Ken-Rock Community Center (KRCC), like many community centers, offers after-school care. Like most community centers, academic as well as recreational activities are included in those after-school hours. But over the past couple of years, something special has been happening at KRCC.

CFNIL is pleased to announce a new way for counselors, parents, and students to stay informed with updates, reminders, and tips during the CFNIL Scholarship Cycle — text updates! In addition to the regular email communication and social media posts providing details and updates, interested applicants and family members and support staff that may assist students during the scholarship process can get reminders sent right to their phone.

We are pleased to announce that our colleague, LuAnn Groh, has been selected as one of twenty “People You Should Know” for 2018 by the Rockford Chamber of Commerce! The “People You Should Know” award recognizes people who are actively involved in moving the community forward, standing out in the crowd, and taking time to mentor others. They are accomplished professionals who have mastered the pathway to success, yet still have the balance and commitment to effectively give back to their industry, colleagues and community.

The Community Scholarship Fair will be held on Tuesday, December 4, 2018 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Mendelssohn Hall (406 N. Main Street in Rockford). The Community Scholarship Fair is hosted by the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL), Rock Valley College Foundation (RVC), and Rockford Public Library (RPL). At the free event, visitors can learn about more than $500,000 in scholarships and financial aid offered by local organizations for students in Northern Illinois.   

Each year CFNIL has the opportunity to participate in Scholarship Day at Rockford University as the steward of endowed RU scholarship funds. This year 19 students were awarded Barber Colman Management Fund scholarship, their names added to the ranks of nearly 500 students who have received this scholarship. In 1987 when Rockford company Barber Colman was sold, forty managers decided to pool their resources and establish a $1M fund at CFNIL to support scholarships at Rockford College (now Rockford University).

High School Counselors — You’re Invited! The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL), Rock Valley College Foundation (RVC), and Rockford Public Library (RPL) will host two scholarship events this year. The first event provides an opportunity for high school counselors to learn about local private scholarship opportunities available for their students.  Representatives from CFNIL, RVC, and RPL will provide an overview of the many scholarship opportunities and answer questions about the application process, criteria, and more.   

On Wednesday, September 19, 2018, Cheryl and Mike Metcalf will host a benefit concert by JD Shelburne at Timber Pointe Golf Club. Shelburne is a singer and songwriter from Nashville, TN who plays a style of country music that is deeply influenced by gospel and pop. He’s currently on tour promoting his 2018 album “Two Lane Town”; the day before the benefit concert the music video for his song “One Less Girl” will premiere on CMT! You can learn more about J.D.

Each summer, the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford selects three to six students to participate in an eight-week research internship program in medical research in the campus’s research laboratories. This highly competitive program offers specialized training to students with high potential for performance in the medical science or a related field. For the summer 2018 cohort, two of the participants were also Howard D.

The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois is pleased to announce that we have been re-accredited with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations®. This accreditation, signified by the Seal shown above, indicates that CFNIL meets the highest standards for philanthropic excellence.

On June 12, 2018, CFNIL Scholarship recipients, their families, and scholarship fund donors gathered for an award ceremony and reception. This was CFNIL’s largest scholarship cycle, with 134 students from 30 high schools awarded 164 scholarships totaling nearly $250,000. This video was created to capture highlights from the event, including interviews with recipients and donors; their stories are full of inspiration, hope, and promise for the future. We hope you enjoy this look at Scholarship Night 2018 and save the date for Scholarship Night 2019, Thursday, June 13, 2019!

CFNIL’s largest and broadest grantmaking program, Community Grants, is now accepting applications for the 2018 cycle. Eligible 501(c)(3) organizations may submit proposals in six Focus Areas: Arts & Humanities, Education, Health, Human Services, Sustainable Communities, and Youth & Families. In 2017, CFNIL awarded 79 grants totaling nearly $2M in support of charitable activities throughout our region.

On May 24, the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois and HomeStart hosted a reception for recipients of the 2018 Neighborhood Grants Program. The Neighborhood Grants Program has been in existence since 1995 and has distributed more than $650,000 to neighborhood groups and organizations that have proposed projects to improve the quality of life of their communities through beautification, crime prevention, celebrations, communication, and education.

The Club Blue Grants Program supports organizations that supply the basic goods and services that promote the safety, health, and well-being of children in our community. Established in 2012, the group has raised nearly $1.5 million. This year, the application will be open from June 27 to July 31 at 5 p.m. Applications are submitted through CFNIL’s application portal and an independent Grant Committee formed by Club Blue reviews all applications.

If you’ve ever considered building an endowment for your nonprofit organization then join the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois at Klehm Arboretum on Wednesday, May 30 at 3:00 p.m. to learn more about the Carroll H. Starr Endowment Challenge. Staff will explain why building a permanent endowment at CFNIL may be right for your organization, what the Carroll H. Starr Endowment Challenge is, and how it works. You can RSVP for the kickoff event here.

The Rockford Symphony Orchestra will celebrate the beloved musician and composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein with a community-wide collaboration of events and performances.

Three Rockford University professors have received a $14,000 grant to study the spread of Lyme disease in northern Illinois from the Community Grants Program of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL).

Discovery Center Museum will expand its STEM program for students in nine Rockford schools who are active in the After-School Achievement Program (ASAP). Discovery Center will: – Develop STEM-related hands-on activities for students in the ASAPs. Staff will visit each school twice a month and engage students in small group activities that build STEM skills.

Set within the Corpus Christi Monastery in Rockford, Illinois, Chosen (Custody of the Eyes) is an intimate portrait of Heather*, a former blogger and painter confronting what she believes is her calling: becoming a cloistered contemplative nun in one of the strictest religious orders, the Poor Clare Colettine nuns. Chosen is a coming-of-age story by first-time filmmaker Abbie Reese in collaboration with Heather, the film’s primary subject, and cinematographer. It is a truly intimate, one-of-a-kind look at monastic life from the inside.

Charles G. Uram was a friend and mentor to many and demonstrated the true value that is derived from volunteering and donating to our community. Chuck will always be remembered by the community and the Rockford Cosmopolitan Club as the person called upon to lead fund drives for many local nonprofits. Chuck’s spirit lives on through this annual award created to recognize community leaders with Chuck’s style and record of lifetime achievement.

The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) and NW HomeStart are accepting applications for the Neighborhood Grants Program until 5 p.m. on Monday, April 2. The Neighborhood Grants Program is available to neighborhood-based groups and nonprofit organizations operating in Boone, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago Counties.

In December, the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois announced the recipients of its Community Grants program from Fall 2017. Here’s a round-up of some of the media coverage that these organizations have received for their projects, programs, and events in recent weeks.