This year, we leveraged insights from last year’s grant cycle and made progress towards instituting more equitable processes and refining funding strategies to better reflect the ecosystems of organizations that serve our region.
We implemented a new two-stage application process that began with a Letter of Intent (LOI) to honor the amount of time and effort that is invested in by grant seekers to produce grant applications and by our small staff to thoroughly evaluate them.
We conducted site visits for all organizations that submitted a full proposal to learn directly from them, their clients and/or participants about their work to improve the health and well-being of communities.
We reviewed grant applications with our grantmaking principles in mind and a vision of how our investments could be leveraged to help create long-term partnerships, community impact and equitable change.
OUR GRANTMAKING STRATEGY
Our 2019 grant recipients demonstrate strong collaboration with community stakeholders, understand the intersectionality of health and social issues, address gaps in health services and other programming and conduct health-focused research and/or policy and advocacy for our service area, especially for our Legacy & Equity residents (which are 71% of the total HCF service area).
Our grant recipients’ current and proposed work aligns with at least one of our grantmaking priorities below:
WAYS WE GIVE
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
Most of our funding goes towards this giving area. We firmly believe in strengthening our partner organizations from within, so they can focus on advancing their work towards providing health serves and addressing health equity.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
We fund strategic health initiatives that explore new opportunities and/or address crises and emergencies.
CAPACITY BUILDING
We support strategies that promote effective organizational practices and strengthen leadership skills, setting the foundation for a healthy, strong nonprofit ecosystem.
2019 GRANTS SUMMARY
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT GRANT ALLOCATION
By Funding Principle
Access
Address
Advocate
Augment
By GEOGRAPHIC AREA
Legacy and Equity
HCF General
HCF Regional
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2019 GRANT RECIPIENTS!
GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
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STRATEGIC INITIATIVES & CAPACITY BUILDING
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STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
Community Health Worker Pilot Year 2
Illinois Immigrant Funders Collaborative
Philanthropy for a Racial Equitable Greater Chicago
Illinois Partners for Human Services: Health and Human Services Study
Protecting Immigrant Families – Illinois
CAPACITY BUILDING
Leadership Institute
Point the Way
Lyons Youth Mental Health Pilot
Forefront Mission Sustainability Initiative
Chicago Latinos in Philanthropy
Warehouse Project