The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) and HomeStart are proud to announce the recipients of the 2017 Neighborhood Grants Program. The grants will be awarded to 13 organizations that are working to improve the quality of life in their communities. CFNIL has operated a neighborhood grants program since 1995, distributing more than $676,000 to build better neighborhoods in Rockford.

The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois is now accepting applications for the Richard J. Schnell Memorial Scholarship. Applicants must: – Be enrolled in an American Dental Association accredited dental or dental hygiene program, or a graduate post-doctoral program, for the upcoming school year; – Be attending a two- or four-year college or university in the state of Illinois, or the Indiana University School of Dentistry; and – Show evidence of financial need.

he Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) will award 154 scholarships worth up to $237,250 to local students. Since 2000, CFNIL has awarded $2,564,422 to local students pursuing post-secondary education. You can a list of all the 2017 recipients here.

Thanks to our friends Children’s Home + Aid for their touching story about Jasmine, Charlie, and how they’ve been helped through CHA’s Doula Program. The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois is honored to support this vital program with a $29,520 grant from the Dr. Louis & Violet Rubin Fund.

Happy Mother’s Day. Thank you to the Rockford Register Star’s Kristen Zambo for her story on how Anna Wartowski’s legacy of generosity lives on. You can read the story here.

The announcement of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois’ $35,000 grant to the Rockford Park District Foundation for the Bruce Munro: LIGHT exhibit at Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens received media attention from the Rockford Register Star, WREX, and 

Earlier today, the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois was honored to present the Discovery Center Museum with a $33,734 grant to introduce more career-focused programming in the museum. The new programming includes two kiosks where kids can watch more than 70 videos of local professionals explain their job, with the goal of explaining the world of work to the museum’s visitors. One kiosk will be placed on each floor, along with posters that illustrate career pathways that can be found throughout the museum.

HomeStart, in partnership with the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, is pleased to announce a new grant opportunity in which applicants can apply to send a team to a three-day Community Leadership Institute (CLI) event. The event focuses on sharing ideas and successful solutions to the problems and issues facing many communities across the country. This year’s Institute will be held October 12-15 in Los Angeles, CA.

Attention members of the Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps. CFNIL is seeking applicants for the Diane Thompson-Wells Memorial Scholarship. Applicants must: – Be a graduating high school senior or current four-year college or university student; – Have a GPA of at least 2.5/4.0; – Be able to demonstrate financial need; and – Be a member of the Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps.

A few nights ago, under the threat of rain which never quite came, In Youth We Trust (IYWT), the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois’ youth philanthropy group, presented checks to eight local youth-led organizations.

CFNIL is honored to award a grant to Rockford Corridor Improvement and Zion West Enterprises for its Expanded Yard Maintenance Program, which employs residents of Ellis Heights to maintain vacant lots in the neighborhood. The grant will be used to purchase a new commercial mower, allowing for additional staff to maintain more properties in the neighborhood. Thanks to 12 WIFR for its coverage of the announcement.

In December 2015, Rockford University and the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) announced the University’s participation in the Rubin Education Challenge, a challenge grant offered by CFNIL to build scholarship endowments benefiting local students with financial need who attend college in the region. Together, Rockford University and CFNIL will build a $3 million endowment, with CFNIL matching every dollar contributed by the University and its donors. The program is named after Dr.

THE GOLF OUTING The 15th Annual Chief David G. Bailey Scholarship Golf Outing will be held on June 24, 2017 at the Prairie View Golf Course in Byron (993 N. River Road, Byron, IL 61010). The event’s proceeds will benefit the Chief David G. Bailey Fire Science Scholarship, which provides educational resources for firefighters in Northern Illinois to receive accredited, sanctioned, and/or certified fire science or emergency medical service training. CHIEF DAVID G. BAILEY

The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) recently received accreditation with the nation’s highest standard for philanthropic excellence.

In this year’s In Youth We Trust grant cycle, Lucia Horton was awarded a grant to bring her plans for a “Picnic with a Purpose” to life. Lucia is pictured above with Taryn Marko, the Executive Director of Winnebago County CASA, the agency whose clients and volunteers will receive the benefit of Lucia’s plans. We decided that the best way to tell you about this project is simply to post Lucia’s comments that she shared at the grant award reception and which are printed in full below. Congratulations, Lucia, you’re an inspiration!

In 2016, Byron Bank donated an undeveloped plot of land located in the middle of a neighborhood in Belvidere to the City of Belvidere. At first, the City simply cleared the lot of brush and debris, leaving a large empty grass space. Then, the City began some efforts to use the space to engage people living in the neighborhood: the fire department would bring a truck and spray kids on hot afternoons, the police department would hand out ice cream bars donated by Deans Foods.