal is to encourage and inspire others to adopt ecological sustainable gardening practices that protect the environment, increase biological diversity, reduce or eliminate the use of synthetic chemicals, and conserve water usage.
Heartland Head Start - $1,650
"Positive Discipline Training for Parents" - Program helps parents achieve goals despite obstacles and distractions, create safe homes by managing their own emotions, set personal boundaries, encourage respectful interactions, and resolve conflicts in a way that builds loving relationships. Will be available to the families of 371 children enrolled at HHS.
Homes of Hope - $1,098
"Heat to Stay Neat" - Funding will provide clothes dryers at two group homes for individuals with developmental disabilities. Reliable equipment will enhance the goals of self-sufficiency and learning critical independent living skills
Labyrith Outreach Services to Women - $5,335
"Mental Health Services for Formerly Incarcerated Women" - Utilizing a contract arrangement with the Center for Human Services, the program has been able to provide mental health services and prescription medication in a timely manner to women retuning to the community from jail or prison so as to help stabilize them emotionally and reduce recidivism.
Marcfirst - $1,118
"SPICE Pediatric Therapy" - Purchase of the DIAL-4 kit will allow Marcfirst to screen children under the age of 3 for possible developmental delays using the same tool used by local school districts. This will allow for smoother transitions into school-based early childhood special education for these children.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - $4,500
"Family-to-Family Class" - Twice-yearly program designed for caregivers of loved ones with mental illness. Class provides critical information and strategies related to caregiving and incorporates presentations, discussions and class exercises.
Project Oz - $2,500
"Learning and Leading" - Program is a collaboration between Project Oz, State Farm, COUNTRY Financial and McDonald's to provide 8-week summer internships to up to 50 students and help them learn the soft skills necessary to be successful in the workforce.
West Bloomington Revitalization Project - $1,200
"Block Party in a Box" - Program will encourage neighbors - individuals or groups - to host gatherings on their own blocks as a way to build community. Program is based on the successful Hoops in the Hood project in Chicago. Kits that include portable basketball hoops, basketballs, coolers, tables and chairs, and a music player may be checked out from the WBRP tool library.
14 General Grants totaling $21,000 were awarded in 2013
Boy Scouts of America, WD Boyce Council- $1,250
"Scoutreach Summer Day Camp" - A collaboration with Catholic Charities to send at-risk youth to day camp. Grant will help pay for food, supplies and transportation.
Center for Youth and Family Solutions - $1,500
"Parent Education Services" - To expand parent education services to families currently involved in the child welfare system and to the general public. Grant will help pay for workbooks and other curriculum materials for the Love + Logic program.
Children's Foundation of Children's Home + Aid - $1,663
"Scott Early Learning Center" - To pay for "Raising a Reader" teacher curriculum training for 16 teachers. Raising a Reader is a highly-regarded, evidence-based program that has been shown to significantly increase child literacy outcomes.
Faith in Action - $1,500
"RideScheduler" - To help pay for an online program to coordinate volunteer-delivered non-medical services for Bloomington-Normal residents age 60 and over.
Friends Forever - $1,000
"Life Raft" - To support bringing five Arab and five Jewish teens to Bloomington-Normal for two weeks of friendship-building and leadership training and community service/education.
Habitat for Humanity of McLean County - $1,000
"A Brush with Kindness" - A partnership with West Bloomington Revitalization Project to increase inventory in the Tool Library. The program helps low-income homeowners impacted by age, disability, or family circumstances to maintain the exteriors of their homes.
Heartland Head Start - $2,500
"Dental Program" - To help pay for dental treatment costs for children who attend Heartland Head Start.
Marcfirst - $2,500
"Transition Weekend Camp" - To assist with rental equipment, housing, food and activities, and scholarships for the Marcfirst Transition Family Camp which offers middle school children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families the chance to experience camping.
McLean County Child Protection Network - $500
"McLean County CASA Program" - Grant will be used to purchase gas cards to assist CASA volunteers when traveling throughout McLean County to advocate for abused/neglected children.
ParkLands Foundation- $1,275
"Volunteer Steward Program Launch" - To purchase fire gear (protective clothing and masks) for volunteer stewards who will provide basic management of ParkLands Foundation's 3,500 acres.
PATH - $722
"Chronic Disease Self-Management Program" - To purchase posters, brochure holders and other materials to promote healthier lifestyles among adults with chronic health conditions living in DeWitt, Livingston and McLean Counties.
Rebound - $1,500
"Rebound" - To cover expenses associated with volunteer screenings and the cost of the Junior High School 2nd Step Program. Rebound provides academic assistance/supervision of Bloomington-Normal junior high school students suspended off campus.
YouthBuild McLean County - $2,500
"Extracurricular Clubs" - To help pay for staff, supplies, and transportation for four extracurricular clubs. The clubs will provide positive activities outside of school hours that will increase approximately 30 youths' skills and provide opportunities for them to give back to the community.
YWCA of McLean County - $1,590
"Workin' Worms" - To provide start-up costs associated with a garden-based hands-on curriculum for a program designed to increase environmental and nutritional awareness for preschool children.
11 General Grants totaling $19,997 were awarded in 2012
Atlanta Historical Preservation County Inc. (J.H. Hawes Elevator) of Atlanta - $2,000
To provide material, construction and installation of two updated aluminum signs to replace 12-year-old wooden signs visible on north- and south-bound Interstate 55 and Route 66 that direct travelers to the J.H. Hawes Elevator Museum. The recommended grant will provide for one sign to be replaced.
Bloomington Day Care Center - $2,182
To purchase of 9 infant cribs that comply with new federal safety regulations to replace those that do not.
Children's Discovery Museum- $2,500
To purchase of elements that help users conceptualize the abstract idea of energy for the new You've Got the Power! exhibit. (Fuel, power, and pollution gauges, wind turbine crank, bellows pump, light switch dimmer, etc.)
Homes of Hope - $675
To replace 4 storm doors and deck staining at the Townley Drive group home for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
IWU Action Research Center - $1,100
To purchase Spanish-language books appropriate for pre-K through 12th grade for the "Celebra Libros!" Book Bike program to promote literacy and the joy of books to Spanish-speaking families.
Labyrinth Outreach Services to Women - $1,500
To provide psychiatric assessment and follow-up visits for 16 clients and laptop for computerized medical records. The recommended grant will pay for 12 psychiatric assessments.
McLean County Museum of History - $1,000
To provide 15 free enrollment scholarships to students from low-income households to attend History Careers Day Camp. The recommended grant will pay for 8 scholarships.
McLean County Soil & Water Conservation District - $1,800
To purchase 25 educational signs, mounting posts, a lumber and concrete kiosk, and 4 large high pressure composite signs for the Interpretive Nature Trail at Evergreen Lake. The trail will serve as a showcase for the many different conservation practices located at the site and serve as an environmental education area.
Sugar Grove Nature Center - $2,300
To acquire technology to expand efforts to connect and engage people with nature through educational programs and outdoor experiences. Recommended grant will provide for some of the requested elements including microscopes and stream and insect sampling kits.
The Baby Fold - $2,040
To fund two Love & Logic conferences to bring effective, results-oriented parenting to at-risk families in Central Illinois. Recommended grant will fund one conference.
The Salvation Army- $2,900
To purchase protein food items for well-balanced meals for the Salvation Army Food Pantry. Recommended grant will partially fund purchase of food items.
9 General Grants totaling $15,557 were awarded in 2011
DeWitt County 4-H - $432
To provide children a free nutritious lunch and supervised educational activities at a low-income housing site in Clinton.
Home of Hope - $1,000
To provide repairs and replacement items for group homes for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
McLean County Museum of History - $1,875
"History Career Days Camp Scholarships" - To provide free enrollment scholarships to 30 students from low-income households to attend History Careers Day Camp.
ParkLands Foundation- $1,500
"Merwin Nature Preserve Privy Acquisition" - To fund construction of a privy at the Merwin Nature Preserve for use by volunteers, educational groups, and the general public.
Prairie State Legal Services - $3,000
"Serving Our Seniors" - Agency will provide outreach programs concerning advanced directives to area senior citizens and expand volunteer attorney services to aid low-income seniors in such matters.
Project Oz- $3,000
"Host Homes Training Project" - Project to begin writing a training curriculum for families who are interested in becoming Host Homes (a family who is licensed to runaways or homeless youth into their home for a few nights while a Project Oz counselor works to reunite their family.
Washington Elementary - $500
"Wolf Park Garden" - Pilot project will create a school garden space that promotes health and wellness by providing more nutritious food options for the school in an environmentally sound and affordable way.
West Bloomington Revitalization Project - $750
"Westside Blooms" - Program to create street corner gardens as a way of increasing neighborhood connectivity, educating youth, and nurturing seniors while beautifying West Side neighborhoods.
YouthBuild McLean County - $2,500
"Mentoring for Older Students" - To enable YouthBuild to expand its current mentoring program to serve youth ages 18 years 4 months to 24 years of age.
4 General Grants totaling $5,901 were awarded in 2010
Home Sweet Home Ministries - $2,236
"Food Pantry Expansion" - To expand food pantry in order to serve more people in response to growing need.
Homes of Hope- $1,500
"Operation Clean!" - To replace washer, dryer and dishwasher in group home for adults with disabilities.
Illinois State Dental Society Foundation - $900
"Mission of Mercy" - To offer 2-day free dental clinic to local residents who otherwise are unable to receive care; to heighten awareness of growing problem of access to oral health care in Illinois.
Marcfirst - $1,265
"Bruininks-Oserestsky Tests for SPICE" - To purchase testing equipment for measuring gross and fine motor skills for ages 4-21.
Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants
Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants are made possible through the generosity of the Jerome Mirza Foundation's Mirza Arts and Culture Fund and distributions from the following endowments: Illinois Prairie Arts and Culture Endowment, Hilfinger Endowment for the Performing Arts, Laura Sullivan Arts and Culture Endowment and David & Kay Williams Music Education Endowment.
33 Arts and Culture Grants totaling $71,692 in 2023:
Bachs Choir - $500
"25th Anniversary Weekend Celebration & Alumni Concert" - To provide current and former students of choral music an opportunity to gather, perform and remember their time in the program, and encourage others to consider the potential of a career in the field of music (whether choral, instrumental performance or teaching).
BCAI Cultural Arts & Humanities - $3,024
"Hip Hop Elemental Arts: Session 6" - To connect local youth with music industry professionals and professional artists to co-create a published song and complimentary music video from scratch, providing youth a unique, constructive avenue and outlet to explore and express their emotions, thoughts, desires and calls to action. Funded by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund.
BCAI Cultural Arts & Humanities - $2,000
"Summer Arts Exposure 2023" - Through a 3-week immersive experience for students (ages 7 and up with intern opportunities for ages 14-18) in which students rotate through programming in visual, media, business, performance, physics, survival and sustainability arts.
Bloomington-Normal YMCA - $1,000
"Teen Scene" - To allow youth to express themselves and grow through different activities, projects and art forms in a fun, safe and welcoming environment, while connecting with peers who share their same interests.
Boys & Girls Club of Livingston County - $1,600
"Lyricism 101" - To provide an opportunity for club teens to explore hip-hop as an art form and cultivate their creativity and critical thinking skills.
Brass Band of Central Illinois - $1,500
"2024 Spring Concert" - To enhance music and cultural arts opportunities throughout Central Illinois by increasing public awareness of, and creating further appreciation for, traditional brass band instrumental music at its Spring 2024 concert.
Chenoa Public Library District - $1,200
"Green Street Guitars and Art" - To provide the community with the opportunity to listen to quality music and to learn to create their own music at no cost to them through a one-day guitar clinic.
Children's Discovery Museum - $2,500
"Cross-Curricular Collaborations and Arts Integration Workshop" - To offer workshop where local teachers will learn best practices for implementing Arts Integration and receive professional resources (such as lesson plans) that they can use immediately upon return to their respective classrooms.
City of Pontiac - $3,500
"Rockin' at the River Summer Concert Series" - To provide accessible entertainment opportunities to underserved communities, expanding the musical knowledge of the community by providing a free, family friendly concert series in a variety of musical genres featuring musicians playing both original works and covers of other artists works.
Further Jazz - $1,500
"Further Jazz Festival" - To expose the Central Illinois public to the art of jazz in various forms by offering a free jazz festival.
Heartland Jazz Orchestra Foundation - $1,500
"Community Jazz Concerts" - To provide education, community enrichment and unique cultural experiences to all people - but especially young people - helping them appreciate that genre and teach the history of America's classical music through a series of pop-up concerts.
Holiday Spectacular - $2,000
"Free Tickets for Low Income Community Members 2023" - To provide quality holiday entertainment for the community by the community; grant will provide tickets to the least affluent members of our community giving an equal opportunity to enjoy this special home-grown holiday presentation.
Holiday Spectacular - $2,000
"Let's Celebrate America One More Time" - To bring together diverse segments of our polarized community in a festive holiday environment to share a free public performance featuring the common values of love of music, family and country.
Illinois Art Station - $1,500
"Unity in Art: Illinois Art Station @ Unity Community Center" - To provide regular, expert facilitated arts engagement to Unity Community Center students aims to empower these students to see themselves as young artists with vast potential and full permission to create, celebrate and showcase their work.
Illinois State University - $2,000
"2023 Concerts on the Quad" - To provide a summer concert series that is free and open to the public.
Illinois State University - $2,000
"Illinois Shakespeare Festival Courtyard Music Series" - To provide support for live music performances in the Ewing Cultural Center courtyard in conjunction with performances produced by the Illinois Shakespeare Festival in July and August 2023.
Illinois State University - $2,500
"ISU String Project" - To provide a quality string education to students who have no access to a public school program and to support existing public string programs while offering practical teacher training for ISU string majors.
Illinois State University - $1,000
"Teen Art Group at University Galleries" - To increase teenagers' access to, and awareness of, visual arts-based opportunities.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $3,000
"Concert for Kids!" - To create an interactive and engaging concert experience that will introduce, engage and inspire elementary school students through a live orchestral performance; grant to allow up to 800 students in need to attend concert at no cost.
Inside Out Accessible Arts - $2,300
"IOAA Art Education" - To provide individuals with disabilities, seniors and members to the community with a wide variety of art experiences, allowing them to grow in skill level to develop life-long pursuits in the arts.
IWU-Chamber Music - $2,500
"Illinois Chamber Music Festival 2023" - To provide intensive and professional training for young musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills, while providing a free public concert series in the Bloomington-Normal community.
McLean County Art Association - $2,500
"Sugar Creek Arts Festival" - To continue providing quality cultural programming and experiences to the community at no cost through Sugar Creek Arts Festival.
McLean County Historical Society - $3,000
"2023 Evergreen Cemetery Walk" - To create a unique cultural experience for students while simultaneously teaching them that cemeteries are a repository of McLean County history and a place to be respected and preserved.
MIOpera - $3,000
"MIOperatunities Presents Read, See and Experience The Secret Garden" - To take its participants (both children and adults) on a literary, musical and theatrical journey through Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic The Secret Garden.
Music Connections Foundation - $3,000
"Niños y Musica" - To develop English language skills in parents and children, educate parents on how to interact actively with their children through music and promote positive parenting behaviors to foster optimal child development at home.
Olympia CUSD 16 - $3,500
"Breaking the Barriers: Music for All" - To remove systemic barriers for rural, low-income students so that they can reap the benefits of music education starting in elementary school, thus leading to increased numbers in the program. Funded by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund.
Poco A Poco - $3,009
"Poco a Poco's 7th Annual Summer Music Fest" - Through a week-long summer camp, young artists will receive core training in private voice, choir, piano, and theory, attend several concerts, and experience new facets of the music world through open discussions and unique electives.
Prairie Fire Theatre - $2,500
"Bright Star (a musical)" - To bring a professional great classic musical theater production to the community employing area musicians, artists, and technicians; grant will be used to hire professional musicians for pit orchestra and support a pay-what-you-can performance.
pt.fwd - $2,000
"Headliner Concert Series" - To create a new concert series, which will feature higher-profile, established sonic artists who are advancing alternative, underground and experimental musics, showcasing their work to our community and demonstrating that Bloomington-Normal is committed to cutting-edge creative projects.
Regional Alternative School - $3,009
"Digital Art Education Program at RAS" - To provide opportunities for students by equipping them with the technical skills necessary to pursue careers in digital art; students will develop their critical thinking abilities and become empowered to create original and compelling digital art that communicates their ideas effectively and reflects their unique perspectives.
Share the Music - $1,750
"Instrument Lending Program" - To provide an instrument for students who want to participate in school band or orchestra, but whose families don't have the resources to acquire an instrument.
Sound of Illinois - SFPEBQA - $1,800
"Central Illinois Youth in Harmony (YIH)" - To provide a quality daylong choral musical experience for area high school students at little or no cost to their schools.
Threshold to Hope - $2,000
"Art Instruction and Exploration for Low Income Artists" - To increase local artists' painting skills, allowing them to experience the emotional benefits of creating, and to assist them in creating paintings or other types of art that have the potential of selling for their financial benefit.
27 Arts and Culture Grants totaling $70,000 awarded in 2022.
BCAI School of Arts - $2,200
"Summer Arts Exposure 2022" - To provide materials and supplies for summer arts immersion experience for children (ages 7 and older), allowing them to experience programming in visual, media, business, performance and sustainability arts.
Boys & Girls Club of Livingston County - $1,500
"Fashion Forward" - To encourage individuality and creativity, while educating youth about resource sustainability; participants will gain valuable planning and problem-solving skills as well as the ability to sew and mend.
Brass Band of Central Illinois - $2,000
"2023 Spring Concert" - To enhance music and cultural arts opportunities throughout Central Illinois by increasing public awareness of, and creating further appreciation for, traditional brass band instrumental music.
Children's Discovery Museum - $1,500
"Art Around You: Exploring Contemporary Art in the Community" - To provide children in 2nd to 5th grades an opportunity to view, discuss and create contemporary art; partnership with Illinois State University Galleries.
City of Pontiac - $3,600
"Rockin' at the River Summer Concert Series" - To expose the citizens of Livingston County to a broad range of musical styles and genres while providing free, family friendly entertainment.
Community Concert Band - $4,000
"New Music for the People" - To bring a new, original piece of concert band music to as many people as possible, including both musicians and audience members. Funded entirely by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund.
Cultural Festival - $2,000
"Variety Saturday - A Diverse Showcase of Talent & Culture" - To showcase different genres of entertainment/talent to foster diversity and understanding by using entertainment to educate and expose individuals to something that may be culturally new to them.
Further Jazz - $2,500
"Jazz Film Series at the Normal Theatre" - To produce a series of films and concerts that will focus on jazz films and jazz-influenced films; each film will be followed by a concert featuring the music of the artist featured in the film.
Heartland Jazz Orchestra Foundation - $2,500
"Community Jazz Concerts" - To help community learn to appreciate the jazz genre through free "pop-up" neighborhood jazz concerts within IPCF's 4-county geographic area.
Heartland Productions - $1,500
"The Play's the Thing" - To assist playwrights in improving their work while at the same time helping Central Illinois audiences become better responders to original and new plays.
Holiday Spectacular Inc. - $2,000
"Free Tickets for Low-Income Community Members 2022" - To underwrite the cost of free tickets to weekend afternoon performances of 2022 Holiday Spectacular; Western Avenue Community Center and Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church of Bloomington will target families to receive tickets.
Holiday Spectacular Inc. - $2,000
"Time to Celebrate America Again" - To bring together diverse segments of our community in a festive holiday environment to share a free public performance featuring the common values of love of music, family and country.
Illinois Art Station - $3,000
"Empowerment Through Art: A Visual Arts Day Camp for At-Risk Youth" - To capitalize on the transformative impact of the visual arts to empower traumatized youth, by strengthening their capacity to recognize, understand and adaptively regulate their emotions so they can successfully learn, engage in personally satisfying skill-building and grow in self-confidence and self-esteem.
Illinois State University - $3,000
"2022 Concerts on the Quad" - To provide free summer concert series that focuses on interesting and accessible music of the highest quality.
Illinois State University - $2,500
"Illinois Shakespeare Festival Courtyard Music Series" - To support live music performances in the Ewing Cultural Center courtyard in conjunction with performances produced by the Illinois Shakespeare Festival.
Illinois State University - $4,000
"ISU String Project" - To provide a quality string education to students who have no access to a public school program and support existing public string programs, while providing practical teacher training for ISU string majors.
Illinois State University - $2,000
"Teen Arts Group at University Galleries" - To provide 15 Bloomington High School students with free opportunities to engage with contemporary art, interact with arts professionals and gain professional gallery experience.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $4,000
"Concert for Kids" - To create a highly interactive and engaging concert experience that will introduce, engage and inspire students in grades K-5 through live orchestral performance in Bloomington.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $2,100
"48th Annual Jazz Festival at Illinois Wesleyan" - To provide professional training for young musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills while also helping local music educators who lead jazz groups by providing clinics and workshops in skills needed by educators.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $3,500
"Illinois Chamber Music Festival 2022" - To provide intensive and professional training for young musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills, while providing a free public concert series in the Bloomington- Normal community.
Inside Out Accessible Art Cooperative - $2,000
"IOAA Art Education" - To develop a lifelong pursuit of the arts by providing a variety of art classes at reduced cost to youth, seniors, adults and individuals with disabilities.
McLean County Arts Center - $2,000
"Sugar Creek Arts Festival" - To present an opportunity for artists to support their business practice, musicians to perform and be paid, the public to gather socially and area businesses to have increased foot traffic.
McLean County Historical Society - $4,400
"2022 Evergreen Cemetery Walk" - To enable schoolchildren to experience live theater while teaching them about their community's history and the importance of respecting cemeteries.
Music Connections Foundation - $4,200
"Niños y Música" - To develop English language skills in parents and children; to educate parents on how to interact actively with their children through music; and to promote positive parenting behaviors to foster optimal child development at home. Funded in part by the David and Kay Williams Music Education Fund.
Prairie Fire Theatre - $3,000
"The Man of La Mancha - The Musical" - To bring a professional great classic musical theater production to the community, employing area musicians, artists and technicians - the way show music was meant to be heard.
Share the Music - $1,500
"Instrument Lending Program" - To enable participation in music programs at schools, by making instruments available to those who cannot afford them.
Threshold to Hope Inc. - $1,500
"Art Instruction and Exploration for Low-Income Artists" - To increase low-income artists' skills, allowing them to experience emotional benefits of painting and assisting them in selling paintings for their financial benefit.
22 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $54,031 awarded in 2021
Children's Discovery Museum - $1,000
"Art Around You: Exploring Contemporary Art in the Community" - To provide children in 2nd to 5th grades an opportunity to view, discuss and create contemporary art; partnership with Illinois State University Galleries.
Further Jazz - $1,700
"Jazz Film Series at the Normal Theatre" - To produce a series of films and concerts that will focus on jazz films and jazz-influenced films; each film will be followed by a concert featuring the music of the artist featured in the film.
Heartland Jazz Orchestra Foundation - $1,500
"Community Jazz Concerts" - To help community learn to appreciate the jazz genre through free "pop-up" neighborhood jazz concerts within IPCF's 4-county geographic area.
Holiday Spectacular Inc. - $2,000
"Free Tickets for Low-Income Community Members 2021" - To underwrite the cost of free tickets to weekend afternoon performances of 2021 Holiday Spectacular; Western Avenue Community Center and Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church of Bloomington will target families to receive tickets.
Illinois Art Station - $3,000
"Art Perspectives" - To help children (K-5) explore different artists from a variety of backgrounds using a wide range of techniques and mediums; children will develop their own creative voice and learn how to visually express themselves; grant to purchase art materials and supplies.
Illinois State University - $3,500
"2021 Concerts on the Quad" - To provide free summer concert series that focuses on interesting and accessible music of the highest quality.
Illinois State University - $4,000
"Bard in a Box" - To engage elementary, middle school and high school students with Shakespeare's plays and demonstrate that Shakespeare's works are still accessible and entertaining; grant to help increase the number of Bard in a Box performances in McLean, DeWitt, Livingston and Logan counties.
Illinois State University - $2,500
"ISU Community School for the Arts Outreach" - To support three programs: Traditional Music Lessons taught by ISU music students; Redbird Road Concerts where free performances are given in area venues; and MusicScores! instruction on the violin at one area Head Start location.
Illinois State University - $1,700
"Teen Arts Group at University Galleries" - To provide 15 Bloomington High School students with free opportunities to engage with contemporary art, interact with arts professionals and gain professional gallery experience.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $3,922
"Concert for Kids" - To create a highly interactive and engaging concert experience that will introduce, engage and inspire students in grades K-5 through live orchestral performance in Bloomington.
Illinois Voices Theatre, ECHOES - $500
"ECHOES Theatre Pilot Internship Program" - To create a fieldwork internship for a student pursuing a career in theatrical design by offering a design and creation opportunity with the 2021 Evergreen Cemetery Walk, which ECHOES produces for the McLean County Museum of History.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $2,100
"47th Annual Jazz Festival at Illinois Wesleyan" - To provide professional training for young musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills while also helping local music educators who lead jazz groups by providing clinics and workshops in skills needed by educators.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $3,600
"IWU School of Music Summer Music Program" - To provide intensive and professional training for young musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills, while providing a free public concert series in the Bloomington- Normal community.
Inside Out Accessible Art Cooperative - $2,500
"IOAA Art Education" - To develop a lifelong pursuit of the arts by providing a variety of art classes at reduced cost to youth, seniors, adults and individuals with disabilities.
McLean County Historical Society - $5,000
"2021 Evergreen Cemetery Walk" - To enable schoolchildren to experience live theater while teaching them about their community's history and the importance of respecting cemeteries.
Music Connections Foundation - $4,000
"Niños y Música" - To develop English language skills in parents and children; to educate parents on how to interact actively with their children through music; and to promote positive parenting behaviors to foster optimal child development at home.
Poco a Poco Inc. - $2,000
"Poco a Poco 2021 Summer Music Fest" - To produce a summer music festival in Streator, including intensive and interactive music training and live concerts.
Prairie Fire Theatre - $2,500
"An Evening of Opera Favorites Under the Stars" - To provide a quality, free and professional operatic performance for the community the Connie Link Auditorium in Normal.
Salem4Youth - $1,500
"Music is Good for the Soul" - To provide boys in program with the chance to channel a portion of their angst into an instrument, primarily guitar or percussion instrument; boys will learn sound design and build or restore guitars.
Share the Music - $1,809
"Instrument Lending Program" - To enable participation in music programs at schools, by making instruments available to those who cannot afford them; grant made from David & Kay Williams Music Education Endowment.
Sound of Illinois, SFPEBQSA - $2,200
"2021 Central Illinois Youth in Harmony" - To draw singers from area high schools for a full day of choral instruction, small group coaching and performances.
Threshold to Hope Inc. - $1,500
"Art Instruction and Exploration for Low-Income Artists" - To increase low-income artists' skills, allowing them to experience emotional benefits of painting and assist them in creating paintings that have the potential to be sold for their financial benefit.
30 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $59,596 awarded in 2020
Atlanta Public Library District - $5,000
"Community Arts and Culture Program" - To provide access to arts and culture events and activities at little or no cost to residents of Atlanta.
BCAI School of Arts - $2,000
"BCAI Summer Arts Exposure" - To awaken and strengthen participants' innate interests and skills through vast sampling of traditional and nontraditional arts during 3-week summer arts camp.
Bloomington Center for Performing Arts - $2,000
"Taste of Broadway Performing and Visual Arts Workshop" - To provide an in-depth theater and visual arts summer camp for 40 students, ages 8-15 years old, with a performance on the BCPA main stage.
Brass Band of Central Illinois - $1,000
"2021 Spring Concert" - To help offset the cost of the 2021 spring concert that is free and open to the public and features a guest artist/soloist.
Chenoa Public Library District - $500
"Music at the Library" - To introduce children and adults to the music education opportunities available at the new library.
Children's Discovery Museum - $1,500
"Art Around You: Exploring Contemporary Art in the Community" - To provide children in 2nd to 5th grades an opportunity to view, discuss and create contemporary art; partnership with Illinois State University Galleries.
City of Pontiac - $2,000
"Rockin' at the River Summer Concert Series" - To expose the citizens of Livingston County to a broad range of musical styles and genres while providing free, family friendly entertainment.
Cultural Festival Inc. - $1,000
"A Musical Genre Showcase" - To present a variety of live music performances featuring the several genres that will be hosted by a narrator who will discuss the influences and similarities that exist among the different styles of music.
Further Jazz - $1,500
"Jazz on Film Concert Series" - To produce a series of films/concerts that will focus on jazz films and jazz-influenced films; each film will be followed by a concert featuring the music of the artist featured in the film.
Heartland Jazz Orchestra Foundation - $1,500
"History of Jazz Concert for Young People" - To expose young people to jazz and teach them the history of America's classical music to enrich their artistic appreciation of all music and jazz in particular.
Heartland Productions Inc. - $3,000
"Two New Play Programs" - To assist with the Mike Dobbins Memorial "New Plays from the Heartland" one-act play competition and "The Play's the Thing" which helps a playwright refine a full-length play.
Holiday Spectacular Inc. - $2,000
"Free Tickets for Low-Income Community Members 2020" - To underwrite the cost of free tickets to weekend afternoon performances of 2020 Holiday Spectacular; Western Avenue Community Center and Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church of Bloomington will target families to receive tickets.
Illinois State University - $1,000
"Rivulets: Fostering Engagement with Literary Arts through Spoon River Poetry Review (SRPR)" - To enrich literary arts instruction for secondary school students in contemporary poetry and creative writing practices via SRPR and workshops, as well as foster student engagement and investment in literary arts.
Illinois State University - $1,500
"Teen Arts Group at University Galleries" - To provide 15 Bloomington High School students with free opportunities to engage with contemporary art, interact with arts professionals and gain professional gallery experience.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $3,000
"Concert for Kids" - To create a highly interactive and engaging concert experience that will introduce, engage and inspire students in grades K-5 through live orchestral performance in Bloomington.
Illinois Voices Theatre - $2,500
"Seedling Theatre (including Seedling Encore)" - To provide a range of theater opportunities for special needs populations and their able-bodied peers.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $2,100
"46th Annual Jazz Festival at Illinois Wesleyan" - To provide professional training for young musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills while also helping local music educators who lead jazz groups by providing clinics and workshops in skills needed by educators.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $2,400
"IWU School of Music Summer Music Program" - To provide intensive and professional training for young musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills, while providing a free public concert series in the Bloomington- Normal community.
Inside Out Accessible Cooperative - $1,500
"IOAA Art Education" - To develop a lifelong pursuit of the arts by providing a variety of art classes at reduced cost to youth, seniors, adults and individuals with disabilities.
McLean County Arts Center - $1,000
"Sugar Creel Arts Festival" - To present festival that features artists in a variety of disciplines, children's art activities and live music.
McLean County Historical Society - $3,000
"Evergreen Memorial Cemetery Walk" - To enable schoolchildren to experience live theater while teaching them about their community's history and the importance of respecting cemeteries.
MIOpera Inc. - $2,000
"MIOperatunities Presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music" - To increase and enhance arts education through opera and musical theater in McLean County with affordable, professional and accessible performance opportunities for children and young adults.
Mt. Pulaski CUSD 23 Music Department - $2,696
"Risers for Mt. Pulaski Concerts and Logan County Music Festival"- To purchase risers, providing ample room and a safe place for students to perform; grant made from David & Kay Williams Music Education Endowment.
Music Connections Foundation - $3,000
"Niños y Música" - To develop English language skills in parents and children; to educate parents on how to interact actively with their children through music; and to promote positive parenting behaviors to foster optimal child development at home.
Normal Township Activity & Recreation Center - $2,400
"ARC Glee Club" - To combat seniors' isolation by providing an opportunity for social bonding, allowing them to experience positive emotional energy and mutual pride in the shared performance of music.
Poco a Poco Inc. - $1,500
"Poco a Poco 2020 Summer Music Fest" - To produce a summer music festival in Streator, including intensive and interactive music training and live concerts.
Prairie Fire Theatre - $2,000
"Mad About Broadway" - To bring a professional-grade classic musical theater production in September to Bloomington-Normal employing area musicians, artists and technicians.
Pt.fwd - $1,500
"Pt.fwd Artist in Residency Program" - To increase access to equitable opportunities for musicians and sound artists in McLean County and to share these opportunities with the public.
Share the Music - $1,500
"Instrument Lending Program" - To enable participation in music programs at schools, by making instruments available to those who cannot afford them.
Threshold to Hope Inc. - $2,000
"Art Instruction and Exploration for Low-Income Artists" - To increase low-income artists' skills, allowing them to experience emotional benefits of painting and assist them in creating paintings that have the potential to be sold for their financial benefit.
28 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $61,097 awarded in 2019
Atlanta Public Library District - $4,000
"The Discovery Box: Atlanta Public Library Community Programming" - To inspire creativity and experimentation with arts and cultural programs for children and adults at The Discovery Box, located in the newly acquired Union Hall Building which now houses APLD's community cultural programs.
BCAI School of Arts - $3,000
"BCAI Summer Arts Exposure" - To provide a 3-week arts immersion experience for up to 60 students (ages 8-14) in collaboration with District 87 schools; students will rotate through programming in visual, media and performance art.
Bloomington Center for Performing Arts - $2,000
"Miller Park Summer Theater" - To provide an opportunity for community performers to present a live performance free to the public in outdoor theater at Miller Park.
Brass Band of Central Illinois - $1,000
"2020 Spring Concert" - To help offset the cost of the 2020 Spring concert that is free and open to the public and features a guest artist/soloist.
Children's Discovery Museum Foundation - $1,500
"Art Around You: Exploring Contemporary Art in the Community" - To provide children in 2nd to 5th grades an opportunity to view, discuss and create contemporary art; partnership with Illinois State University Galleries.
Cultural Festival - $1,000
"Live Music Stage & Workshop" - To conduct a music segment during 40th Annual Cultural Festival featuring bands performing three distinct music genres (jazz, country and rhythm & blues) and a workshop on similarities/differences of music styles.
Further Jazz - $1,500
"Jazz on Film Concert Series at the Normal Theatre" - To produce a series of films/concerts that will focus on jazz films and jazz-influenced films; each film will be followed by a concert featuring the music of the artist featured in the film.
Heartland Productions - $4,000
"Two New Play Programs" - To assist with the Mike Dobbins Memorial "New Plays from the Heartland" one-act play competition and "The Play's the Thing" which helps a playwright refine a full-length play.
HeART Arts Council - $3,300
"Bringing an Array of Art Experiences to Heyworth and Randolph Township in 2019-20" - To support three programs: Heyworth Youth Summer Art and Music Camps, inaugural Heyworth and Randolph Township Arts Festival for local artists to show their work, and new HeART Planter Project to create community planters for streetscapes in Heyworth.
Holiday Spectacular - $2,000
"Free Tickets for Low-Income Community Members" - To underwrite the cost of free tickets to Friday night and Saturday afternoon performances of 2019 Holiday Spectacular; Western Avenue Community Center and Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church of Bloomington will target families to receive tickets.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $3,500
"ISO Concert for Kids!" - To create a highly interactive and engaging concert experience that will introduce, engage and inspire students in grades K-5 through live orchestral performance in Bloomington.
Illinois Voices Theatre - $2,500
"Seedling Theatre and Seedling Encore Performances" - To provide a range of theater opportunities for special needs populations and their able-bodied peers.
Inside Out Accessible Art (IOAA) - $2,000
"IOAA Art Education" - To develop a lifelong pursuit of the arts by providing a variety of art classes at reduced cost to youth, seniors, adults and individuals with disabilities.
Illinois State University - $4,000
"2019 Concerts on the Quad" - To provide free summer concert series that focuses on interesting and accessible music of the highest quality.
Illinois State University - $2,000
"ISU Community School for the Arts" - To support three programs: Traditional Music Lessons taught by ISU music students; Redbird Road Concerts where free performances are given in area venues; and MusicScores! instruction on the violin at two area Head Start locations.
Illinois State University - $1,000
"Teen Arts Group at University Galleries" - To provide 15 Bloomington High School students with free opportunities to engage with contemporary art, interact with arts professionals and gain professional gallery experience.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $2,000
"45th Annual Jazz Festival at IWU" - To expand program by adding additional day to the festival offering master classes and a concert on opening day.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $2,000
"The IWU Summer Music Composition Institute" - To provide an opportunity to learn about a variety of subjects in music for high school students interested in music composition.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $3,500
"IWU School of Music Summer Music Program" - To allow young musicians (ages 12-19) to perfect their skills as individual and ensemble musicians through an intensive educational experience.
Lincoln's Festival in Bloomington - $2,000
"Lincoln's Festival on Route 66" - To entertain and educate audiences with stories of Abraham Lincoln's life and times in McLean County; new this year are vintage baseball games and performances of Shakespeare works which were key to Lincoln's education.
McLean County Arts Center - $1,000
"Sugar Creek Arts Festival" - To present festival that features artists in a variety of disciplines, children's art activities and live music.
McLean County Historical Society - $2,000
"Evergreen Memorial Cemetery Walk" - To enable schoolchildren to experience live theater while teaching them about their community's history and the importance of respecting cemeteries.
Normal Township Activity & Recreation Center - $2,000
"ARC Music Enrichment Series" - To promote social engagement and well-being in older people through participation in musical activities; classes are led by music educator/music therapist and focus on a topic of mutual interest.
Prairie Central Elementary School CUSD #8 - $1,985
"General Music" - To get students to move, create, think, dance and make music using a combination of instruments and method music learning; grant will purchase instruments; grant is given through the David & Kay Williams Music Education Endowment.
Regional Alternative School/ROE 17 - $2,000
"RAS Plaza" - Sidewalk reconstruction which doubles as an art installation in collaboration with City of Bloomington; AltAction (a student/staff leadership team) and field technician from Bloomington Public Works will design the project around the theme "Where the Sidewalk Ends," a poetry book by Shel Silverstein.
Society for Preservation & Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America - $2,000
"2019 Central Illinois Youth In Harmony Festival" - To draw singers from area high schools for a full day of choral instruction, small group coaching and performances.
Threshold to Hope - $1,000
"Painting Instruction for Low-Income Artists" - To increase low-income artists' skills, allowing them to experience emotional benefits of painting and assist them in creating paintings that have the potential to be sold for their financial benefit.
West Bloomington Revitalization Project - $1,312
"Westside Mural" - To create a mural on the side of WBRP building with input from community residents, thereby beautifying the neighborhood and reflecting its unique identity to visitors and residents.
31 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $75,000 were awarded in 2018
Atlanta Public Library District-Atlanta Library - $5,000
"Community Arts & Culture Programs" - To inspire creativity and experimentation with arts and cultural programs for children and adults, including Arts Discovery Camps for K-8th grade children, library's summer reading and STEM programs, arts & crafts programs, and This Golden Age for community seniors.
Atlanta Public Library District-Atlanta Library - $2,000
"Museums on Main Street: Changes in America" - To host the Smithsonian Museums on Main Street exhibition from Feb. 1-March 16, 2019.
Bloomington-Normal Community Bells - $1,255
"Two Octave Set of Choirchimes" - To complete the necessary instruments for a complement of four octaves of hand bells and three octaves of choirchimes necessary for optimum performance of compositions.
Brass Band of Central Illinois - $1,000
"Spring 2019 Concert" - To help offset costs associated with concert that is free and open to the public.
Children's Discovery Museum Foundation - $2,500
"Art Around You: Exploring Contemporary Art in the Community" - To provide an opportunity for children in 2nd-5th grades to view, discuss and create contemporary art in collaboration with ISU University Galleries.
Corpus Christi Catholic School - $1,600
"PreK-8th Grade General Music Program" - To increase knowledge of rhythmic playing through the purchase of world drums and student guitars.
Cultural Festival Inc. - $2,000
"Arts Voices Matter (Workshop & Jazz Concert)" - To provide opportunity for musicians to gain valuable insight, advice and knowledge about pursuing a career in the music field through workshop facilitated by Kenya M. Johnson.
Further Jazz Inc. - $1,750
"Jazz Films Series at the Normal Theater" - To educate the community about jazz musicians through films on their lives followed by live concerts featuring the artist's music at the Normal Theater.
Heartland Head Start Inc. - $2,630
"Enhancing Art & Culture at Heartland Head Start" - To enhance awareness and knowledge of the arts and cultural activities for children and families at Heartland Head Start through a theater experience for preschoolers, poetry books in each classroom and a lending library of books about culture and the arts.
Heartland Jazz Orchestra Foundation - $2,000
"History of Jazz Concert for Young People" - To spark K-12 students' appreciation of jazz music by experiencing high-level performances while encouraging students to learn a musical instrument.
Heartland Productions Inc. - $2,000
"Play Reading Program - New Plays from the Heartland" - To encourage playwrights through the Mike Dobbins Memorial "New Plays from the Heartland," a one-act play competition for short plays.
Heyworth and Randolph Township Arts Council (HeART) - $3,000
"Expanding Arts Programming for Heyworth and Randolph Township" - To improve the cultural life in greater Heyworth area through Heyworth Youth Summer Art Camp and creation of community artwork to be displayed publicly.
Illinois State University - $3,300 "2018 Concerts on the Quad" - To fund performance fees for two free concerts - Ashley Lewis and Creole Stomp. Concerts provide audiences with a wide range of musical genres, broadening their musical horizons.
Illinois State University - $4,000
"CPA Lighting Enhancement" - To enhance lighting at ISU's Center for Performing Arts, a new indoor venue for one of Illinois Shakespeare Festival's plays in 2018.
Illinois State University - $3,500
"ISU Community School for the Arts" - To promote the arts in the community through various music programs and improve children's attitudes toward the study of music.
Illinois State University - $2,900
"ISU String Project" - To provide quality string education to students in McLean and Livingston counties who have no access to a public school program and to provide practical teacher training for ISU string majors. Grant will fund one graduate assistant and purchase of a new half-size cello.
Illinois State University - $3,000
"MIOperatunities Presents Pirates of Penzance" - To educate the community about opera by funding Midwest Institute of Opera's performance of "Pirates of Penzance."
Illinois State University - $1,865
"Teen Arts Council at University Galleries of ISU" - To increase high school students' access to visual arts-based opportunities. This pilot program will provide 15 students with curator-led tours of exhibits, allow them to make their own art projects and learn about professional development and career planning.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra Inc. - $5,000
"Concerts for Kids - Peter and the Wolf with the Magic Circle Mime Company" - To provide more than 800 free tickets to Concert for Kids to McLean County elementary students from low-income neighborhoods; grant partially funded by the David & Kay Williams Music Education Endowment.
Illinois Voices Theatre - $1,500
"All You Need is Love - Seedling's Summer Lovin' Theatre Camp" - To deliver a two-week summer theater camp where adults with disabilities will develop, rehearse and perform a theatrical showcase of scenes featuring the theme of love.
Illinois Voices Theatre - $1,000
"Seedling Encore, Fall 2018 and Spring 2019" - To provide an opportunity for all adults with disabilities to enjoy and learn more about the process of performing theater through two sessions culminating in theater productions.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $1,200
"44th Annual Illinois Wesleyan Jazz Festival" - To expand jazz festival from a one-day event to a two-day event for middle and high school students. The festival will support 800 students and 50-100 adults.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $3,800
"IWU School of Music Summer Music Program" - To provide intensive, professional training for young string and chamber music musicians and a free public concert series in Bloomington-Normal.
Inside Out Accessible Art - $1,500
"IOAA Art Education" - To provide "building block" art experiences to the community that are accessible to all while integrating all ages, abilities and levels of artists in order to recognize the potential of individual expression through art.
Lincoln's Festival in Bloomington - $2,000
"Lincoln's Festival on Route 66" - To host and promote existing and new programs celebrating Abraham Lincoln's connections to the Route 66 corridor while exploring the influence of Shakespeare's literature on Lincoln's life.
McLean County Arts Center - $2,000
"Sugar Creek Arts Festival" - To showcase the artists to residents of Central Illinois by providing a venue for working artists, craftspeople and musicians in a variety of disciplines, in addition to providing children's art activities and live music on two stages.
McLean County Historical Society - $2,500
"2018 Evergreen Memorial Cemetery Walk" - To enable schoolchildren to experience live theater while teaching them about their community's history and the importance of respecting cemeteries.
Music Connections Foundation - $4,000
"Niños y Música" - To help Spanish-speaking parents and children develop English language skills, to educate parents on how to interact actively with their children through music and to promote positive parenting behaviors to foster optimal child development.
Prairie Fire Theatre - $3,000
"Free Children's Tickets to The Secret Garden Performance" - To provide free tickets to children (age 12 and younger) to attend two matinee performances of the musical "The Secret Garden" by Lucy Simon.
Share the Music - $1,500
"Share the Music Instrument Lending Program" - To collect quality, serviceable musical instruments through an instrument recycling program and loan them at low (or no) cost to music education students in elementary school through high school who cannot afford instrument rentals.
Sheridan School - $700
"Bum-Bah, Bum-Bah, Bum, Bum, Bum … Drumming Resources for Rhythmic Competency" - To purchase supplies for 30 can drum kits for classroom and resources for teaching the rhythm material to students; grant fully funded by the David & Kay Williams Music Education Endowment.
23 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $71,672 were awarded in 2017
Atlanta Public Library District - $6,000
"Eureka!" to draw together children in grades K - 9 in a collaborative environment that will develop their appreciation for both created works of art and the creative process. Curriculum is tailored to three different age groups.
Bloomington #1 Chapter of SPEBSQSA (Sound of Illinois Chorus) - $4,500
"Youth in Harmony Festival" to increase the quality and enjoyment of a cappella singing as a lifelong activity that builds self-esteem, encourages teamwork and demonstrates how our differences increase the quality and value of the performance.
Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts - $3,000
"Student Spotlight Series" to present six professional touring educational shows that will meet Illinois Learning Standards and complement area educators' curriculum while introducing or expanding the experience of theater arts in a professional theater venue to over 5,000 area youth and educators.
Central Elementary School, Pontiac - $1,200
"Student Enrichment Activities" to enable 416 students and teachers in grades pre-K - 1 to attend a professional theater production of "Harry the Dirty Dog". The activity will provide an introductory theater experience, both as an audience member and behind the scenes, while the content of the play promotes making good choices. The program meets several Illinois State Learning Standards.
Children's Discovery Museum - $2,000
"Art Around You: Exploring Contemporary Art in the Community" to support a partnership with University Galleries that provides approximately 250 children in grades 2 -5 the opportunity to view and discuss contemporary art and to participate in art-making activities.
DeWitt County Museum Association - $2,000
"Photograph Collection Preservation Project" to organize and safely store the museum's photograph collection in archival quality folders and boxes to prevent the photos from deteriorating.
Further Jazz - $2,500
"Jazz at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival-40th Anniversary Season" to provide free, high-quality jazz programs to the general public in the courtyard of Ewing Cultural Center before Friday evening performances of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival.
Heartland Jazz Orchestra Foundation - $2,500
"History of Jazz Concert for Young People" to provide concert/workshops for students in grades K-12 that explore the history and development of jazz as America's classic music. Students will learn about various jazz styles, the sounds of various instruments, and how they interact in an ensemble.
HEART-Heyworth and Randolph Township Arts Council - $3,985
"Heyworth Youth Summer Art Camp and Community Mural Rejuvenation" to provide four week-long summer arts camps that provide art enrichment, development of art skills, and positive social experiences. Funds will also be used to preserve and improve a mural that was completed by high school students a decade ago.
Heartland Theatre Company - $4,500
"Assistive Listening for Heartland Theatre" to provide audience members who are hearing impaired a full theatre experience and to comply with ADA guidelines. Funds will pay for purchase and installation of a system that can accommodate 12 people per performance.
Illinois State University - $3,000
"ISU String Project" to provide quality string education to students in McLean and Livingston Counties who have no access to a public school program and to provide practical teacher training for ISU string majors. The grant will serve 130 students and 25-30 ISU undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants.
Illinois State University - $3,500
"ISU Community School for the Arts" to engage students at Heartland Head Start in activities through the MusicScores! Program that will foster the development of appreciation for music and the arts and promote their cognitive growth.
Illinois State University - $3,400
"2017 Concerts on the Quad" to fund performance fees for two free concerts - Ameranouche and the April Verch Band. Concerts provide audiences with a wide range of musical genres that broaden their musical horizons.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $5,000
"The ISO Concert for Kids" to provide the opportunity for over 700 low income students from McLean County to attend the concert at no cost.
Illinois Theatre Consortium - $2,500
"Seedling Encore: Theatre Program for Adults with Disabilities" to provide actor training, prepare a polished public performance, and provide community and social engagement for adults with disabilities.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $1,200
"43rd Annual Illinois Wesleyan Jazz Festival" to provide intensive and professional training for middle school and high school musicians, increasing their knowledge and skills, while providing fee public concerts in the Bloomington-Normal community.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $4,548
"IWU School of Music Summer Music Programs" to provide intensive, professional training for young string and chamber music musicians and a free public concert series in Bloomington-Normal.
Lincoln's Festival in Bloomington Committee - $2,000
"Lincoln's Festival on Route 66" to host and promote existing and new programs related to McLean County's Abraham Lincoln and Route 66 stories that will entertain and engage the public and generate economic activity in participating communities along the Route 66 White Carpet Corridor.
McLean County Historical Society - $5,000
"2017 Evergreen Cemetery Walk" to enable schoolchildren to experience live theater while teaching them about their community's history and the importance of respecting cemeteries.
Milestones Early Learning Center & Preschool - $2,500
"Celebrate the Artist in You" to provide a summer arts program for the school's 100 children. Funds will purchase age-appropriate curricula, supplies for art projects, and transportation for field trips.
Music Connections Foundation - $4,339
"Niños y Música" to help Spanish-speaking parents and children develop English language skills, to educate parents on how to interact actively with their children through music, and to promote positive parenting behaviors to foster optimal child development.
Penguin Project of McLean County - $1,000
"Penguin Project" to provide an opportunity for young people with disabilities to develop creative skills related to the theater arts.
Share the Music - $1,500
"Music Instrument Lending Program" to collect quality, serviceable musical instruments through an instrument recycling program and loan them at low (or no) cost to music education students in elementary school through high school who cannot afford instrument rentals.
28 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $76,434 were awarded in 2016
Atlanta Public Library District - $5,000
"Eureka!" to support a program that aims to increase understanding and appreciation of the creative process and art-making among children and young people through a 3-week summer arts program with foci on theatre, visual art, and vocal music/dance.
Brass Band of Central Illinois - $2,000
"Spring 2017 Concert" to help offset the facility fee for the 2017 Spring concert that is free and open to the public.
Chenoa Public Library District - $1,360
"Acting Out at the Library" to support a program that links the world of books with creative play-writing and performance by children and teens.
Children's Discovery Museum - $4,000
"Hello From Japan" to support Art Studio activities centering on kawaii style art in conjunction with a visiting exhibition that explores the co-existence of traditional and modern Japanese cultural values and attitudes.
Conexiones Latinas de McLean County - $2,500
"Ballet Folklorico de Central Illinois" to support expansion of the Ballet Folklorico as a means of enriching the cultural experience of local Latinas and the community at large through native Mexican dance.
Cultural Festival, Inc. - $3,000
"Jazz Appreciation & Workshop" to fund the performance fee for Adam Larson & The Manhattan Project Band at the 2016 Cultural Festival.
Heartland Head Start - $5,000
"Put the Arts Back in Head Start" to expand exposure to art and culture by providing art supplies, costumes for dramatic play, and simple musical instruments for children ages infant to 5.
Heartland Theatre Company - $1,000
"Young at Heartland Senior Acting Program" to subsidize program fees to keep them at an affordable price for seniors who wish to participate in the program.
Illinois State University - Illinois Shakespeare Festival - $4,000
"ISF 2016 Fun For Families Brochure" to help a larger audience have access to free and deeply discounted arts programming for families and young audiences through wide distribution of a "Fun for Families" brochure.
Illinois State University - $5,000
"MIOperatunities" to expose children, families, senior citizens, and people with special needs to the opera genre and to foster appreciation and understanding of opera.
Illinois State University - $2,300
"2016 Concerts on the Quad" to fund performance fees for two concerts. "Harpeth Rising" fuses folk, newgrass, rock and classical into a unique musical experience. "The 33rd Illinois Regiment Band" is an authentic re-creation of the actual Civil War Era band that was mustered at Illinois State Normal University in 1861.
Illinois State University - $3,495
"ISU String Project" to provide quality string education to students who have no access to a public school program and to provide practical teacher training for ISU string majors. (Operates primarily in McLean County and Fairbury in Livingston County.)
Illinois State University, College of Fine Arts - $2,500
"Festival of India" to showcase aspects of Indian culture to the community at large to foster understanding, acceptance, and mutual respect.
Illinois State University, College of Fine Arts - AsiaConnect - $1,400
"The 2017 Asian Film Festival" to enhance understanding and appreciation of Asian cultures, increase interaction and communication between the Asian and local communities, and create an awareness of intercultural perspectives.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $5,000
"Free Tickets to Concert for Kids to Low-Income Students" to help enable all McLean County students in 3rd through 5th grades to attend the ISO Concert for Kids in November 2016.
Illinois Theatre Consortium - $1,000
"Seedling Encore: Theatre Program for Adults with Disabilities" to provide actor training, prepare a polished public performance, and provide community and social engagement for adults with disabilities.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $2,000
"IWU Civic Orchestra Conductor's Institute" to promote opportunities for junior high and high school orchestral music students to receive professional instruction, and to provide training and access to best practices to their school music directors and conductors.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $4,800
"IWU School of Music Summer Music Programs" to provide intensive, professional training for young musicians and a free public concert series in Bloomington-Normal.
Inside Out Accessible Art - $3,000
"IOAA Art Education Program" to pay for art supplies needed to provide affordable, integrated and accessible basic level art education to individuals with disabilities, seniors, and the community at large.
Labyrinth Outreach Services to Women - $2,524
"Art Therapy for Recovery" to expose clients of Labyrinth to art mediums which they may embrace as part of their "healing tool box" to help them gain healthier living strategies.
Lincoln's Festival in Bloomington - $2,500
"Lincoln's Festival in Bloomington" to create programs and activities that will tell and preserve the local stories of Abraham Lincoln's life and times.
Odell Public Library District - $1,200
"How Does Your Garden Grow?" to promote reading over the six-week period when school is not in session to help students maintain reading skills.
Share the Music - $2,000
"Share the Music" to collect quality, serviceable musical instruments through an instrument recycling program and loan them at low (or no) cost to music education students in elementary school through high school who cannot afford instrument rentals.
St. Mary's Catholic School - $3,000
"St. Mary's Catholic School Music Education Program" to increase student knowledge of multi-cultural music so as to promote acceptance and appreciation of diversity; drum circles provide a safe place for children to experience improvisation, community, and team-building.
Sugar Grove Nature Center - $2,355
"Pigs on the Prairie Puppet Show" to share the art of puppetry and live theatre with youth and families while in an environment that fosters nature stewardship and awareness and appreciation of wild animals.
USA Ballet (Prairie Dance Theatre) - $1,500
"ABC…Dance" to introduce and expand awareness of dance and its benefits to pre- and elementary-school students at five schools in McLean and DeWitt Counties.
YWCA McLean County - $3,000
"Young Wonder Early Learning" to provide art experiences and exploration necessary for children to fully develop cognitive, social and motor abilities.
28 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $76,750 were awarded in 2015
Atlanta Public Library District - $5,000
"Eureka!" - To develop a sense of artistic discovery in children and young people through a 3-week summer arts discovery camp, a monthly reading and art program, and after-school art clubs in creative writing and visual art.
Bandsavers - $3,250
"Instrumental Music in District 429 Pontiac Community Consolidated Schools" - To support the instrumental music programs in grades 5 through 8 and an after school glee club for 7th and 8th grade students.
Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts - $3,000
"BCPA Student Spotlight Series" - To engage Pre-K through 12th grade students in the arts through live theatrical performance and residency programming that will compliment and expand in-classroom programs and activities that meet Illinois Learning Standards.
Brass Band of Central Illinois - $1,700
"New Music and Arrangements for 2015/2016 Concert Season" - To purchase new music and arrangements to increase the music library and enhance and expand concert selections.
Children's Discovery Museum - $3,000
"Creative Arts Camps" - To expose children K through 6th grade in creative arts elements and experiences related to puppetry, musical theater, dance, set design, prop development and costume creation.
Children's Home + Aid - $2,000
"Art Education at the Scott Early Learning Center" - To enrich the care and education children receive through weekly expressive or multicultural art activities and a monthly visit by a community artist.
Clinton Community YMCA - $1,000
"Arts & Humanities Program" - To provide seven weekly classes for 6th through 8th grade students that will introduce and engage them in sculpting, painting and/or drawing.
Cultural Festival - $2,000
"Cultural Festival African Dance Workshop" - To provide a free summer African Dance Workshop which provides youth of various ages professional instruction on the art and history of African dance and incorporates the teaching of African drumming.
David Davis Mansion - $1,950
"Historic Costume Collection" - To purchase men's costumes that accurately reflect the styles from the 1870s to be used in history education programming that uses live actors.
Heartland Theatre Company - $3,000
"Tribes" - To hire an interpreter for the deaf at performances of "Tribes" and to teach sign language to cast members to be used within a play that deals with conflicts between deaf and hearing cultures.
Home Sweet Home Ministries - $1,000
"Accessible Art: Engaged in Community" - To introduce community-based arts education opportunities to men, women, and children who are clients of HSHM.
Illinois State University's Midwest Institute of Opera - $4,000
"MIOperatunities" - To enrich the community through high quality, accessible, free opera performances, presentations and hands-on activities.
Illinois State University's School of Music - $2,900
"2014 Concerts on the Quad" - To fund performances by the musical groups Panoramic and the Jodi Beach Trio.
Illinois State University - $3,300
"ISU String Project" - To offer low-cost instruction from ISU School of Music faculty and undergraduate and graduate students on orchestral stringed instruments to children primarily in McLean and Livingston Counties.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $4,000
"Free Tickets for Low Income Students to ISO Concert for Kids" - To provide tickets and transportation for low income students and schools to attend ISO's "Concert for Kids" in April, 2016.
Illinois Theatre Consortium's Seedling Theatre - $1,500
"Seedling Encore" - To begin a new aspect of Seedling Theatre's mission by extending participation in theatrical productions to adults with disabilities who are 18 years of age or older where previously this experience was only available to children and youth with disabilities.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $1,500
"Civic Orchestra Conductor's Institute" - To conduct a one-day intensive program of instruction, guidance, and collaboration for junior high and high school music directors and their students.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $3,000
"Summer Music Program" - To provide a two- to three-week intensive educational experience for musicians aged 12 to 17 in which they are immersed in professional training with music faculty and professional guest artists.
Lincoln's Festival in Bloomington - $2,000
"Lincoln's Festival in Bloomington" - To produce an annual event that celebrates Abraham Lincoln's connection to Bloomington-Normal and surrounding communities through Civil War reenactments, tours of historic sites, lectures, and theatrical, cultural, and musical presentations.
Marcfirst - $4,000
"Marc Making" - To provide self-employment opportunities to individuals with developmental disabilities to create and market their artwork through assistance in technique and the business aspects of being a professional artist.
McLean County Arts Center - $4,000
"ROVER Mobile Arts Center" - To provide three-week teaching residencies at 10 high schools and junior high schools in McLean County that do not typically offer art classes, culminating in a professional gallery exhibition of the students' work.
McLean County Diversity Project - $1,000
"The Laramie Project" - To stage two performances of "The Laramie Project" at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts by high school students who participate in MCDP.
Music Connections Foundation - $4,450
"Ninos y Musica" - To provide a bilingual Kindermusik early childhood music education program for low-income Hispanic children which encourages learning English in the home to aid language development necessary for success in school and community.
Odell Public Library District - $1,000
"Summer Reading - Read to the Rhythm" - To provide a six-week summer reading program primarily to help K through 6th grade children retain reading skills through books, activities, and programs related to music.
Penguin Project of McLean County - $5,000
"Penguin Project" - To enable a theatrical troupe of young artists with developmental delays and disabilities, and their peer mentors, to perform modified versions of Broadway musicals.
Regional Alternative School - $4,000
"Westside Story: Creating a Public Work of Art" - To produce a public work of art created by RAS students under the tutelage of professional mural artist, Joel Bergner, that bridges Downtown Bloomington with the West Side.
Share the Music - $1,200
"Share the Music" - To collect quality, serviceable musical instruments through an instrument recycling program and loan them at low (or no) cost to music education students in elementary school through high school who cannot afford instrument rentals.
YWCA McLean County - $3,000
"Young Wonders Music Program" - To educate young children about different types and origins of music and encouraging self-expression through music.
22 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $57,600 were awarded in 2014
Atlanta Public Library District - $5,000
"Arts Discovery Camp" - Program provides up to 90 children K-5 the opportunity to work with professional artists in theater, music and visual arts and to perform or display their works for the public.
Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts - $3,000
"BCPA Student Spotlight Series" - Goal is to engage 5,000 students and teachers Pre-K through 12 with live theatrical performance and residency programming that will compliment and expand in-classroom programs and activities that meet Illinois Learning Standards.
Brass Band of Central Illinois - $3,000
"Spring 2015 Concert" - Group's mission is to increase awareness and appreciation of the traditional British brass band style of instrumental music. Grant will pay for a visiting artist to perform at the Spring 2015 concert.
Community Players Theatre - $1,720
"Of Mice and Men School Production" - Students from middle school up will be able to attend a live performance during the school day and to participate in a Q&A session with the actors. Teachers will have access to curriculum and lesson plans aligned with the play's themes.
Conexiones Latinas de McLean County - $4,142
"Ballet Folklorico de Central Illinois" - This new program will use qualified instructors to teach up to 20 students traditional Mexican dance, history and geography with a public performance planned at the end of 8 weeks. Primary expense is start-up costs for costumes and equipment.
Girls Scouts of Central Illinois- $2,000
"Art at Peairs" - Program is a multi-disciplinary summer camp where 90-150 girls in grades 1-5 will work with local arts professionals, volunteers, and Girl Scouts staff to expand their creative capacities and learn to collaborate with one another.
Heartland Theatre Company - $2,310
"The Glass Menagerie" - HTC will provide an opportunity for area high school students to attend a special showing of the production with a talk-back afterwards. Students will receive information about the play from local experts in drama and in family dynamics.
Home Sweet Home Ministries - $700
"Creative Expressions" - Program will provide opportunities for homeless men, women and children to express themselves through creative arts in order to promote self-expression and build self-esteem among individuals who often lack confidence in their abilities and self-worth.
Illinois Shakespeare Festival - $2,500
"Modern Shakespeare for Modern Youth" - Disadvantaged youth from the Regional Alternative School will adapt Shakespeare's work into a contemporary and accessible form while earning academic credit in a school where there are no formal arts courses.
Illinois State University - $699
"Boys and Girls Club Friday Arts Experience" - ISU teacher candidates teach seven 1½-hour open-ended arts lessons to a multi-aged group of 20-35 children. Funding is for supplies.
Illinois State University - $3,250
"2014 Concerts on the Quad" - Grant will pay for performances at two concerts by the groups L'Esprit Creole and Switchback.
Illinois State University - $2,000
"Saturday Creative Drama for Kids" - Program will teach approximately 200 children K-6 about the elements of drama and will gain a stronger social awareness, skills in empathy, enhanced creativity and appreciation of theater.
Illinois State University - $2,000
"ISU String Project" - Program offers low-cost instruction from ISU School of Music faculty and undergraduate and graduate students on orchestral stringed instruments to children primarily in McLean and Livingston counties.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $3,500
"Free Tickets for Low Income Students to ISO Concert for Kids" - Grant will provide tickets and transportation for elementary school students to attend ISO's The Concert for Kids.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $1,500
"Summer Music Program" - Program provides intensive music camps for junior and senior high school students with instruction from professional musicians. The camps present faculty and student concerts for the community.
Labyrinth Outreach Services to Women - $2,559
"A New Vision of Me" - Program will provide women the opportunity to deal with the issues that resulted in their court involvement through creative channels and to facilitate therapeutic conversations with the case worker. A public art show is planned.
McLean County Arts Center - $5,000
"ROVER: Mobile Arts Center" -A rural outreach program designed to encourage, promote, and practice visual arts for youth and adults who reside in McLean County. Thirty workshops will conclude with an all-inclusive exhibition of the participant's' works.
Midwest Institute of Opera - $3,500
"MIOpportunities" - Program seeks to enrich the community through high quality, accessible, free opera performances, presentations and hands-on activities. Grant will help pay for production costs.
Odell Public Library District - $1,000
"Paws to Read Summer Reading 2014" - Summer reading program designed to help K-6 children maintain their reading skills over the summer. Activities will include photography projects and a pictorial project using drawings, collage or photography of their favorite animals.
Share the Music - $3,000
"Share the Music" - An instrument recycling program that accepts quality, serviceable musical instruments, rehabilitates and refurbishes them, and provides them at low (or no) cost to financially qualified El-Hi students in music education
University Galleries at ISU - $4,086
"All Around Art" - Program provides free visual arts workshops that encourage use of a range of materials. The focus is on middle- and high school-aged students but will include age appropriate lessons for K-5. Adults will be encouraged to participate during community engagement activities.
Western Avenue Community Center - $1,134
"Summer Camp" - Program brings 6 different local artists to discuss their art. Campers then participate in a workshop in which they create a piece of art similar to the visiting artist's.
21 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $51,364 were awarded in 2013
Atlanta Public Library and Museum - $3,500
"Children's Discovery Camp" - To support a three-week arts day camp for children from 1st through 6th grades.
Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts - $2,500
"Summer Concert Series" - To assist with artist fees for Bayou Blowout, a Mardi Gras/Louisiana- themed event on June 22, 2013.
Blues Blowtorch Society - $1,000
"Keeping the Blues Alive: Blues in the Schools" - To support interactive programming for children aged 17 years and younger that fosters an appreciation of the American heritage known as "The Blues."
Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal - $940
"Mini Masters" - To purchase music and guitar stands, recorders, harmonicas and a music library for free music lessons taught by Illinois Wesleyan University students.
Community Cancer Center - $3,000
"Wall of Hope" - To purchase canvases, mounting panels, framing, paint, and other supplies for patients, families, staff and local artists to create images of hope and promote healing and well-being. Approximately 150 works will be permanently displayed.
Downtown Bloomington Association - $5,000
"Downtown Bloomington Mural Project" - To assist with visiting artist expenses in creating a high-quality work of public art. A group of local youth will participate and have unique opportunities to learn about mural painting and artistic collaboration.
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - $2,000
"Art at Peairs" - To support 40 girls in grades 1 through 8 in their exploration of various art media including portraiture, collaborative book-making, and sculpting at Camp Peairs.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $3,000
"Education Concerts for Kindergarten - 6th Grade" - To help provide free tickets and busing to the Education Concerts in 2014 for those students/schools unable to pay.
Illinois Wesleyan University - $1,500
"Summer Music Program" - To support scholarships to local junior and senior high school students for intensive summer music study at the Chamber Music and Cello Camps.
ISU School of Art - $5,000
"Friday Arts Experience" - To purchase supplies for 14 art lessons, 40 children per session, taught by ISU student volunteers at the Bloomington-Normal Boys and Girls Club.
ISU School of Music- $3,000
"2013 Concerts on the Quad" - To pay artist fees for the group Tangleweed, a quartet of musicians from Chicago.
ISU School of Theatre and Dance - $1,500
"Creative Drama and Puppetry Programs for Kids" - To support creative drama classes for youth in grades K-6 in which students explore literature, world issues, and social/personal awareness through the art of drama and puppetry.
ISU String Project - $1,000
"ISU String Project Development and Expansion" - To assist the ISU String Project to continue to develop and expand its offerings, particularly at its outreach classes in Fairbury.
McLean County Arts Center - $3,000
"ROVER: Mobile Arts Center Workshops" - To support a 10-month program of three visual art workshops a month throughout McLean County that build on foundations created from past Mirza grant opportunities.
Moses Montefiore Congregation - $1,350
"Stories for a Soul: A Journey through Israel with Artist-in-Residence Noa Baum" - To help with artist fees for a weekend community event.
Music Connections Foundations - $3,104
"Niños y Música: A Bilingual Early Childhood Music Education Program" - To partially fund two 12-week semesters of classes that serve approximately 20 children aged three months to five years and 24 to 35 adults who attend with their children.
Salvation Army - $2,500
"Youth Night" - To support programming designed to broaden the horizons of 30 to 40 youth by providing them the opportunity to learn music, dance, and arts and crafts.
Twin Cities Ballet - $1,000
"Nutcracker" - To help with expenses for matinee productions so that Twin Cities Ballet can expand the audience of school children and other groups who otherwise could not afford to attend a performance.
University Galleries of Illinois State University- $3,250
"Rural Documentary Collection Youth Project" - To provide trained documentary photographers and materials for workshops for approximately 100 youth and to mount photo exhibitions of the youths' work at ISU Galleries and the McLean, Livingston and Woodford County Fairs.
USA Ballet - $2,500
"Summer Dance" - To provide 10 full scholarships for the entire summer term - unlimited classes - for eligible students ages 3 through 17 and help with fees for the performance venue.
Western Avenue Community Center - $1,720
"Western Avenue Summer Academy" - To provide art instruction and materials for 12 ninety-minute workshops at the McLean County Art Center for 25 low-income, at-risk students.
17 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $26,200 were awarded in 2012
Atlanta Public Library and Museum - $2,000
"Saturdays on the Lawn" - To support five days of visual and performing arts activities on the grounds of the Library. The recommended grant will pay for two days of activities.
Community Players - $540
To provide sign language interpretation once for each of the season performances, Theatre for Youth production, the Lab Show and the 90th anniversary event. The recommended grant will pay for two performances as a pilot program to assess need and usage.
Cultural Festival - $1,000
To sponsor a performance by virtuoso violinist Lee England, Jr. at the 33rd annual Cultural Festival Weekend. The recommended grant will provide partial payment for Lee England or funding for a separate opera program outlined in the proposal.
Illinois Shakespeare Festival - $3,000
"Hispanic Theatre Puppet Troupe" - To establish, in collaboration with Western Avenue Community Center, a Hispanic puppet troupe to perform bilingual shows about Shakespeare's work, classical theatre, and Hispanic culture. The recommended grant will partially fund the project.
ISU School of Art - $725
To purchase supplies for fourteen art lessons, forty children per session, taught by ISU student volunteers at the Bloomington-Normal Boys and Girls Club.
ISU School of Music - $1,800
"2012 Concerts on the Quad" - To pay artists' fees for Ashley Lewis and Ashton Gap, a bluegrass band, and Jimmy's Bavarians, a traditional family-oriented show band. Recommended grant will pay for the bluegrass performance.
ISU School of Music- $1,000
"String Project" - To expand offerings of the ISU String Project at outreach classes in Fairbury.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $3,000
To provide up to 25 buses, up to 1,000 free tickets, or a combination of both for students/schools, unable to pay, to attend ISO's Education Concerts. Recommended grant will partially fund the program.
Illinois Theatre Consortium - $300
To purchase T-shirts for campers and staff at Seedling Summer Lovin' Theatre Camp for special needs children and young adults.
IWU Summer Music Program - $1,500
To support more than 25 free concerts to the public and scholarships to low-income students for intensive summer music study.
McLean County Arts Center - $2,650
To provide support and materials for 25 pen and ink workshops throughout the community in collaboration with a group exhibition titled "In Your Neighborhood."
McLean County Diversity Project - $500
To assist with the rental fee of the Bloomington Center for Performing Arts for the Diversity Project's production of "The Miracle Worker."
Music Connections Foundation - $2,245
"Ninos y Musica: A Bilingual Early Childhood Music Education Program" - To fund two 12-week semesters of classes for 12-15 students aged three months to five years and their mothers. Recommended grant will pay for one semester.
Odell Public Library District - $500
To fund two arts-related programs for the Reading Is So Delicious summer program.
UNITY Community Center - $800
To provide ballet instruction, dance slippers, and exercise clothing for 30 to 50 at-risk youth.
University Galleries - $2,740
"Mobile Projects Unit: TEAM (Teen Education & Art Mentors)" - To fund school travel to and from the gallery and art materials for approximately 300 students. Recommended grant will partially fund program.
Western Avenue Community Center - $1,900
To support the Summer Academy's percussion and art sessions for approximately 25 low-income, at-risk students. Recommended grant will pay for percussion sessions.
11 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $20,000 were awarded in 2011
Bloomington-Normal Youth Symphony - $1,000
To provide clinicians for a musician workshop in Fall 2011 as part of preparation for the youth symphony's fall concert.
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - $1,500
To fund "Artrageous!," a five-day program to introduce 40 to 100 girls in grades 1 to 6 to various art media including dance, theatre, creative writing, painting, sculpting, and photography.
Illinois Shakespeare Festival - $900
To fund "Bard on the Air," broadcast programming based on Shakespeare to be aired on WXRJ to expose new populations and generations to the arts.
Illinois State University - $2,100
"Concerts on the Quad" - To pay artists' fees for outdoor summer concerts.
McLean County Arts Center - $3,500
To provide funding for a juried watercolor exhibition and watercolor classes and workshops in conjunction with the exhibition. To provide classes and workshops for underserved youth and promotion of the event.
McLean County Dance Association- $750
To purchase three mirrors to better utilize dance studio space.
McLean County Diversity Project - $500
To help fund the May 2011 performance by program participants of "The Diary of Anne Frank" at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts.
Music Connections Foundation - $2,200
To help fund a unique bilingual Kindermusik program for low income Hispanic children to encourage learning English in the home and to aid language development necessary for success in school.
Penguin Project of McLean County - $750
To support a program in which young persons with disabilities are partnered with peer age mentors in performing a junior version of a Broadway production.
Prairie Fire Theatre - $3,000
To fund a tour of approximately 30 Central Illinois elementary schools and organizations with a one-act opera production of "The Ugly Duckling."
University Galleries - $3,800
To fund "Picture This," a research-driven, standards-based educational program for regional junior/senior high students to use visual art to excite critical/creative thinking.
2 Mirza/Arts and Culture Grants totaling $2,006 were awarded in 2010
Community Players - $1,506
"Hearing Assistance Program" - To provide free hearing assistance system that will be integrated with sound system to better serve patrons.
Illinois State University - $500
"String Project" - To provide low-cost instruction on stringed instruments to students who have no access to school programs.
Sol Shulman Jewish Life and Education Grants
Dr. Sol Shulman, a long-time professor of chemistry at Illinois State University and Holocaust survivor, left a generous bequest to Illinois Prairie Community Foundation to establish an endowment. His wishes were that distributions from the endowment be used to fund programs that focus on Jewish educational programs and materials, Jewish-themed arts, music, and theater programs, and Jewish cultural enrichment programs in McLean County that are open to all.
2 Sol Shulman Jewish Life and Education Grants totaling $17,870 in 2023
Illinois Symphony Orchestra Inc. - $4,000
"Orchestra Around the Town Free Concert Series" - To celebrate the legacy of Sol Shulman by partnering with Moses Montefiore Temple to increase awareness of Jewish composers through a free concert in fall 2023 or spring 2024 at the temple.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $13,840
"Building a Sacred Community Through Music" - To provide supplemental training and learning experiences for various congregant members and students to serve as song-leaders and leaders.
4 Sol Shulman Jewish Life and Education Grants totaling $20,600 awarded in 2022.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra Inc. - $4,000
"Orchestra Around the Town Free Concert Series" - To celebrate the legacy of Sol Shulman by partnering with Moses Montefiore Temple to increase awareness of Jewish composers through a free concert in fall 2022 or spring 2023 at the Temple.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $6,600
"Jewish Life and Culture Fest" - To increase engagement, education and awareness of the MMT Jewish Community within Bloomington-Normal and surrounding areas.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $3,000
"Music Enrichment/Songleader" - To provide a structured and ongoing program of music enrichment and education to all who attend services and to families and children enrolled in the Religious School.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $7,000
"Tech in the Temple" - To connect to Temple members, bringing them religious, social and education opportunities and expand religious reach outside the walls of the synagogue by purchasing permanent video, streaming and sound equipment for the temple.
4 Shulman Grants totaling $13,500 awarded in 2021
Illinois Symphony Orchestra Inc. - $2,500
"Orchestra Around the Town Free Concert Series" - To celebrate the legacy of Sol Shulman by partnering with Moses Montefiore Temple to increase awareness of Jewish composers through a free concert in fall 2021 or spring 2022 at the Temple.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $3,000
"Music Enrichment/Songleader" - To provide a structured and ongoing program of music enrichment and education to all who attend services and to families and children enrolled in the Religious School.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $5,000
"Tech in the Temple" - To connect to Temple members, bringing them religious, social and education opportunities and expand religious reach outside the walls of the synagogue through the purchase of a permanent video, streaming and sound equipment at the temple.
Regional Office of Education 17 - $3,000
"Mobile Museum of Tolerance" - To engage educators in experiencing the Mobile Museum of Tolerance as a workshop in human behavior where they will witness personal testimonies, engage in facilitated discussions and receive curricular materials developed by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Local educators will collaboratively share and plan to bring these resources to middle and high school students in ROE 17.
6 Shulman Grants totaling $17,495 awarded in 2020
Heartland Productions Inc. - $2,500
"A Shayna Maidel, a Play by Barbara Lebow," a compelling play about two Jewish sisters reunited after the Holocaust in New York in 1946 will be performed in February 2021.
Illinois Symphony Orchestra Inc. - $3,000
"Orchestra Around the Town Free Concert Series" - To celebrate the legacy of Sol Shulman by partnering with Moses Montefiore Temple to increase awareness of Jewish composers through a free concert (in fall 2019 or spring 2020) at the Temple.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $1,390
"Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center" - To create better equity in developing an understanding of the Holocaust; students in the MMT Religious School grades 4-12, in addition to other interested adults, would benefit from the immersive experience of attending the Skokie museum.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $1,050
"Jewish Film Festival" - To provide a fun and educational opportunity to Jewish and non-Jewish families typically disconnected to the dynamic diversity in the surrounding area; festival will offer two movies featuring Jewish values and roles over two weekends.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $4,050
"Jewish Music Enrichment" - To provide a structured and ongoing program of music enrichment and education to all who attend services and to families and children who are enrolled in the Religious School.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $5,505
"Religious Action Center L'Taken Teen Trip to Washington, D.C." - To provide participating teens an opportunity to interact with 2,000 other Jewish teens; attendees will gain knowledge on how to be effective leaders in the Jewish community as well as the community at large.
7 Shulman Grants totaling $22,760 awarded in 2019
Illinois Symphony Orchestra Inc. - $3,000
"Orchestra Around the Town Free Concert Series" - To celebrate the legacy of Sol Shulman by partnering with Moses Montefiore Temple to increase awareness of Jewish composers through a free concert (in fall 2019 or spring 2020) at the Temple.
McLean County Diversity Project - $5,000
"Exploring the Abrahamic Faiths in the Holy Land" - To explore all three Abrahamic faiths and examine where they connect; in June, scholars and team captains will travel to Israel where we will tour sites important to members of all three faiths.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $3,000
"Family Concert of Jewish Music" - To host a Jewish Music Concert for families with children, providing cultural enrichment, exposure to Jewish performers and provide a fun and educational opportunity to Jewish and non-Jewish families in the community.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $550
"Literacy for Our Learners" - To support youth in exploring Jewish text through PJ Library, a national organization dedicated to providing age-appropriate, engaging Jewish text to families around the country.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $5,230
"Jewish Music Enrichment" - To provide music leadership to the Temple through a Cantorial soloist and a Religious School song leader.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $3,480
"Tech in the Temple" - To integrate technology into various programs and services, allowing learning to extend beyond the four walls of the Temple; grant to purchase a portable interactive board, laptop and student Chromebooks.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $2,500
"Union of Reform Jewish (URJ) Biennial Convention" - To provide needs-based assistance to Jewish adults wanting to attend the convention; attendees will gain knowledge on how to become effective leaders in the Jewish community as well as community at large.
5 Shulman Grants totaling $20,625 were awarded in 2018
Illinois Symphony Orchestra Inc. - $3,000
"Orchestra Around the Town Free Concert Series" - To celebrate the legacy of Sol Shulman by partnering with Moses Montefiore Temple to increase awareness of Jewish composers through 2 free concerts (in fall 2018 and in spring 2019) at the Temple.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $3,525
"Consultation on Conscience with the Religious Action Center" - To enhance social justice in our world and our community by sending Rabbi and delegates to Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism's Consultation on Conscience in May 2019.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $3,150
"Jewish Film Festival" - To provide cultural enrichment to the local community by viewing contemporary Jewish films at the Normal Theater.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $4,200
"Jewish Music Enrichment" - To provide music leadership to the Temple through a Cantorial soloist and a Religious School song leader.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $6,750
"National Federation of Temple Youth 2019 National Convention" - To provide delegation of Jewish teens leadership training through attendance at the NFTY Convention, creating effective leaders in local Jewish community.
4 Shulman Grants totaling $20,200 were awarded in 2017
Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $3,000
"Bernstein's 100th Celebration and Around the Town at the Temple" - To celebrate the legacy of Sol Shulman by partnering with Moses Montefiore Temple to increase awareness of the great Jewish composer, conductor and pianist Leonard Bernstein and the impact his Jewish heritage had on shaping American music.
McLean County Diversity Project - $5,000
"Visiting Auschwitz with a Survivor" - To increase McLean County junior and senior high school students' knowledge of Jewish life before, during and after the Holocaust, as well as to increase their understanding of their role in preventing genocide in the future. They will be accompanied on the trip by Holocaust survivor Eva Kor who, along with her twin sister, was a subject of genetic experiments by Josef Mengele at Auschwitz.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $4,000
"Religious Action Center Trip for Youth" - To support the students' trip to The Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism in Washington, D.C. where they will gain a better understanding of social justice and how they, as young Jewish leaders, can make a difference in the world.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $8,200
"Jewish Music for High Holidays, Monthly Shabbat Services and Religious School" - To provide musical accompaniment to worship services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and to provide song leadership during the calendar years, approximately once per month at services. The Cantorial Soloist/Storyteller will also meet with students and teachers during Religious School to teach them songs and prayers fitting to all of the Jewish holidays and Shabbat services.
2 Shulman Grants totaling $21,000 were awarded in 2016
Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $9,000
"Around the Town at the Temple" and "Light Classics: Celebrating the Life and Music of George Gershwin" - To celebrate the legacy of Sol Shulman as the Concert Sponsor for the Light Classics concert featuring the music of George Gershwin and to pay for a small ensemble from ISO to perform a free Around the Town concert at the Temple open to the public. The Concert Comments and Chat prior to the ISO performances at BCPA and in Springfield will focus on the influence of Gershwin's Jewish heritage on his music.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $12,000
"Musical Programing - Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kipper and Monthly Song Leadership" - To host a visiting Cantor throughout the High Holiday celebrations and to pay for a Cantorial soloist/story teller who will come to MMT once a month, to lead song during the Shabbat service and to meet 6 times during the year with the Religious School students to teach them songs and prayers that are recited during Friday night and Saturday morning services.
3 Shulman Grants totaling $18,000 were awarded in 2015
Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $5,000
"Mahler - The Impact of His Jewish Heritage on His Music" - To sponsor the symphony concert with a full page ad in the program honoring Saul Shulman's legacy.
McLean County Unit 5's Parkside Junior High School - $6,000
"Remembering the Holocaust" - To provide a trip to the Holocaust Museum in Skokie for 8th grade students as part of their civil rights unit study of the Holocaust.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $7,000
"Cantorial Music Program" - To support the cantorial soloist to lead the musical portion of Sabbath and High Holiday services.
1 Shulman Grant totaling $10,000 was awarded in 2014
Moses Montefiore Temple - $10,000
"Cantorial Music Program" - To provide a salary for a Cantor or Cantorial Student or soloist to lead the musical portion of religious services.
2 Shulman Grants totaling $16,500 was awarded in 2013
Moses Montefiore Temple - $11,000
"Cantorial Music Program" - To provide a salary for a Cantorial Director or soloist to lead the musical portion of religious services.
Moses Montefiore Temple - $5,500
"Rethinking Synagogues - A Scholar in Residence Program with Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman" - To fund a weekend seminar with Rabbi Hoffman, one of the architects of the Synagogue 3000 movement in America, to not only Bloomington congregants, but those from Peoria, Champaign, Springfield, Decatur and Davenport, IA. Hoffman teaches about spirituality beyond ethnicity, Judaism as a lifelong journey beyond the pediatric and geriatric, and community beyond corporation.
Environment & Nature Grants
Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, a continuing stream of funding has allowed the community foundation to create an independent grant cycle for environmental programs starting in 2024. Previously, environment-focused grants were offered as part of the General Grants application in the spring.
7 Environment & Nature Grants totaling $38,775 awarded in 2024
Bloom Community School – $1,355
“Bloom Community School and Refuge Food Forest” – To allow students to actively develop an outreach program about the food forest to members of the surrounding community; the food forest is adjacent to the school.
Ecology Action Center – $22,500
“Emergency Weatherization Program” – To provide supplemental funding for mobile home residents in need of energy-efficient improvements to their homes.
First Baptist Church of Bloomington – $2,000
“East 5 Acres Pollinator Habitat” – To create an environment for pollinator and wildlife habitats with access for nearby residents.
Heartland Community College – $2,000
“Edible Windbreak” – To create an edible windbreak to increase student awareness of agroforestry, along with farmer and general public awareness.
John Wesley Powell Audubon Society – $2,920
“Native Planting at Ewing Park” – To purchase native plant seeds to spread at Ewing Park where volunteers have cleared invasive species.
McLean County Historical Society – $3,300
“Seeds of History” – To help the museum connect people to local history by planting and labeling native plants in public places and offering educational programs.
ParkLands Foundation – $4,700
“Volunteer Steward Supplies” – To provide volunteer stewards with supplies used for land restoration, address storage issues and streamline stewardship for restoration of 3,600 acres of preserves in Central Illinois.
Women to Women Giving Circle Grants
The Women to Women Giving Circle makes annual grants to programs and projects that encourage advancement and opportunities for local area women and children and/or girls. Since its founding in 2009, Women to Women has awarded more than $424,363 in grants. These grants have touched the lives of thousands of women and children in Central Illinois.
4 Women to Women Giving Circle Grants totaling $55,000 were awarded in 2024 to programs that break down barriers and challenges for families in terms of food, housing, transportation and childcare.
Dreams Are Possible – $18,000
“Earn While You Learn” – To recognize students’ investment of time and remove a financial barrier that has often resulted in students dropping out of class.
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois – $9,000
“Bridging the Gap: Direct Assistance for Girl Scouts in DeWitt, Livingston, Logan and McLean Counties” – To fund Girl Scout membership fees, uniform and campership assistance ensuring equitable access to these supports.
Mid Central Community Action – $10,000
“Housing Stability Navigator” – To ensure the unhoused population are rehoused by assisting with gap barrier services like housing application fees, utility arrearages and short-term hotel stays.
Salvation Army Lincoln 360 Life Center – $5,000
“Pathway of Hope” – To provide this evidence-based and outcome-drive program that works with families with children to break generational poverty in Lincoln.
Salvation Army Pontiac 360 Life Center – $5,000
“Pathway of Hope” – To provide individualized services to families with children who desire to break the cycle of crisis and vulnerability that repeats generation after generation in Pontiac.
YWCA McLean County – $8,000
“Young Wonders Early Learning Scholarship Program” – To remove childcare financial barriers such as initial costs to enroll, transportation and financial crisis/gap funding, and assist survivors of sexual assault obtain free childcare during counseling and advocacy appointments.
4 Women to Women Grants totaling $50,000 were awarded in 2023 to programs that open doors to provide opportunities to women and children who are marginalized and have faced barriers in our community.
Community Health Care Clinic in collaboration with Center for Youth and Family Solutions - $18,000 for "Integration of Behavioral Health Services into the Primary Care Setting at CHCC" which aims to improve a patient's commitment to improving their physical health and feeling of well-being and functioning with the integration of behavioral health into the clinic setting.
Dreams Are Possible in collaboration with Heartland Head Start and Milestones Early Learning Center - $15,000 for "Offering 'Earn While You Learn' Training to Young Moms at 2 Local Childcare Centers" which aims to reach young mothers, while their children are in care, to help them consider training/education/employment options to pursue; moms will gain confidence and consider pursuing alternative fields due to the broader exposure.
Milestones Early Learning Center in collaboration with United Way of McLean County - $10,000 for "Crisis Childcare Fund" which aims to provide childcare assistance at Milestones for 12 marginalized women and their children facing a crisis situation so that they may continue attending school through the Workforce 180 program.
United Way of Logan County - $7,000 for "Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in Logan County" which aims to improve school readiness and educational success for the children of Logan County, leading to improved literacy readiness scores for kindergartners within our community, improved graduation rates and higher numbers high school graduates attending college.
6 Women to Women Grants totaling $47,372 were awarded in 2022 to nonprofits that support renewal and recovery after the pandemic for women and children in the community.
Autism Collective in collaboration with OSF Health Care System and Easterseals - $10,000 for "Autism Care Coordination" provides comprehensive and individualized support and care to families facing or living with an autism diagnosis.
Children's Discovery Museum in collaboration with Children's Home + Aid's Scott Early Learning Center - $7,200 for "Growing STEAM Potential Through Play" to engage children, families and educators in playful learning experiences that enhance their excitement, curiosity and interest about STEAM topics, helping them gain confidence in their own ability to learn more about these topics in the future.
Children's Home + Aid in collaboration with Chestnut Health Systems - $10,000 for "Early Childhood Home Visiting" to provide children a solid foundation for learning by helping families move from poverty to self-sufficiency; due to the pandemic, mental health services are being prioritized through this program.
Community Health Care Clinic - $10,000 for "CAATCH - Coordinating Affordable Access to Comprehensive Healthcare" to reduce inappropriate use of the emergency room for non-emergent conditions and to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations by connecting at-risk populations with a primary care provider and medical home.
Milestones Early Learning Center - $3,100 for "Communication & Recovery Post COVID" to help center re-open a second toddler room, hire a DCFS qualified teacher and purchase new iPad for Parent Engagement App, allowing connection with families.
YWCA McLean County - $7,072 for "YWCA McLean County Young Wonders" to assist children and families to bounce back from the pandemic by receiving additional social/emotional classroom support; YWCA staff will receive trauma informed training; families will receive access to resources.
6 Women to Women Grants totaling $40,532 were awarded in 2021 to nonprofits collaborating to support resiliency (capacity to recover quickly from difficulties) for children from birth to third grade in our community and their support networks (families, teachers and caregivers).
Back 2 School Alliance in collaboration with Unit 5 Schools and District 87 Schools - $5,000 "Back to School Party" provides school supplies to families while also building job skills among students enrolled in Unit 5's Vocational Transition Assistance Program.
Children's Discovery Museum in collaboration with Children's Home + Aid's Scott Early Learning Center - $7,150 "Growing STEAM Potential Through Play" engages children, families and educators in playful learning experiences that enhance their excitement, curiosity and interest about STEAM topics helping them gain confidence in their own ability to learn more about these topics in the future.
Children's Home + Aid in collaboration with Mid Central Community Action - $10,000 "Butterfly Project" aims to strengthen the parent-child bond and minimize the impact of early trauma on the child's mental health and development.
Living Alternatives Pregnancy Resource Center in collaboration with the Salvation Army of Lincoln and United Way of Logan County - $5,000 "HOPE Program" aims to encourage, empower and equip women and families as they pursue and embrace their parenthood journeys.
Livingston County Commission on Children and Youth in collaboration with Boys & Girls Club of Livingston County - $6,212 "The Plato Program" provides supplemental educational services to those students who are struggling or need some additional motivation outside the typical classroom.
YWCA McLean County in collaboration with Marcfirst - $7,170 "Young Wonders Learning League" provides children the opportunity to engage in an intensive social/emotional program to increase their resiliency so they can stay on track developmentally. Families/caregivers will gain knowledge and skills in assisting their child(ren) in developing their resiliency at home.
5 Women to Women Grants totaling $27,641 were awarded in 2020 to nonprofits collaborating to develop the potential in children from birth to third grade in our community and their support networks (families, teachers and caregivers).
Children's Discovery Museum in collaboration with Children's Home + Aid's Scott Early Learning Center - $7,100 "Growing STEAM Potential Through Play" engages children, families and educators in playful learning experiences that enhance their excitement, curiosity and interest about STEAM topics.
Lexington Elementary School in collaboration with Lexington Park District - $6,150 "Littlest Learners - 'Lex' Go Get Moving" aims to improve the health and wellness of children under the age of 10 and help them develop a foundation for a healthy lifestyle while supporting their personal networks with resources, guidelines and opportunities to get active and make healthy choices.
Music Connections Foundation in collaboration with Marcfirst and The Baby Fold - $6,991 "Kindermusik Class at SPICE for the At-Risk" enables parents and therapists to learn strategies for incorporating music, movement and literature into their routines and therapy sessions to ease stressful times and times of transition and to foster development in children, while promoting positive parenting and strengthening the parent-child relationship.
The Baby Fold in collaboration with McLean County Health Department - $3,000 "Perinatal Mood Disorders Community Education and Outreach" will encourage pregnant women and parents of very young children to seek mental health care and other supportive services as soon as they recognize they may be experiencing anxiety, depression and/or other mood disorders; program seeks to reduce the stigma related to seeking care.
The Immigration Project in collaboration with McLean County Unit 5 Schools - $4,400 "Holistic Information Sessions for Immigrant Families" will create more secure and healthier families by providing immigration legal information and advice to immigrant families while also providing useful skills to reduce some of the trauma inherent in the immigrant experience.
6 Women to Women Grants totaling $38,000 were awarded in 2019 to nonprofits collaborating to develop the potential in girls from birth to age 5 in our community and their support networks.
Children's Discovery Museum in collaboration with Children's Home + Aid's Scott Early Learning Center - $7,000
"Growing STEAM Potential Through Play" - A program that aims to engage children, families and educators in playful learning experiences that enhance their excitement, curiosity and interest about STEAM topics.
ISU's Illinois Art Station in collaboration with Illinois Symphony Orchestra - $6,745
"Itsy Arts: Emotions and Melodies" - A program where children ages 3-5 and their caregivers from Children's Home + Aid will identify six emotions through interactive and expressive music and artmaking, taught by musicians from Illinois Symphony Orchestra and art educators from Illinois Art Station with the purpose of developing/improving social-emotional skills.
Lexington Elementary School in collaboration with Lexington Public Library - $5,455
"Littlest Learners" - A program that aims to improve the educational foundation of children from birth to age 5 in Central Illinois and develop their potential for success by focusing on educational opportunities while supporting their mothers and their personal networks with resources and hands-on learning experiences.
Music Connections Foundation in collaboration with Marcfirst and The Baby Fold - $6,300
"Kindermusik Class at SPICE for the At-Risk" - A program enabling moms and therapists to learn strategies for incorporating music, movement and literature into their routines and therapy sessions to ease stressful times and times of transition and to foster development in children, while promoting positive parenting and strengthening the parent-child relationship.
The Baby Fold in collaboration with McLean County Health Department - $4,500
"Post-Partum Mood Disorders" - A program to improve the health and wellness of pregnant women and families with young children by supporting the mental health of pregnant and post-partum women, fostering infant attachment and preventing post-partum mood disorders with appropriate intervention while women are pregnant or with additional support after birth.
YWCA of McLean County in collaboration with Project Oz and Marcfirst - $8,000
"Parent Life Skills Training & Support Groups" - A program that aims to remove barriers that often prevent parents in challenging family situations from attending parenting skills classes and support groups that allow them to strengthen their skills and family bonds.
3 Women to Women Grants totaling $25,833 were awarded in 2018 to nonprofits collaborating to develop the potential in girls aged 0-5 in our community and their support networks
Music Connections in collaboration with Mid Central Community Action - $3,072
"Kindermusik at the Neville House" - A program illustrating to mothers how implementing musical rituals into their daily routines can reduce stress and promote bonding and quality time together.
YWCA of McLean County in collaboration with Project Oz and Marcfirst - $11,261
"Parent Life Skills Training & Support Groups" - A 3-part program offering training for young people who are homeless and pregnant or parenting and transitioning to self-sufficient living, support group for parents of children with special needs, and an infant massage course.
Children's Home + Aid in collaboration with Mid Central Community Action - $11,500
"Trauma Informed Domestic Violence Training Collaboration" - A program offering staff training in domestic violence issues specific to families with young children and training for judges and attorneys regarding the effects of childhood exposure to domestic violence.
6 Women to Women Grants totaling $40,000 were awarded in 2017 to nonprofits seeking to inspire and empower girls and young women to reach their highest potential
Cabrini Green Legal Aid - $15,537
"Second Chance and Family Connections Summit" - To bring a one-day summit to women and girls in the four-county area served by IPCF to provide Cabrini Green Legal Aid's unique services and approach to help participants improve their economic opportunities, strengthen their families, and move forward with their lives.
Girls in the Game - $5,000
"Girls in the Game After School Program" - To use sports and fitness, health and nutrition education, and leadership development activities to help girls form healthy habits to benefit them now and in the future.
Girls on the Run of Central Illinois - $5,000
"McLean County Expansion" - To provide a national program in several local elementary and middle schools that encourages positive emotional, social, mental and physical development. The 10-week program is designed to allow every girl to recognize her inner strength.
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - $4,000 (second-year funding)
"BFF - Be a Friend First" - To help girls identify and reject bullying in all its forms and to develop healthy relationships with peers. The grant will fill a budget gap in Girl Scout membership assistance for girls from low-income families and for program supplies.
Music Connections Foundation - $2,813
"Kindermusik at Neville House" - To provide and teach an evidence-based program that combines singing, dancing, instrument play, story time and quiet time for mothers and children currently or formerly residing at Neville House. The learned routines can reduce stress and promote bonding and quality time.
Normal West Community High School - $7,650
"Girls Who Code - Makerspace" - Girls Who Code is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology. A Makerspace is a room where people gather to create, invent, innovate and learn. The grant will provide equipment for the makerspace.
6 Women to Women Grants totaling $51,225 were awarded in 2016 to programs focusing on early intervention of mental health issues through training, collaboration and/or education
Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal - $19,225
"SAFE (Safety Awareness for Everyone) Youth Program" - To reduce self-destructive behaviors and conditions that lead to suicide and other self-harming activities in children and youth. This grant will also provide Youth Mental Health First Aid training to the staff of the Boys and Girls Clubs in Bloomington-Normal, Pontiac, and Fairbury and the staff of LINC (Lawrence Irvin Neighborhood Center).
Girl Scouts of Central Illlinois - $2,000
"BFF - Be a Friend First" - To help girls identify and reject bullying in all its forms and to develop healthy relationships with peers. The grant will fill a budget gap in Girl Scout membership assistance for girls from low-income families and for program supplies.
McLean County Health Department - $10,000 (second-year funding)
"Mental Health First Aid" - Since last year's award, 500 community members have taken the Mental Health First Aid course. Renewed funding will pay for a Train-the Trainer session to certify six more trainers, six community-wide trainings at the low cost of $10, and four to six targeted trainings for first responders.
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Livingston/McLean - $4,000
"NAMI Children's Programs" - To train staff and volunteers to implement two key NAMI programs - "NAMI Basics" for parents and other caregivers of children and adolescents who have either been diagnosed with a mental health condition or who are experiencing symptoms, and "Ending the Silence," an in-school presentation designed to teach middle and high school students about the signs and symptoms of mental illness so that they can recognize early warning signs.
The Baby Fold - $6,000 (second-year funding)
"Healthy Start" - To provide training to additional staff to provide this intensive long-term intervention that provides at-risk first-time mothers with the knowledge and resources to maintain a safe an healthy environment for their developing child resulting in a reduced risk of child abuse and neglect.
YWCA McLean County - $10,000
"Rural Outreach for YWCA Stepping Stones" - To provide enhanced services and programming to under-served rural communities in McLean County on prevention of bullying, developing healthy relationships, safe touch, body safety and bystander intervention. The grant will also provide counseling, advocacy and crisis intervention to victims of sexual assault and provide professional trainings and information to school staff and faculty.
7 Women to Women Grants totaling $40,018 were awarded in 2015 to programs that provide education and support of mothers
Chestnut Health Systems - $6,210 "Moral Reconation Therapy" - MRT is an evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapy that is utilized nationally in drug courts and criminal justice programs. The goal is to enhance the ability of women to make healthy choices and exhibit non-criminal behavior by assisting them in increasing their moral reasoning.
Child Protection Network - $3,000 "EduCare Program" - To reduce the prevalence of child abuse within the community by reaching large numbers of people and arming them with the tools they need to keep children safe. Program is an expansion of CPN's current child abuse prevention efforts.
Children's Home + Aid - $2,100 "The Butterfly Project" - To help women and children who have been impacted by domestic and/or community violence heal from trauma and rebuild their lives. Program is a component of the Butterfly Coalition, a collaborative alliance of 21 agencies and organizations in McLean County.
Labyrinth Outreach Services to Women - $7,208 "Breaking the Cycle of Unemployment for Formerly Incarcerated Women" - This reapplication program provides low-income women who have been impacted by incarceration and/or trauma an opportunity to become financially self-sufficient through employment in nontraditional fields such as construction. New funding will add a "soft skills" component for those clients who are not yet ready to participate in the full training program.
McLean County Health Department - $8,500 "IPLAN Mental Health Task Force" - To improve our community members' understanding of mental illness and reduce the stigma associated with seeking help for mental health disorders through an evidence-based 8-our mental health "first aid" program offered to the public (a large percentage of whom are women).
The Baby Fold - $8,000 "Healthy Start" - To give at-risk first-time mothers the knowledge and resources to maintain a safe and healthy environment for their developing child resulting in a reduced risk of child abuse and neglect in the target population. Program is a local replication of a nationally accredited child abuse prevention program.
YWCA McLean County - $5,000 "Moms Moving Forward" - To provide support and developmental opportunities to help single moms reach their educational goals. This is a collaboration with Heartland Community College and entails pairing peer mentors with mentees who are students at HCC and then connecting them with community mentors through the YWCA.
4 Women to Women Grants totaling $35,068 were awarded in 2014 to programs that provide workforce readiness, occupational certificate programs, traditional and nontraditional career training, professional development, business skills, leadership skills, job shadowing/mentorship, or similar types of programs and projects.
Children's Home + Aid - $5,000
"Independent Living Program" - Independent Living program is developed specifically to help youth aging out from the Illinois Child Care System to gain employable skills.
Labyrinth Outreach Services to Women - $6,086
"Breaking the Cycle: Employment as the Key" - Exposing women to nontraditional areas of employment which will increase their income and range of possible areas for employment. Emphasis will be placed on job readiness, personal attitudes that become barriers, communication skills, and an overall knowledge of nontraditional areas of employment.
Mid Central Community Action - $10,000
"Next Step Options for Self-Sufficiency" - Program addresses the auxiliary and financial needs of unemployed women in McLean County who seek to obtain and retain a career to lead a sustainable lifestyle. Program provides employment readiness supports, an assessment of 19 life domains, and financial management services.
YouthBuild McLean County - $14,000
"IMPRESS (Internships, Mentoring, Professional Development, Relationship Building, Employment Readiness, Service Learning and Success)" - Program is created to provide hands-on experiences and structured exposure for at-risk young women 16 to 24 years of age in areas key to becoming self-sufficient.
5 Women to Women Grants totaling $31,674 were awarded in 2013 to programs that focus on 1) Education, mentoring, tutoring, GED assistance, literacy, after-school programs, not-ready-for college programs, early childhood/pre-K programs; or 2) Health and wellness, substance abuse/addictions, pre- and post-natal care, mammography assistance, disease detection/prevention, mental health, health literacy, healthy relationships for women and girls.
Community Health Care Clinic - $3,980
"Women Connecting Women to Improved Health" - To ensure that female CHCC patients receive annual exams and pap smears for early detection of women's health issues.
Livingston County Public Health Department - $5,225
"Reducing STDs and Teen Pregnancy in Livingston County" - To provide primary prevention education to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy.
McLean County Health Department - $11,904
"Advocating for Smiles" - To provide low-income pregnant women enrolled in Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and Family Case Management (FCM) at the MCHD with oral health care resources to reduce the number of preterm, low birth weight babies in McLean County and providing women with dental education and tools.
Oakdale Elementary School and Oakdale Promise Council - $6,065
"Literacy Project - Increasing Reading Fluency and Comprehension" - To remove barriers to reading fluency and comprehension through social and academic mentoring; meeting physical needs; and increasing parental engagement.
Project Oz - $4,500
"Homeless Women Building Health Relationships" - To teach young, homeless women how to recognize and reject unhealthy and unsafe relationships and to build healthy ones.
2 Women to Women Grants totaling $25,000 were awarded in 2012 to programs that provide job training, mentorship, academic education, parenting education, and/or financial literacy education for single mothers.
The Children's Foundation of Children's Home + Aid and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Illinois - $15,000
"Educating and Supporting Teen Mothers" - A collaborative effort to work with teen mothers to provide home supportive services for parenting education and educational achievement by the mother, and support of women and children who have been affected by the incarceration of the father.
Mid Central Community Action - $10,000
"Parental Strength & Financial Security for Survivor Freedom" - To increase the knowledge and ability of single mothers residing at Neville House (shelter or victims of domestic abuse) in the areas of parenting and budgeting.
4 Women to Women Grants totaling $22,000 were awarded in 2011 to programs that provide job training, mentorship or education for low-income women.
Children's Foundation of Children's Home + Aid - $3,000
"Healthy Start" - Ongoing program designed to prevent child abuse and neglect by strengthening and stabilizing families.
Project Oz - $5,000
"Services for Young Homeless Women and Their Children" - To provide stable and safe housing for up to 22 months for homeless pregnant and/or parenting women, ages 16-21, to help them finish their secondary education, and to increase their opportunities to find and maintain long-term jobs.
Scholastic Enhancement Corporation - $6,000
"The Young Women's Math Academy" - A pilot program to provide 23 weekly peer-mentoring sessions for 10 female Livingston County high school students from low-income families who are failing math.
Word of Life Ministries - $8,000
"First Responders to Women's Economic Security (FRWES)" - Addresses the issues of payday loans and women who are trapped in a cycle of debt.
Youth Engaged in Philanthropy (YEP) Grants
YEP has $10,000 available annually to fund programs that benefit youth. The YEP cohort works as a team to create the grant application, publicize the grants' availability, review the applications, and decide which proposals to fund and at what level of funding. The cohort gives priority to applications that are written by youth or have substantial input from youth.
8 Youth Engaged in Philanthropy Grants totaling $11,985 were awarded in 2024.
Bloomington Public Library – $1,987
“Author’s Visit with Children’s Author Natasha Tarpley” – To provide District 87’s Sheridan School students, their families and the Bloomington-Normal community a visit with children’s author Natasha Tarpley, including a Q&A session.
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois – $1,250
“Girl Scout Outreach Program – DeWitt County” – To encourage well-being and bolster confidence, communication skills and peer collaboration for girls in DeWitt County; as girls continue to experience a mental health crisis, the program creates additional resources for those most at-risk.
Jump4Joy Squad – $987
“2024 Summer Camp” – To fund a free summer camp for youth interested in discovering the joy of exercising by jumping rope while building relationships with families.
Kingsley Junior High School Drama Club – $2,000
“KJHS Drama Club” – To provide students the opportunity to perform in or work behind the scenes of a spring show while learning preparedness, commitment and technical skills and establish positive relationships with like-minded peers; grant to purchase production equipment.
McLean County Children’s Advocacy Center – $1,800
“Child Safety Matters: A Day at the Zoo” – For a one-day event allowing local children to participate in learning activities and have fun at Miller Park Zoo, while local social service agencies spread child abuse awareness and promote prevention throughout the community.
Project Oz – $500
“Confidently Curly” – To teach girls of color to embrace and care for their natural hair; participants learn about their hair type, how to maintain/style it, and the history of Black hair, while also building self-confidence and positive connections.
Sonshine Daycare – $1,174
“Internet Installation, Service and Device” – To enable internet connection and service, plus purchase of an iPad device to use in 2- and 3-year-old classroom, thereby expanding learning experiences and opportunities.
Vespasian Warner Public Library – $2,287
“Kid Corner at Vespasian Warner Public Library” – To create a Kid Corner space for youth in grades 3-6 that is safe, welcoming and fun; grant to purchase new seating that can be used for reading, gaming and social time.
7 Youth Engaged in Philanthropy Grants totaling $8,015 were awarded in 2023
GFWC Lincoln Women's Club - $1,500 for "Water Safety" to train all lifeguards at the Lincoln Park District Aquatics Center in spring 2023 and provide economically disadvantaged children the chance to learn to swim by offering free paid-for group lessons for beginning swimmers.
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - $1,250 for "STEM Outreach Program - DeWitt County" to offer program focused on delivering science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills to 50 girls in DeWitt County while also strengthening the development of social and emotional learning competencies promoting resiliency among the youth served.
McLean County Children's Advocacy Center - $1,300 for "Child Safety Matters - A Day at the Zoo" to offer one-day event allowing local children to participate in learning activities and have fun at Miller Park Zoo, while local social service agencies provide adult caretakers with education, information and tools on how to keep children safe.
Project Oz - $1,200 for "Youth Action Board," a youth-led peer-prevention and leadership program that brings together students from five Bloomington-Normal area high schools to develop and present substance use prevention activities and messages from a youth perspective to educate their peers and parents, while encouraging community involvement in prevention activities.
Sonshine Daycare - $1,065 for "Playground Equipment" to give children 5 and under more opportunities to exert their independence through the purchase and installation of new playground equipment; upgrade will not only benefit the children at Sonshine, but also visitors to the Mt Hope Funks Grove Park District.
Sunnyside Community Gardens & Food Forest - $500 for "Rooted Summer Apprenticeship" to employ several teens aged 14-18 within a 2-mile radius of the garden in west Bloomington to help with the responsibilities of the garden; program also introduces teens to careers that would involve college or a direct path from high school to career.
Vespasian Warner Public Library - $1,200 for "Literacy Through Play: A Destination for Families" to allow the library to enhance the children's space so that it is engaging and inviting for everyone; funding will purchase a modular seating set that can be used for family reading, gross motor play and more.
7 Youth Engaged in Philanthropy Grants totaling $10,000 were awarded in 2022
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - $1,500 for "GIRL Outreach Program - DeWitt County" to confront challenges posing an increased threat to girls in DeWitt County, while supporting their journey to achieve their dreams through activities designed to encourage well-being and bolster confidence, communication skills and peer collaboration.
Girls on the Run of Central Illinois - $2,000 for "Power Up with Girls on the Run" to integrate running to transform girls' lives by helping them increase their self-esteem and confidence, develop healthy relationships and feel good about themselves, inside and out.
Jump 4 Joy Squad - $900 for "Jump 4 Joy Squad Spring Classes" to teach the sport of jump roping to new youth (ages 4-14) in the Bloomington/Normal area; grant will purchase equipment including jump ropes and athletic floor tiling.
Ridgeview Elementary School - $1,605 for "Ridgview Elementary School Sensory Path" to provide emotion regulation support to students in need at school, especially those on the Autism Spectrum in need of sensory breaks; grant will purchase kit to create path.
Sunnyside Community Gardens & Food Forest - $495 for "Sunnyside Apprenticeship Program" to provide local, low-income teens with job skills, community involvement, food to take home and a stipend in return for their commitment to work 100 hours in the garden over the summer.
Vespasian Warner Public Library - $1,500 for "Access for All: Enhancing Inclusive Collection at the VWPL" to offer a youth collection that is both diverse and inclusive by purchasing books, movies and digital content that feature diverse authors, characters and settings.
Western Avenue Community Center - $2,000 for "Sisters by Chance" to allow 8th grade girls to concentrate on career exploration with the goal to empower youth to make sound choices and become who they want to be through knowledge, dedication, respect, hard work, citizenship and fun.
10 Youth Engaged in Philanthropy Grants totaling $11.680 were awarded in 2021
Bloomington Junior High School - $2,750 "BJHS Student Services Health Clinic" will provide access to the required vaccines and physical exams for disadvantaged students transitioning from virtual learning to face-to-face education.
Fostering Dignity - $246.31"Backpacks for Youth" provides backpacks for Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) investigators to give children being removed from their homes so they can carry their belongings, eliminating the use of a garbage bag.
Friends of Constitution Trail - $1,500 "McBloNo Kids Bike" to purchase bicycle helmets to support Safe Routes to School bicycle education program for elementary and middle school students in McLean County.
Illinois Art Station - $1,200 "smARTS Lab" is a STEAM-based program for youth ages 11-14 that provides youth an opportunity to explore a variety of art-making techniques and mediums. IAS art educators will design and facilitate the experiences and learning, but the art projects, materials and specific themes will be determined by the youth participants themselves.
Jump 4 Joy Squad - $346.69 "Flooring for Jump 4 Joy Squad Team and Community Classes" to purchase removable flooring, allowing the squad to use any location with the best results for jump rope. as well as providing for the physical health and safety of participants.
McLean County Children's Advocacy Center - $450 "Telehealth Therapy Boxes" will be utilized when children and adolescents are participating in virtual therapy sessions. Clients will receive a box of age-appropriate supplies specifically to be used during therapy, which could include a journal, writing and coloring supplies, positive affirmation cards, meditation exercise cards, stress balls, Play-Doh and bubbles to practice deep breathing.
Normal West Promise Council - $1,000 "Promise Council Needs Room" is a safe space at Normal West Community High School where any of student can go to obtain food and supplies to meet physical needs that would otherwise go unmet. Grant would provide money to restock room.
Regional Alternative School - $2,000 "RAS Trade Skills Integration" will provide students with a Trade Skills introduction program in which students will expand their vocational knowledge in basic construction and woodworking skills. Students will learn through hands-on experience using tools and techniques used in a professional trade setting.
Vespasian Warner Public Library - $1,012 "Kindles for Kids" will purchase 4 Kindle devices for youth programs to bridge the local digital divide and allow all youth to experience the excitement of reading on a digital platform.
West Bloomington Revitalization Project - $1,175 "Seeds for Change" enlists the help of community youth to start seeds for the Westside Bloomington Community Garden. This program will teach youth about food insecurity, starting plants from seed and caring for others.
5 Youth Engaged in Philanthropy Grants totaling $8,320 were awarded in 2020
Bloomington High School Promise Council - $2,000 "Lights On at BHS" will provide a year-round safe, inclusive environment for events and activities that will engage students, educate them on the opportunities in the community, and empower them to make changes in their lives and the world around them.
Fostering Dignity - $600 "Backpacks for Youth" provides backpacks to Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) investigators to give children being removed from their homes so that they can carry their belongings, eliminating the use of a garbage bag.
Muscular Dystrophy Association - $1,195 "MDA Summer Camp" is a week-long summer camp where children aged 6-17 living with muscle diseases can enjoy a safe outdoor experience with a variety of adaptive activities, allowing them to stretch their comfort zones and become more independent.
Sunnyside Community Garden & Food Forest - $2,880 "Growing Up!" will provide teens and pre-teens the opportunity to focus on leadership skills while enhancing their gardening skills; in turn, they will pass on their knowledge of gardening to youth (K-5) from the Boys & Girls Club in the Grow Your Garden program throughout the spring and summer.
The Forgotten Initiative - $1,200 "The Joy of Dreaming" will fulfill the wishes of local youth in the foster care system, allowing them to focus on experiences that help them feel normal in an abnormal situation.
YWCA of McLean County - $1,645 "Anti-Bias Education" educates local school children about racism, sexism, ableism and more with the goal of eliminating bullying and creating a more inclusive environment that understands and celebrates diversity not only at school, but in the community at large.
7 Youth Engaged in Philanthropy Grants totaling $10,000 were awarded in 2019
Child Protection Network - $1,000
"McLean County Children's Advocacy Center" to fund trauma-based therapy supplies such as games, books and coping skills boxes for children who are interviewed at the center after an allegation that the child may have been abused.
Fostering Dignity - $1,000
"Backpacks for Youth" - A program that provides backpacks for Department of Children and Family Services investigators to use when removing children from their homes.
Jump 4 Joy Squad - $960
"Joy Jumper (Jump Rope Team)" to fund uniforms and equipment for jump rope team and assist in travel to competitions.
Muscular Dystrophy Association - $2,000
"Summer Camp" to fund scholarship for one child with neuromuscular disease from McLean, DeWitt, Logan or Livingston counties to attend week-long camp.
Royal Family Kids Camp - $1,950
"Kids Camp" to allow 15 children in the foster system to attend week-long camp with a camper/counselor ratio of 2:1.
Treynor State Bank Community Foundation - $1,540
"Entrepreneur Camp" to purchase iPads for junior high school students in DeWitt County to film and edit their commercials during week-long summer camp.
Vespasian Warner Public Library District - $1,550
"Young Adult Lounge" to create a lounge for high school age library visitors, encouraging them to spend more time at the library and create lifelong learners by offering providing suggestions, special events and other educational initiatives.
7 Youth Engaged in Philanthropy Grants totaling $10,000 were awarded in 2018
100 Black Men of Central Illinois - $500
"Summer School to Fill the Education Achievement Gap" - To fund elementary scholarships for District 87 students who have a financial and academic need to attend summer school.
Child Protection Network - $1,000
"Permanency Bags for Kids" - A program in collaboration with CASA that provides permanency bags for children as they exit the foster care system.
Fostering Dignity - $1,000
"Backpacks for Youth" - A program that provides backpacks for Department of Children and Family Services investigators when removing children from their homes.
Illinois Heart & Lung Foundation - $500
"Attack Asthma Camp" - To purchase refurbished iPads to educate and entertain youth with severe asthma.
Max's Miles Foundation - $1,000
"The Harmony Park Project" - To fund Spinning Sensory Wave Seat at inclusive park that is safe and accessible for children of all abilities.
Muscular Dystrophy Association - $2,000
"Summer Camp" - To fund scholarships for children with neuromuscular diseases from McLean, DeWitt, Logan and Livingston counties to attend camp.
Regional Alternative School - $4,000
"Automated External Defibrillator & Hygiene Kits" - To fund purchase of AED machine for use within school and supply hygiene kits to students.
7 Youth Engaged in Philanthropy Grants totaling $10,000 were awarded in 2017
100 Black Men of Central Illinois - $950
"Summer School Scholarships" - To provide elementary and secondary summer school scholarships for students who have an academic need but cannot afford tuition.
Child Protection Network - $1,850
"Gas Cards" - To purchase gas cards for volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) to defray their costs in providing advocacy for children in foster care who are located more than 25 miles away.
Clinton Elementary School - $1,000
"Read Across Clinton" - To provide a variety of high-interest, low-cost books for students in 2nd through 5th grades to take home on the last day of school.
Easter Seals of Central Illinois - $1,000
"Timber Pointe Scholarships" - To fund scholarships for disabled children to attend summer camp at the Timber Pointe Outdoor Center.
Fostering Dignity - $1,000
"Backpacks" - To provide 200 backpacks to hold the personal belongings of children and youth removed from their homes by DCFS.
Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Bloomington-Normal Chapter - $200
"Speaking Up for Success" - To support a program for students in K through 12th grade designed to increase leadership skills by enhancing confidence in public speaking.
West Bloomington Active Garden - $4,000
"Collaboration with Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal" - To purchase supplies for the garden to help it meet its full potential, increasing production of organic produce to low-income families in West Bloomington while facilitating learning opportunities for the youth of Boys & Girls Club.
8 Youth Engaged in Philanthropy Grants totaling $10,330 were awarded in 2016
100 Black Men of Central Illinois - $1,100
"Summer School Scholarships" - To provide for elementary and secondary summer school scholarships for students who have an academic need but cannot afford tuition.
Big Brothers Big Sisters - $925
"Mentoring Program"- To support matches between adult mentors (Bigs) and at-risk children (Littles) in McLean, DeWitt and Livingston counties.
Bloomington High School Junior Varsity Basketball Team - $2,500
"Health Snacks for Slam Dunks"- To ensure that players eat healthy snacks for away games.
Child Protection Network - $1,000
"Court Appointed Special Advocate Program" - To purchase gas cards for volunteer CASAs to defray their costs in providing advocacy for children in foster care who are located more than 25 miles away.
Miller Park Zoo - $1,000
"A Zoo Education Experience"- To purchase backpacks and materials to loan to children when visiting Miller Park Zoo. Each loaner backpack will feature items which will enhance their visit.
NAMI - $1,558.50
"End the Silence"- To train young adults to speak to youth about mental health during 50-minute in-school presentations.
Regional Alternative School - $1,546.50
"Community Resource Room" - To purchase supplies, including hygiene items, for the RAS Community Resource Room which supplies students, their families and others in the community in need with basic necessities.
Western Avenue Community Center - $700
"New Technology for Tutoring Program" - To purchase Kindle Fires, eBooks and educational apps to be used by the children in the WACC after-school program, helping introduce them to technology which may note be accessible in their homes.
11 Youth Engaged in Philanthropy Grants totaling $10,000 were awarded in 2015
Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal - $1,495
To support an educational outing to Chicago for 15 Boys and Girls Club youth as part of the Money Matters program. Youth attending the trip will visit the Federal Reserve Bank and Willis Towers as a unique opportunity to contribute to the knowledge they have gained about personal finances.
Children's Discovery Museum - $1,000
To provide building supplies for youth to learn innovation, building and design skills, then create bike racks from scratch that will be placed in Uptown Normal.
Easter Seals Central Illinois - $1,125
To provide counseling services for children from families of limited means.
Fellowship of Christian Athletes - $250
To provide scholarships to student athletes attending summer camp in Bloomington-Normal.
Fostering Dignity-- $500
To provide a backpack for 100 youth who have been removed from abusive or neglectful homes. These backpacks serve to replace the plastic garbage bags that would otherwise be used to hold and transport their belongings.
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - $1,125
To provide a year-long membership fee for 75 low-income girls to participate in Girl Scouts.
Heartland Community College - $990
To provide scholarships for six low-income children to participate in a Youth Enrichment Program course through HCC. These courses enhance learning and creativity through innovative computer/technology focused curricula that are not provided in traditional schooling.
Illinois Wesleyan University Peace Garden - $965
To support program designed to teach youth about how and why to grow food locally or at home and how this produce can be used in a healthy way.
Project Hope at NCHS - $675
To provide funding for direct requests for students in need at Normal Community High School. Some examples of what may be funded include uniforms for part-time jobs, shoes for PE class and school lunches.
Regional Alternative School - $900
To support a summer poetry class for students who attend the school. This class intends to allow youth access to the arts which might otherwise be prevented by socioeconomic circumstances.
11 Youth Engaged in Philanthropy Grants totaling $10,000 were awarded in 2015
Child Protection Network - $1,000
"Child Appointed Special Advocate Program" - To purchase gas cards to assist local CASA volunteers who travel 30+ miles when providing legal, medical, personal, and educational advocacy for children residing in foster care.
Easter Seals - $1,134
"iCan Bike" - To provide scholarships for a program that teaches children with special needs and disabilities, ages 8 and up, to achieve the life milestone of riding a two-wheel bicycle without assistance.
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois - $1,000
"STEM - It's a Girl's World" - Program provides progressive STEM curricula to girls ages 5-17 that are correlated with State of Illinois learning standards. Grant will provide scholarships and supplies.
Mid Central Community Action - $300
"Career Club" - Weekly program that educates youth from low-income families in basic job skills and financial literacy. The goal is to help break the cycle of poverty by equipping participants with life skills they might not gain at home or in school.
Milestones Early Learning Center - $968
"Outdoor Classroom" - To help fund an outdoor classroom at the new Milestones campus that will provide a setting which encourages contact with nature and healthy development of students.
Project HOPE - $1,840
"NCHS Project Hope" - Funds will be used for unmet needs of Normal Community High School students identified through a referral process by concerned councilors, faculty and staff.
Special Olympics Illinois - $500
"Young Athletes Program" - To provide transportation so that children with intellectual disabilities, ages 2-7, and their non-disabled peers have the opportunity to participate in structured physical activity for 8-16 weeks followed by a culminating event.
Stylistics 4-H Club - $1,000
"Sewing Project" - To purchase two used sewing machines and materials to make cloth bags which will be donated to children staying at Home Sweet Home Mission. Many of these children have been through upheaval which did not allow for proper packing or storage of their possessions.
West Bloomington Revitalization Project - $600
"Cyber Space" - To support installation of a small computer lab at WBRP to provide access to students and families without internet in the home.
Western Avenue Community Center - $658
"LINC Program Basketball Team" - To provide jerseys for the girls' basketball team to enhance team cohesion.
Woven Together - $1,000
To provide funding for Journey Bags, Lifebooks, Welcome Home Baskets, for children in foster care in Logan County.