Community Grants

The Illinois State Dental Society Foundation Community Grant Awards program is a private grant opportunity designed to improve oral health outcomes for Illinois families and communities. The foundation states that its mission is to enhance the health of Illinois families by expanding access to oral health care and supporting dental education. Consistent with that mission, the program distributes several thousand dollars each year in varying award amounts to support projects proposed by applicants who reside in Illinois and whose work benefits people living in Illinois. The program is focused on oral health and favors projects that demonstrate measurable improvement goals, strong community support, and innovation. The funding scope is centered on practical oral health access and education activities. The guidelines specifically identify examples of qualified projects, including increasing access to care for low-income families, especially families with children; increasing access to care for elderly Illinois residents; helping procure dental supplies or equipment for providers serving low-income Illinois communities; supporting oral health education programs, especially in low-income designated schools; and supporting emergency dental care for disadvantaged people who lack access to care. At the same time, the foundation places clear limits on use of funds. It does not support endowments or fundraising campaigns, political organizations or campaigns, projects unrelated to oral health, reimbursement for goods already purchased, or equipment purchases or capital improvements in government facilities. Eligibility is restricted in several important ways. All applicants must be endorsed by an ISDS component dental society, the applicant must reside in Illinois, and the funded project must benefit people in Illinois. Requests involving equipment purchases must include two competitive pricing bids. The program also has repeat-funding restrictions: an organization that received Community Grant funding in the past three consecutive years is not eligible in the current year and must observe a one-year break after three consecutive funded years. In addition, organizations that receive grants from the Chicago Dental Society Foundation in the same year are not eligible for this funding cycle. Only one proposal per organization will be accepted. The guidelines do not describe any required cost share or match. The application process is relatively direct but document-heavy. Applicants must obtain the grant application from the ISDS foundation programs page, complete the application, and submit all required supporting documents by the stated deadline. The guidelines say a properly completed application, together with all required supporting documentation, must be received on or before May 28, and applications are to be submitted by email to foundation@isds.org. The submission package is incomplete unless it includes the completed application pages 1 through 4, a project description of no more than three pages, a current IRS tax determination letter if applicable, the program or project operating budget, the most recent Form 990 pages listed in the application, a list of board members and their affiliations, a required endorsement letter from the ISDS dental society component, and required current CVs for the top two people involved in the project. The funder also instructs applicants not to send items such as videotapes, cassette recordings, folders, binders, or PowerPoint presentations. The review process is based on complete and legible applications and emphasizes both program quality and community value. The ISDSF Grant Committee evaluates applications and considers originality, creativity, and innovation; the potential for continuous operations or sustainability; community involvement, including volunteer support; the likely impact on the target community or audience; and the presence of specific, clearly identified success measurement elements. The examples in the guidelines show that the funder values measurable outcomes, such as a defined percentage increase in the number of children examined or the number of students reached by an education program. The foundation also reserves discretion to change the guidelines or make grants outside the described range. The timeline in the guidelines centers on an annual May 28 deadline, with funding decisions generally announced in September and funds typically disbursed in September. The program timetable also establishes post-award reporting expectations: around March 1, grantees receive a progress report request due on or before April 15, and if the project or program is not completed by April 15, another status report is due by August 1. The guidelines advise applicants to notify the relevant dental component society at least 30 to 60 days before the grant request deadline in order to secure the required written endorsement in time. For questions about eligibility, funding criteria, or the review process, the listed program contact is the Illinois State Dental Society Foundation at foundation@isds.org and (217) 525-1406. Because the materials describe the grant as an annual program with named annual award winner lists, the opportunity appears to recur each year even though the exact opening date is not stated in the provided source.

Show measurable improvement goals with specific numeric outcomes; demonstrate strong community support and volunteer involvement; emphasize originality, creativity, innovation, and sustainability; make the oral-health connection explicit; submit a complete and legible package; start endorsement outreach 30-60 days before May 28 so the required component society letter is ready by the deadline