Friday, July 17, 2020
Dear Partners,
A friendly and important reminder: Applications for support from the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund (ICRF) are due July 24th, 2020 at 12:00 PM CDT.
As you may know, the United Way of Illinois and the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations, in collaboration with the Office of Governor JB Pritzker, established the ICRF to disburse privately-raised funds to nonprofit organizations across the state serving individuals, families, and communities hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.
ICRF's final round of funding will maintain the ICRF's mission of meeting basic needs of Illinois residents most heavily burdened by COVID-19, while supporting communities to meet their needs going forward. Specific goals include:
- Serve basic needs: Continue to meet the basic needs of Illinois residents as outlined in ICRF's founding principles, in line with ICRF's 'response fund' mission
- Address issues related to COVID-19: ICRF seeks to solve problems that are directly linked to COVID-19 (either newly emerging from or magnified by the crisis)
- Focus primarily on Black / Latinx communities: Deepen the prioritization of communities most burdened by COVID-19 through a focus primarily on Black / Latinx communities
- Support sustainable infrastructure: Help forge new partnerships, shore up sustainable programs, and/or model new ways to address basic needs
- Achieve state-wide reach with the entire round: Each grantee does not need to cover the state, but the totality of the round should reflect geographic balance
Eligibility Requirements:
ICRF is looking for big ideas that are aligned with their goals and fit each of the identified eligibility requirements. Grants for this round will be between $350,000 - $2,000,000. (Note that a project must meet all requirements to be considered for this round of funding).
To apply for an ICRF grant, please click here to access the application link. Applications will close on July 24th, 2020 at 12:00 PM CDT.
For additional information about the application, or any questions you may have, please see the Frequently Asked Questions on the bottom of the ICRF Homepage or reach out to the ICRF team at icrf@cct.org. I am confident that many significant, life-altering opportunities will emerge from this effort to strengthen our state.
Sincerely,
Grace B. Hou
Secretary, IDHS
