The 815 Community Response Team is pleased to share a Request for Proposals in direct response to the growing need of hundreds of individuals in our community who find themselves unemployed, underemployed, or facing financial hardship due to COVID-19. Earlier this year, our community generously donated to the Emerging Needs Fund in response to COVID and this will be the final distribution from the fund.

Election Day is November 3rd, and there is still time to vote early in person, or to submit your vote-by-mail ballot.  Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, all voters must vote at the assigned polling place. To find your polling place, visit the website for your election authority: Voters in the City of Rockford: Rockford Board of Elections

On October 6, Cheri Nordenberg Greenlee lost her battle with cancer. While we join her family, friends, and community in sorrow at this loss, we are humbled and heartened to announce a new scholarship which Cheri worked to establish in the last days of her life. The Cheri Nordenberg Greenlee Memorial Scholarship will provide financial support for current college students from northern Illinois who are completing the final two years of a bachelor's degree.

In partnership with Arts Alliance Illinois, the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois and The Kjellstrom Family Foundation announce $60,000 in grants made to four local arts organizations to offset lost revenue due to COVID-19.

CFNIL is pleased to announce the establishment of a new scholarship, the Elsie Jefko Carlson Scholarship. In the hopes to "pay it forward" and honor Elsie's life, her family created this scholarship in order to support single parents who need financial support to further their education. Here is how Elsie is described by her family:

In Youth We Trust Council, the youth philanthropy program of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, is looking for new members to join the Council for its 26th year! Established with a grant from the Ford Foundation in 1994 and endowed by a local donor, this program teaches grantmaking, volunteerism, and leadership skills to today’s youth, preparing them to be the positive change of tomorrow.

During the week of August 10, CFNIL staff presented five grantseekers meetings via the Zoom online platform. We hope you were able to attend “live”, but regardless are sharing the full presentation slides as well as a recording of one of the sessions. Both of these items as well as full details about the CFNIL Community Grants Program may be found at our website: https://cfnil.org/community  The presentation recording may also be viewed below.

Seven nonprofit corporations were selected by the 81Thrive Initiative for a $50,000 discretionary award to assist with the losses endured as a result of COVID-19 AND up to $25,000 in capacity building supports from the Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence (NICNE).

CFNIL's Community Grants application opens August 10th! Interested in learning more about this program? Register now for one of the 2020 Grantseekers Meetings! Each presentation will include information about CFNIL's Community Grants Program which is open to charitable organizations in Boone, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago Counties. Learn all about Community Grants at https://cfnil.org/community

The Freeport Community Foundation (FCF) and the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) announced today that they, in partnership, are awarding $60,000 in Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund (ICRF) grants to nine non-profit organizations based in Stephenson County. The emergency-needs grants awarded include funding for emergency needs throughout Stephenson County related to COVID-19 losses.

Platinum Seal allows donors to focus on progress and results The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) this month earned the 2020 Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition offered by GuideStar, a service of Candid. By sharing metrics that highlight progress CFNIL is making toward its mission, the organization is helping donors move beyond simplistic ways of nonprofit evaluation such as overhead ratios.

Rock Valley College recently received the third year of grant funding for the “Linking Talent with Opportunity” (LTO) initiative from the Dr. Louis and Violet Rubin Endowment of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL). The $225,000 for the 2021 fiscal year fulfills the three-year, $675,000 commitment CFNIL made to RVC and Highland Community College to develop and implement a new educational “Pathways” model for RVC and Highland district high schools and business partners.

As of Tuesday, July 7, 2020, all CFNIL staff have ceased working remotely and are back in the CFNIL offices. Our regular business hours are 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. As an organization CFNIL has taken the Rockford region "Clean Hands, Open Doors" pledge, committing to additional measures to help ensure the safety of staff and any visitors to the CFNIL office. Learn more about the "Clean Hands, Open Doors" pledge.

The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) and NW HomeStart are proud to announce the recipients of the 2020 Neighborhood Grants Program. The grants will be awarded to 11 groups and organizations (listed below) working to improve the quality of life in their communities at the neighborhood level. The grants are worth $22,300.

The Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund (ICRF) recently announced it distributed its fourth and largest round of funding thus far, an additional $6.95 million to 42 nonprofit organizations across the state. The Fund, which was established by the United Way of Illinois and the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations in collaboration with the Office of the Governor, focused this round of funding on serving the state’s most vulnerable populations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Arts for Illinois Relief Fund, a statewide effort to support Illinois arts organizations impacted by COVID-19, has engaged with community foundations across the state to leverage matching fund dollars.

The Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project (FLAP) – Proyecto de Ayuda para Trabajadores del Campo y Jardineros is proud to announce that it has received a grant in the amount of $10,000 from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois Natural Disaster Assistance Program to provide financial assistance to undocumented families in Winnebago County who are in crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

June 15, 2020 – Rockford – The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) has named Daniel Ross to succeed Jon Bates as its next president. Ross will assume his new role as the third president in CFNIL’s 67-year history on July 1, 2020.

Watch the first-ever VIRTUAL CFNIL Scholarship Award Night! Originally broadcast June 11, 2020. 144 students from 27 local high schools were awarded 176 scholarships totaling over $300,000 this year. Celebrate the exceptional accomplishments of this year's recipients and the generosity of community members who established these scholarships. Hear testimonials from recipients, encouraging words from special guests, and cheer on the scholars in your family or from your school!

Join us for the first-ever VIRTUAL CFNIL Scholarship Award Night! 144 students from 27 local high schools were awarded 176 scholarships totaling over $300,000 this year. Tune in to celebrate the exceptional accomplishments of this year's recipients and the generosity of community members who established these scholarships. Hear testimonials from recipients, encouraging words from special guests, and cheer on the scholars in your family or from your school!

The 2020 Club Blue grant recipients have been announced! Congratulations to Children's Safe Harbor and KFACT. Typically a Club Blue grants reception is held in the yard at the Community Foundation, but this year the Club Blue board toasted the recipients remotely!