The Neighborhood Grants Program is designed to promote resident participation and leadership while encouraging and supporting neighborhood groups working to preserve and improve quality of life at the local level.
Donor Name: Community Foundation of Northern Illinois
State: Illinois
County: Boone County (IL), Ogle County (IL), Stephenson County (IL), Winnebago County (IL)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/15/2026
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Funding supports projects that bring neighbors together, strengthen community connections, and produce visible, meaningful improvements within defined geographic areas.
Applications to the Neighborhood Grants Program should meet the following criteria:
- Promote resident participation and leadership.
- Encourage and support the work of neighborhood-based groups and organizations preserving and/or improving their neighborhood’s quality of life.
- Invest in and build on the existing neighborhood strengths and assets.
- Promote civic pride in community.
Funding Information
The maximum amount granted by the Neighborhood Grants Program is $2,500.
The Foundation Funds
- Beautification Projects
- Crime Prevention
- Neighborhood Cleanups
- Neighborhood Events
- Newsletters & Organizing
- Community Gardens
- Reforestation Projects
- Neighborhood Surveys
- Resident-Focused Education
What they Look For
Projects that:
- Are generated, led, and executed by residents of the neighborhood to the extent possible;
- Build on the assets existing in the neighborhood, including using the skills of residents, involving youth or working with an existing neighborhood group; and
- Encourage partnerships between residents, businesses, non-profits and institutions (e.g., schools) within the neighborhood.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for funding, an applicant must:
- Must be an organized neighborhood group carrying out a charitable purpose for the common good
- Not be a 501(c)(3) organization or a religious organization Have at least three active leaders (i.e. President, Treasurer, Secretary, etc.)
- Maintain a checking account in the name of the group or organization
- Operate without discrimination- Be located in Boone, Ogle, Stephenson, or Winnebago County, Illinois Present a clear plan for a project that benefits residents within a defined geographic area
- Demonstrate the capacity to complete the proposed project within 10 months
- Be current on all final reports from any previously awarded Neighborhood Grants Program funding
For more information, visit CFNIL.
