Youth Program Enhancement Grant

The Youth Program Enhancement Grant is a one-time funding opportunity administered by the City of Aurora and supported entirely by donations collected through the Festival of Lights at Phillips Park from 2021 through 2025. A total of $206,000 is available to enhance existing youth-serving programming in Aurora. The funding does not come from the City's general operating budget or property tax revenue, and the City states that this grant will not be available in future years. Approximately $166,000 is designated for After-School Programming Grants, Equipment Purchase Grants, and Scholarship Program awards combined, with an estimated 10 to 15 recipients for those opportunities, while $40,000 is designated for Portable Soccer Fields. Applicants may pursue only one of four available opportunities. After-School Programming Grants provide up to $20,000 to enhance existing programs. Equipment Purchase awards provide up to $20,000 for a one-time equipment purchase supporting an existing program. Scholarship Program awards range from $5,000 to $20,000 and must provide scholarships for low-income Aurora families. The fourth opportunity supports Portable Soccer Fields and is limited to Aurora school and park districts. The program is intended exclusively to enhance programming that already exists and may not be used to seed or establish new projects. Eligible expenses are limited to direct program costs. Examples identified by the City include instructor fees, program supplies, and software used for the program. Funding may not cover indirect or administrative costs such as salaries, rent, or utilities. Programming and equipment supported by the grant must serve a population consisting of at least 51 percent Aurora residents. Scholarship funds may be used only for Aurora residents who can demonstrate need, while portable soccer fields must be used for Aurora residents and/or on Aurora properties. Applicants must report unduplicated clients by counting each person only once rather than counting repeat participation as separate clients. The source does not identify a matching or cost-share requirement. Established nonprofits currently providing services in Aurora may apply for After-School Programming, Equipment Purchase, or Scholarship awards when they can demonstrate outcomes, local partnerships, and the organizational capacity to manage grant requirements such as data collection, reporting, and expenditure tracking. Taxing bodies may apply for the scholarship opportunity only when they directly provide programming themselves, with examples including a library district, park district, and Aurora Township. Aurora-based school and park districts may apply for Portable Soccer Fields and must submit a letter of intent. For-profit organizations, nonprofits not currently serving Aurora, and school districts seeking opportunities other than Portable Soccer Fields are ineligible. Park districts and libraries are not eligible for programming or equipment funding under the stated rules, although park districts may apply for the soccer field opportunity. An applicant may apply when the specific program proposed is not already funded through another City of Aurora grant, such as Quality of Life, or through a City of Aurora contract. Prospective applicants must first submit the Enhancement Grant Interest Form so that the City can confirm eligibility. After the interest form is reviewed and the organization is confirmed as eligible, the applicant receives a separate email containing the official application and additional submission information. A complete application and all supporting documents must then be submitted in one email to youthservdiv@aurora.il.us. If attachments are too large for a single message, applicants may divide the submission into clearly labeled parts, such as Organization Name-YouthProgramEnhancement-Part 1 of 3, while including every part in the same email submission process. Applicants are limited to one funding opportunity. The application window runs from August 3 through August 31, 2026. Complete applications and supporting documents are due Monday, August 31, 2026, by 5:00 PM CST, and the City describes this as a hard deadline for which late applications will not be considered. A Microsoft Teams applicant workshop is scheduled for August 11, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM and covers eligibility, funding opportunities, and general questions. During August 3 through August 31, office hours are available Tuesdays from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at 630-256-3416 and Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at 630-256-3402. Youth Services staff will review applications during September 2026 and prepare recommendations. Recommended grantees are tentatively expected to proceed to the Finance Committee, Committee of the Whole, and City Council for approval in October 2026. Following approval, awarded organizations will be notified and grant agreements finalized. The source provides no performance-period dates and expressly states that this is a one-time, nonrecurring grant opportunity.

Choose only one funding opportunity and confirm eligibility before applying; propose an existing program rather than a new project; demonstrate outcomes, local partnerships, and grant-management capacity where required; ensure programming and equipment serve at least 51% Aurora residents; restrict scholarships to Aurora residents demonstrating need; count clients on an unduplicated basis; submit the complete application and supporting documents by the hard deadline.