Illinois Women & Girl Services Grants

The Envisioning Justice Grants program, supported by Illinois Humanities, focuses on leveraging the arts and humanities to foster a truly just society. This initiative aligns with the foundation's broader mission to create understanding about mass incarceration and its profound impact on communities throughout Illinois. By funding impactful initiatives that use creative and intellectual approaches, Illinois Humanities seeks to build more affirming, engaged, and empowered communities, ultimately contributing to a more equitable and just society. The program targets a diverse range of beneficiaries, specifically prioritizing currently or formerly incarcerated individuals, people serving long-term sentences, justice-involved young people, women (particularly women of color and/or those impacted by gendered violence), the LGBTQAI+ community, migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, immigrants, elderly populations, people with disabilities, and Indigenous populations. Furthermore, the grants prioritize projects that focus on communities that are sites of prisons or jails, experiencing significant incarceration, and/or undergoing significant demographic change due to the criminal legal system. The overarching impact goal is to facilitate understanding of mass incarceration and support those working to mitigate its effects. Envisioning Justice Grants prioritize projects that are regional or statewide in scope and partnership-oriented, emphasizing collaborative efforts to address complex issues. The funded initiatives include prison education programs, independent media, community dialogues, and conferences. These efforts are designed to create spaces for critical reflection, artistic expression, and humanistic inquiry, which are central to the foundation's strategic priorities. While specific measurable results are not explicitly detailed beyond "create understanding" and "build more affirming, engaged, and empowered communities," the program implicitly aims for increased community engagement, enhanced public discourse on carceral issues, and improved conditions for affected populations. Organizations can apply for grants of up to $10,000, with no matching funds required, making the program accessible to a wide range of groups. Eligibility is limited to nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations or those with a fiscal sponsor, based anywhere in Illinois. While all Illinois applicants are eligible, individuals from East St. Louis, Decatur, Carbondale, Galesburg, Urbana-Champaign, and the Bloomington-Normal Metro Area are particularly encouraged to apply. This geographic focus, coupled with the thematic priorities, underscores Illinois Humanities' theory of change: that by supporting arts and humanities initiatives, particularly in highly impacted areas and among vulnerable populations, they can drive meaningful social change and foster a more just and informed citizenry.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in Cook and DuPage Counties that focus on improving economic security, combating gender-based violence, and ensuring access to health services for women and girls.

This grant provides financial support to grassroots community organizing groups in the Midwest that focus on empowering low- and moderate-income populations, particularly those historically excluded from civic participation, to drive systemic change and promote social justice.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations and public agencies in Illinois to create transitional housing for victims of violent crime, helping them regain stability and access essential services.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in Illinois that offer essential services such as shelter, counseling, and advocacy for victims of domestic violence and their children.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to a state sexual assault coalition that will manage subgrants for organizations delivering essential services to victims of sexual violence across Illinois.

The City of Naperville in Illinois is inviting applications for its Community Development Block Grant Program, aimed at providing affordable housing, services to vulnerable communities, job creation, and business expansion, with funds allocated for property acquisition, infrastructure improvements, public services, energy conservation, and economic development activities.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations that offer culturally specific services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking within diverse racial and ethnic communities in Illinois.

This grant provides financial support for innovative, women-led projects at Southern Illinois University that empower women students, faculty, and staff, enhancing their learning experiences and campus engagement.

This funding opportunity supports Illinois-based nonprofit organizations in creating innovative digital humanities projects that engage and diversify audiences through creative public programming.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations, schools, and government entities in specific Illinois counties to support programs focused on improving the well-being of women and children.

This grant provides funding to not-for-profit organizations and schools in Macon County, Illinois, to support programs that empower and inspire women and girls in the community.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations in central Illinois that assist women and children facing challenges related to housing, food, transportation, and childcare insecurity.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations that assist victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse through established advocacy services across Illinois.

This funding opportunity is designed to support a lead organization that will distribute grants to local groups providing essential services to domestic violence and sexual assault victims in underserved areas or among underserved populations in Illinois.

This funding opportunity supports organizations in central Illinois that create programs to uplift and advocate for women and girls, promoting female empowerment and philanthropy.