Nine NWIL Non-Profits Receive $60,000 Fund Grants

The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) and the Freeport Community Foundation (FCF) have announced today that they partnered to award $60,000 in Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund (ICRF) grants to nine non-profit organizations based in Stephenson County. Funding for emergency needs throughout Stephenson County related to COVID-19 losses is included in the emergency-needs grants.

“It is clear that all of the agencies that applied for COVID-19 grant funding are struggling to continue meeting even the most basic human needs during this challenging environment,” said Freeport Community Foundation Board President Brad Stewart. “Yet, despite their own respective operational challenges, the applying organizations presented programs outlining numerous ways to support their neighboring residents.”

The Illinois COVID-19 Respond Fund (ICRF) supported the grants awarded to CFNIL and FCF. The following organizations received the $60,000 in Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund emergency relief funding:

• Amity Society of Freeport for Childcare During a Pandemic $10,000
• Family YMCA of Northwest Illinois for Summer Programming at YMCA $10,000
• United Way of Northwest Illinois for Support of Operations Interruption $9,920
• Northern Illinois Food Bank for Stephenson County Mobile Pantries & Take 50 Food Fund $7,400
• Northern Illinois Community Action Agency for NICAA Housing Stability Program $5,800
• VOICES of Stephenson County for VOICES Pandemic Support $5,000
• New Horizons Counseling Center for Reduced Fee Program $5,000
• Stephenson County Historical Society for COVID-19 Relief $3,780
• CONTACT of Northern Illinois for Crisis Helpline $3,100

Freeport Community Foundation Executive Director Michelle DeHaven said, “The Freeport Community Foundation has a long-standing relationship with our peers at CFNIL, and we are very happy to partner with them on this fourth round of Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund granting.”