DuPage Foundation is pleased to announce the recent awarding of $100,000 to 10 local DuPage County nonprofits through its inaugural cycle of its Capacity Building grant program.
Launched last fall, the Capacity Building grant program aims to empower local organizations to improve their own internal framework and promote long-term sustainability. Awarded grants support nonprofits in enhancing their operational infrastructure – from technology and donor engagement strategies to marketing, public relations, and more.
"The need is great and there's a lot of excitement around this offering,” said Barb Szczepaniak, DuPage Foundation vice president for programs. “We're seeing organizations that struggle with their groundwork capacity now have additional bandwidth from an operations standpoint to continue to grow."
Inaugural Capacity Building grant recipients include:
Anima - Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus: $9,000 – to support a fund development consultant to research and build a new, broad-based, and sustainable development and fundraising strategy that will support Anima's current operations and continued growth.
Bridge Communities, Inc.: $14,600 – to support the cost of FreeWill, an estate planning tool, to bolster an integrated marketing campaign to increase planned giving to that well help secure Bridge Communities’ future and ultimately serve more families facing homelessness.
BrightSide Theatre: $10,000 – to support the engagement of a marketing consultant to develop a holistic marketing strategy and implementation plan to help BrightSide grow ticket sales and program registrations.
Candor Health Education: $11,500 – to support a new reservation system that will allow Candor Health Education to save money and dedicate more time to working with school personnel to assess their needs and expand youth prevention education.
DuPagePads: $15,000 – to support the hiring of an Associate Director of Quality Assurance who will ensure regulatory compliance related to public grant funding, continuous quality improvement, and data management.
Elmhurst Walk-In Assistance Network: $2,500 – to support the purchase of an ILA translation device to provide a smoother mode of communication with non-English speaking clients.
Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry (EYFP): $7,500 – to support technology upgrades and implementation of a client online ordering platform that will expand EYFP’s ability to distribute food from a secondary warehouse location.
Glen Ellyn Children's Resource Center (GECRC): $8,000 – to support transportation capacity for students, which is necessary for GECRC to maintain and expand partnerships that help improve student outcomes.
NAMI DuPage: $15,000 – to support the engagement of a consultant to help identify and build sustainable revenue sources, which will enable NAMI to strengthen current programs and build a legacy giving program.
The GardenWorks Project (GWP): $6,900 – to implement a digital rebranding to enhance operational efficiency, foster long-term growth, strengthen stakeholder relationships, and support GWP in achieving its mission more effectively.
Grant applications for the inaugural cycle exceeded expectations, with more than 40 applications received. Looking ahead to the second grant cycle this fall, DuPage Foundation will be refining the program’s focus to better support local nonprofit operational needs.
"We're opening the door for nonprofits across DuPage County to receive funds that are otherwise inaccessible," said Szczepaniak. "By helping expand an organization's capacity to fundraise, these grants create a domino effect that in turn provides more programs for the community."
