On Wednesday evening, May 15, the Club Blue 2019 Committee hosted a check presentation and reception on the grounds of the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois. The Committee, along with presenting sponsor Illinois Bank & Trust, presented checks totaling $190,000 to representatives from Children’s Home & Aid and MERIT, the Medical Evaluation Response Initiative Team.

The 2019 Community Foundation of Northern Illinois Scholarship cycle was one for the record books! Nearly one hundred community volunteers read and reviewed 1,127 applications from 399 students. Thanks to their hard work, the generosity of donors, and the exceptional efforts of the students of our region, CFNIL is pleased to announce the awards made in this 2018-2019 scholarship cycle. The full list of recipients is posted online: https://www.cfnil.org/2019-scholarship-recipients/

April 22, 2019 In Youth We Trust Council is made up of high-school-aged youth from across Northern Illinois. The program engages young people in community service and philanthropy. IYWT gives the council members resources and opportunities to help solve problems affecting their peers and their quality of life. The IYWT Grant Program distributes up to $25,000 a year to youth-led projects in the region. IYWT Council Members set grant policy, review youth-inspired service project proposals, and recommend proposals for funding to CFNIL’s Board of Directors.

"Often, for our individuals with severe developmental disabilities, accomplishing daily tasks such as communicating with others or participating in daily living activities can be a challenge…new computer equipment and assistive technology [can] improve the effectiveness and impact in preparing and conducting training for both participants and staff.”

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.

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.

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).