April 8, 2019 “Hour of Code” is a national initiative which has the goal to get 10 million students to try computer science for one hour, and to demystify computer science and coding. Rock Valley College’s Computer and Information Sciences (CIS) department offered their first “Hour of Code” event on December 12th, 2015. The event brought 126 people from the Rockford Region to learn more about Computer Science fundamentals and coding.

Milestone, Inc. was founded in 1971 by a group of concerned parents of adult children with developmental disabilities who were frustrated by the lack of living centers available for their children. Since that time, it has grown to become Winnebago and Boone Counties’ largest provider of residential, developmental, vocational, and social support services for adults and children with mental retardation, autism, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy.

On International Women’s Day, as the accomplishments and advancement of women around the world are celebrated, we’d like to share the story of a woman who lived a very normal life in Rockford; a woman whose posthumous generosity saved an event that will inspire academic excellence and bring once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for local students — forever!

The National Center for Rural Health Professions (NCRHP), housed at the UIC Health Sciences Campus in Rockford, strives to meet the health care needs of rural residents and their communities across throughout Illinois — and beyond! In 1993 the RMED (Rural Medical Education Program) was established at UIC.

Today Women of Today’s Manufacturing (WOTM) announced the establishment of a new scholarship with the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, with the purpose of supporting women pursuing a degree in engineering. The WOTM Ruthann Gaston Women in Engineering Scholarship fund will award scholarships to female students enrolled in the NIU Engineering at RVC program.

This President’s Day, February 17, 2019, Midway Village Museum welcomed visitors for a special event, Presidents and Patriots. This unique event featured reenactors portraying President Abraham Lincoln and first lady Mary Todd Lincoln, and these special guests gave a little extra pomp to an already exciting announcement. Today, Midway Village announced the finale of a successful fundraising campaign to complete the Carroll Starr Endowment Challenge.

NW HomeStart and the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) are accepting applications for the Neighborhood Grants Program until 5 p.m. on Monday, April 1. This program is available to neighborhood-based groups and nonprofit organizations operating in Boone, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago Counties.

UPDATE: As of 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning January 31, phones and servers are back online. Scholarship applicants who worked on their applications last night or early this morning should double check to ensure everything saved properly and contact CFNIL staff with any issues: cstahly@cfnil.org. Thank you for your patience!

Due to extreme weather conditions, CFNIL will be closed Thursday, January 31. Staff may be reached by email between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.: For scholarship application questions: cstahly@cfnil.org Other inquiries jsmith@cfnil.org Staff will also monitor CFNIL’s Twitter and Facebook pages for scholarship application questions.

Today the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) is pleased to announce the results of the 2018 – 2019 Community Grants Program cycle. The Community Grants Program is CFNIL’s largest grantmaking program. Grants are awarded to support charitable projects, programs, and events operated by nonprofit organizations in Boone, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago Counties. Community Grants are made in six focus areas: Arts & Humanities, Education, Health, Human Services, Sustainable Communities, and Youth & Families.

Students from Central Elementary School in Rochelle are proving that no matter your age, you can make a difference in your community! Faced with the challenge of not having a way to store fresh food for meals at their afterschool program, these enterprising young people researched possible solutions and decided to write grant proposals to the Rochelle Area Community Foundation as well as CFNIL’s In Youth We Trust grant program.

– Martes 4 de Diciembre del 2018 (5 – 7 p.m.) – Mendelssohn Hall (en el Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center) – 406 N. Main Street (en Park St.) en Rockford ¡Gratis! Unase a nosotros para aprender acerca de mas de $500,000 en becas y ayuda financiera. Visite cabinas para hablar con representantes de muchas organizaciones locales que le pueden aconsejar en como obtener la ayuda financiera que necesita. SEMINARIO OFRECIDO A LAS 5:15 Y 6:15 P.M.

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.