DOWNERS GROVE, Illinois—The DuPage Foundation is pleased to announce the awarding of more than $670,000 in grants to 30 DuPage County not-for-profit organizations working in the area of Health and Human Services and five local collaboratives focused on improving kindergarten-readiness in DuPage County. The grants were distributed at the Foundation’s Spring Grant Awards Breakfast held on Wednesday, June 22, at Glen Oak County Club in Glen Ellyn.
“There are so many dedicated people working harder than ever these days in our area not-for-profit organizations to ensure that critical services are available for those who are in need in our community,” said Barb Szczepaniak, Foundation vice president for programs. “Unfortunately, funding resources have dwindled at a time when they are most needed. The Foundation is pleased to provide overall grant funding at an increased level this year to these well-deserving organizations to help them better serve their clients who depend on their support and services.”
The following organizations received funding through the Foundation’s Community Needs Grant Program and from Foundation Donor-Advised Funds:
• 360 Youth Services—$15,000 (Funded by the Beth & Dan Maguire Family Fund and the Betty M. Bock Fund)
• Bridge Communities, Inc.—$20,000 (Funded by the Snodgrass Family Fund)
• Care for Cars—$8,000 (Funded by The McWethy Foundation and the Communityworks Endowment Fund)
• Catholic Charities Diocese of Joliet—$13,500 (Funded by the Betty M. Bock Fund)
• Donka, Inc.—$10,000
Community Needs Grants/Add one
• DuPage Health Coalition (Access DuPage)—$20,000
• DuPage Homeownership Center, Inc.— $20,000 (Partially funded by the Sue Wallace Fund)
• DuPagePads—$20,000
• Ecumenical Adult Care—$20,000
• ESSE Adult Day Services—$6,500 (Funded by the Edward & Minnie Ceragioli Fund)
• Family Focus—$10,000 (Funded by the Betty M. Bock Fund)
• Family Shelter Service—$20,000
• Friends for Therapeutic Equine Activities—$15,000
• Hope’s Front Door—$2,470
• Little Friends, Inc.—$15,000
• Loaves & Fishes Community Services—$20,000
• NAMI DuPage—$20,000
• Naperville CARES—$8,000
• Neighborhood Food Pantries—$20,000
• Northern Illinois Food Bank—$20,000
• Outreach Community Ministries Inc.—$20,000
• People's Resource Center—$17,890
• Project HELP—$2,500 (Funded by the Linda & Clark G. Carpenter Fund)
• REACH Food Pantry—$2,206
• Ray Graham Association—$10,000
• Samaritan Interfaith Counseling Center—$15,000
• Sharing Connections—$5,670 (Funded by the Betty M. Bock Fund)
• Teen Parent Connection—$20,000 (Funded by the Betty M. Bock Fund)
• Tri-Town YMCA—$14,147
• UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago—$15,000
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TOTAL COMMUNITY NEEDS GRANT FUNDING AWARDED: $425,883
Community Needs grants are primarily awarded based on earnings from the Foundation’s unrestricted and field-of-interest funds. Additionally, during the selection process, the Foundation offers representatives of its donor-advised funds the opportunity to review the grant applications that it receives through its Community Needs Grant Program. It does this to inform local donors about the needs in the community, introduce them to the many organizations that apply to the Foundation, and to engage them in helping the Foundation increase the level of grant support that it provides through the grant process.
In addition to the Community Needs grants, the DuPage Foundation’s Board of Trustees awarded more than $245,000 from its Bright & Early DuPage initiative to further the efforts of local collaboratives focused on improving kindergarten-readiness in DuPage County. Recipients include as follows:
• Bensenville School District 2 for the Bensenville Early Learning Supporters—$24,000
• Community Consolidated School District 93 for the Birth to Five Collaborative—$11,750
• DuPage Federation on Human Services Reform for the Regional Early Childhood Collaboration—$62,000
• Metropolitan Family Services for the Addison Early Childhood Collaborative—$75,000
• Metropolitan Family Services for the Wheaton/Warrenville Early Childhood Collaborative—$75,000
TOTAL BRIGHT & EARLY DUPAGE FUNDING AWARDED: $247,750
About the DuPage Foundation
The DuPage Foundation seeks to raise the quality of life throughout DuPage County by fostering philanthropy, connecting donors to area needs and building community partnerships. Based on the American virtues of volunteerism and philanthropy, the Foundation fosters a legacy of support for the people of DuPage County by making grants to not-for-profit organizations working in the areas of Arts and Culture, Education, the Environment, Health, and Human Services. Since its inception, the Foundation has built its endowment to approximately $64 million and awarded more than $26 million in grants to not-for-profit agencies serving the residents of DuPage County and beyond.
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Established in 1986, the DuPage Foundation is a publicly-supported 501(c)(3) organization to which
contributions are tax deductible. It was created to benefit the people of DuPage County and receives contributions and bequests into a permanent endowment from individuals, corporations, organizations and foundations wishing to make lasting contributions to the people of DuPage. The earnings on these funds are then used, in accordance with donor wishes, for the Foundation’s grantmaking and community leadership activities.
For more information about the Foundation, or to arrange future media opportunities, please contact William Pearch, marketing manager, at 630.598.5290, or bill@dupagefoundation.org.
