Illinois Employment Labor and Training Grants

The United Way of the Wabash Valley (UWWV) has announced a new grant opportunity through its Community Health (UWWV CH) and Youth Success (UWWV YS) Impact Councils. This initiative is designed to support projects that address the overall health of area youth. The program aligns with the UWWV's mission by investing in the well-being of the community's youngest members, fostering a healthier future for the Wabash Valley. The primary beneficiaries of this grant are children aged 6 to 18 (K-12) within the UWWV service area, which includes Clay, Parke, Sullivan, Vermillion, and Vigo counties in Indiana, and Clark County in Illinois. The impact goal is to improve the mental, behavioral, and physical health and well-being of these youth. Programs are encouraged to take a holistic approach to health, with an emphasis on innovative solutions that can be implemented during the school year, summer 2025, or other out-of-school times. Priority will be given to programs that serve youth in outlying counties (Clay, Parke, Sullivan, and Vermillion in Indiana, and Clark in Illinois), demonstrate strong collaborations and partnerships among organizations, and integrate physical exercise with social/emotional well-being, mental health, life skills, and/or food and nutrition. The focus is on creating comprehensive programs that address multiple facets of youth health. The UWWV's strategic priorities are evident in the grant's emphasis on youth health and community collaboration. The theory of change suggests that by investing in innovative, holistic programs for youth, the UWWV can contribute to a healthier and more resilient community. Expected outcomes include improved mental, behavioral, and physical health among participants, enhanced life skills, and better nutritional habits. While specific measurable results are not explicitly detailed in the provided information, successful applicants would likely be expected to track participant engagement, improvements in health indicators, and the development of key skills. A total of $30,000 in funding is available, with individual applicants eligible to apply for $1,000 to $5,000, to be expended by August 31, 2025. This funding structure allows for a broad range of impactful projects. Eligible applicants include youth-serving organizations, school and civic organizations, businesses, local government entities (e.g., Parks Departments), faith-based organizations, and non-profit health services organizations. A key requirement for counseling, therapy, or life skills services is the provision of evidence that a licensed or certified counselor will perform these services in person, as virtual sessions will not be funded.

This grant provides funding to organizations that improve healthcare access for underserved and uninsured residents in northern Lake County, Illinois.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit and government organizations in Illinois to expand early intervention services for young individuals experiencing early serious mental illness, particularly those at risk of or already facing first episode psychosis.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations that assist migrant and seasonal farmworkers with employment services, training, and housing solutions.

The Forecast Public Art’s Midwest Memory Grant, ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, is open to non-profit organizations in rural Midwest communities, aiming to elevate and preserve the stories of BIPOC communities through monuments, with a focus on addressing systemic inequities and advancing racial justice.

The Illinois Energy Transition Navigators Program, funded by the state's Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, aims to establish a network of community-based providers throughout Illinois to facilitate community education, outreach, and recruitment. These providers will connect individuals to clean energy workforce and contractor development programs, with a focus on equity investment eligible communities and individuals. The program has a budget of $6 million and expects to award 13 grants ranging from $250,000 to $600,000. It targets specific hub regions and operates on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis.

The Skokie Community Foundation (SCF) grant program aims to invest in organizations and projects that significantly benefit Skokie residents and strengthen the community, extending impact beyond the grant period. This aligns with SCF's broader mission to foster a supportive, engaged, and dynamic community in Skokie through meaningful giving, collaboration, and community programming. The foundation's strategic priority is to create lasting positive change by supporting initiatives that address identified needs within the community and demonstrate a clear path to impact. The target beneficiaries are primarily Skokie residents, with a specific focus on projects where the majority of those benefiting reside in Skokie. The program's impact goals include strengthening the community, breaking down barriers, building relationships, and working towards unity and mutual respect and understanding within Skokie's diverse population. SCF supports projects that contribute to population and systems-level change, seeking to advance equity through collaborative efforts. SCF places particular priority on proposals that utilize a Collective Impact model, which involves a network of community members, organizations, and institutions learning together, aligning, and integrating their actions. Another key focus is on initiatives that bring about unity in diversity. The program also prioritizes proposals that directly address clearly identified needs of Skokie residents. Grant funding typically ranges from $1,000 to $10,000, with an average grant size of $5,000, and is for a one-year period from January 1 through December 31, 2025. Expected outcomes and measurable results are crucial for SCF. Proposals are evaluated based on whether they address a significant concern or opportunity, demonstrate collaboration between organizations, clarify the roles and responsibilities of co-applicants, address participant recruitment from Skokie, have an appropriate budget, and include a sufficient evaluation plan to track progress and determine success. The foundation's theory of change emphasizes that by funding collaborative, community-focused projects with clear objectives and evaluation metrics, they can achieve sustainable positive change and strengthen the fabric of the Skokie community.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is offering a Business Resiliency program, funded by federal Community Development Block Grant-Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) Funds. This grant aims to support the construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or acquisition of property for homeless shelters, with the goal of increasing their capacity to pre-COVID levels. The program is federally funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and requires all awarded projects to demonstrate a connection to the prevention, preparation, and response to the coronavirus. The primary objective is to provide stable, safe, and adequate housing for individuals experiencing homelessness, aligning with the broader mission of community development and support for vulnerable populations. The target beneficiaries are homeless individuals, with the impact goal of increasing the capacity of shelters to serve more people and improve living conditions. This program directly addresses the critical need for enhanced housing infrastructure in the wake of the pandemic, ensuring that communities are better equipped to handle homelessness. A key priority of this grant is to fund projects that meet the National Objective of Low to Moderate Income for the benefiting businesses, ensuring that the assistance reaches those most in need. The program also emphasizes robust collaboration among local entities, requiring letters of support from a minimum of five community homelessness support services. This fosters a coordinated approach to addressing homelessness and ensures comprehensive service delivery. Expected outcomes include an increase in the number of available shelter beds and improved facilities for homeless individuals. While the total funding amount is yet to be precisely determined, it will be at least $15 million, with individual awards ranging from $500,000 to $2 million. The number of grants will be based on the amounts requested. The project period is anticipated to run from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2026, allowing for a substantial duration to achieve the program's objectives. Measurable results will be tied to the increased capacity of shelters and their ability to provide stable and safe housing. Eligibility criteria require entities to be registered in the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal, possess valid FEIN and UEI numbers, have current and public SAM.gov registrations, and be in good standing with state and federal lists. Eligible applicants must also be units of local government receiving "Entitlement" CDBG funding, have a current Shelter Funding Strategy, and remain compliant with all applicable nondiscrimination laws.

The Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln offers Junior League of Springfield Capacity Building Grants to support nonprofit staff and board attendance at trainings and professional development programs. The grants are strategic investments that strengthen management, governance, and leadership in eligible organizations across the region. Funds may be used for workshop or conference registration, consultant fees for customized training, and associated travel, meals, lodging, and related costs. Eligible applicants include registered 501(c)(3) organizations, faith based organizations offering non religious community services, public or private schools for projects beyond regular budgets, and units of government or municipalities. The program serves organizations in Cass, Christian, Logan, Macoupin, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, and Sangamon counties. Grants are generally up to 1,500 dollars and may support participation by staff or board members in targeted professional development opportunities. Projects should clearly describe expected outcomes and how the training will strengthen organizational effectiveness. Applications are due May 3, 2024. Additional information is available from the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in Illinois to create permanent supportive housing for individuals with complex medical and behavioral health needs, particularly those transitioning from institutional care or at risk of institutionalization.

This funding opportunity supports programs that engage AmeriCorps members in service activities to strengthen communities across Illinois, focusing on areas like education, economic opportunity, and public health, with eligible applicants including nonprofits, local governments, and educational institutions.

The City of Naperville in Illinois is offering a Social Service Grant ranging from $500,000 to $1 million for a duration of one year, aimed at financially assisting non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations that provide services such as emergency assistance, senior care, self-sufficiency programs, support for special populations, and youth programs to benefit the Naperville community.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to educational organizations in Illinois to enhance professional development and resources for early childhood educators and families serving young children with disabilities.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations that assist individuals living with or at risk for HIV as they transition out of correctional facilities in Illinois, ensuring they receive essential medical and support services in the community.

Utilizing CMP funds from the federal CMS, facilities will apply to obtain this grant to provide the Head-to-Toe Infection Prevention training in long-term care facilities. In an effort to support the maintenance of cognitive and mobility skills, the Illinois Department of Public Health, Office of Healthcare Regulation (OHCR) announces an opportunity for certified facilities to submit applications to implementation changes to increase the quality of life within their facility. This grant seeks to provide facility staff training in the areas of; (1) wound treatment and care, (2) skin & oral care, (3) urinary care, and (4) adapting care to fit each resident. The grantee will utilize the Head-To-Toe Infection Prevention provided by IDPH which, by addressing each of these topics, the overall quality of life within Long Term Care facilities will increase. Through Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) funds provided by the Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program (CMPRP) through the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), IDPH OHCR is able to fund opportunities such as this and others that benefit residents in long-term care (LTC) facilities. Assistance is tailored to issues which present in multiple facilities throughout Illinois. It seeks to build quality care and experiences in LTC facilities to residents as well as provide staff with training to ensure improved care. Through this funding, the facility would be reimbursed for cost of the materials produced for the training of facility staff. Funds can only be used for the production and distribution of training materials for facility staff. The participating facilities will quarterly of its sessions to the IDPH CMPRP Specialist the aforementioned information to gauge the viability of utilizing a similar program in other LTC facilities. The Illinois Department of Public Health places health equity as a top priority. Health equity is the “basic principle of public health that all people have a right to health”. Health equity exists when all people can achieve comprehensive health and wellness despite their social position or any other social factors/determinants of health. Most health disparities affect groups marginalized because of socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, disability status, geographic location, or some combination of these. People in such groups not only experience worse health but also tend to have less access to the social determinants or conditions (e.g., healthy food, good housing, good education, safe neighborhoods, disability access and supports, freedom from racism and other forms of discrimination) that support health…. Health disparities are referred to as health inequities when they are the result of the systematic and unjust distribution of these critical conditions. The department’s efforts are committed to addressing health through an equity lens by empowering communities who have been historically marginalized and developing intervention strategies with the end goal of furthering health equity among all Illinoisans.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for community organizations to educate and assist underserved communities in Illinois with accessing clean energy programs and initiatives.

The Movember Indigenous Men’s Wellbeing Innovation Initiative is a grant funding and capacity building program aimed at empowering Indigenous-led organizations. This initiative supports the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative programs and interventions to enhance Indigenous men's social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB). As one of four initiatives under Movember’s new Indigenous Social and Emotional Wellbeing Portfolio, it aligns with Movember's broader mission to build voice, capability, and power among Indigenous boys and men to design, lead, implement, and sustain SEWB in their communities, and to strengthen knowledge of effective SEWB strategies. The grant specifically targets Indigenous boys and men across all life stages in the United States. The program's core focus is on delivering innovative new programming or strengthening existing promising approaches that demonstrate improvements in SEWB. Movember aims to foster cultural connection and pride, embrace cultural knowledge, elevate overall social, emotional, spiritual, and physical wellbeing, strengthen resilience, enhance health literacy, and improve access to culturally appropriate spaces and services that support SEWB. These priorities are central to achieving the desired impact of improved holistic wellbeing within Indigenous communities. Eligible applicants must be Indigenous owned/managed/led organizations based in the United States, legally able to accept grant funds, and either implementing an existing SEWB program with promising evidence or proposing a new program aligned with the funding goals. This ensures that the initiatives are culturally relevant and community-driven. Movember’s strategic priorities reflect a commitment to supporting Indigenous self-determination and strengthening community-based solutions. The initiative provides annual funding of up to USD $250,000 per applicant for three years. The expected outcomes include a significant improvement in SEWB among Indigenous boys and men in the USA, measurable through indicators such as increased connection to culture and community, enhanced resilience, improved health literacy, and better access to culturally appropriate support services. This investment reflects Movember’s theory of change, which posits that by empowering Indigenous-led organizations and fostering innovative, culturally relevant programs, lasting positive impacts on Indigenous men's wellbeing can be achieved.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to eligible contractors for developing renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that benefit low-income communities and promote workforce training in Illinois.

Topfer Family Foundation Grant Program focuses on supporting nonprofit organizations within the program areas of Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment, Youth Enrichment, Children’s Health, Aging In Place, and Job Training & Support. Eligible applicants must be exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. The foundation primarily invests in communities where the family resides, including the greater Austin, Texas and greater Chicago, Illinois metropolitan areas. Additionally, they have started providing grants to organizations in Denver, CO and Broward County, FL. For more information and to apply for a grant, visit Topfer Family Foundation's website.

This grant provides funding to Illinois courts and related offices to improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities, ensuring they can fully participate in court activities and receive necessary accommodations.