IPCF Awards Grants to 21 Local Nonprofits Programs

Twenty-one local nonprofit programs have been awarded a total of $105,760 in grants through the Women to Women Giving Circle, Youth Engaged in Philanthropy (YEP) cohort and new Environment & Nature Grants at the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation.

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. Previously, environment-focused grants were offered as part of the General Grants application in the spring.

“It has long been a goal of Illinois Prairie Community Foundation to play a larger role in helping local nonprofits working in the environmental sector. This generous gift allows IPCF to do just that,” said Greg Meyer, Illinois Prairie Community Foundation executive director.

Recipient organizations sharing $38,775 in Environment & Nature awards are:

• Bloom Community School – $1,355 for “Bloom Community School and Refuge Food Forest” in which students will 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 for “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 for “East 5 Acres Pollinator Habitat” to create an environment for pollinator and wildlife habitats with access for nearby residents.
• Heartland Community College – $2,000 for “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 for “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 for “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 for “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.

The Women to Women Giving Circle seeks to improve the lives of women and children in Central Illinois and focused its grants for 2024 on programs that break down barriers and challenges for families in terms of food, housing, transportation and childcare. Since 2011, the Women to Women Giving Circle has awarded $529,363 in grants. The mission of the group is to provide education about issues affecting women and to provide grants to projects and programs aimed at improving the dignity of women and children in McLean, DeWitt, Logan and Livingston counties.

Recipient organizations sharing $55,000 in Women to Women awards are:

• Dreams Are Possible – $18,000 for “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 for “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 for “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 for “Pathway of Hope,” an 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 for “Pathway of Hope” that provides 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 for “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.

Youth Engaged in Philanthropy grants were selected by 15 area high school students and focus on youth-oriented programs with priority given to organizations that include youth in the application process. Since 2014, Youth Engaged in Philanthropy has awarded $110,000. As a part of our community’s youth, YEP strives to connect those who care about youth with the monetary means necessary to pursue their vision.

Recipient organizations sharing $11,985 Youth Engaged in Philanthropy awards are:

• Bloomington Public Library – $1,987 for “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 for “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 for “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 for “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 for “Child Safety Matters: A Day at the Zoo,” 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 for “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 for “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 for “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.

About Illinois Prairie Community Foundation
Illinois Prairie Community Foundation, now in its 26th year, encourages and facilitates philanthropy in McLean, DeWitt, Livingston and Logan counties by connecting donors who care with causes that matter to them. The Foundation currently manages funds including endowments and donor advised, fiscal sponsorship and scholarship funds. More information is available at ilprairiecf.org.

Community Partners for Illinois Prairie Community Foundation are: Drake Zimmerman’s First Allied Securities, Brandt Group of Companies, Illinois Farm Bureau, Cox & Fulk, Donald Heinold CPA, Fox & Hounds Salon & Spa, Fox Pest Control, Heartland Bank & Trust, Little Jewels Learning Center, Northern Trust, PIP, Renaissance Wealth Management BN, Shirk Family Foundation, Striegel Knobloch & Co., Tarvin Culligan, Westminster Village and WGLT.

Contact
Michele Evans, Grants & Communications Director | [email protected] | 309-662-4477