In 2023, Cook County will award up to $5 million in capacity building grants to community-based organizations serving Cook County residents.
Donor Name: Cook County
State: Illinois
County:
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 09/08/2023
Size of the Grant: Up to $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
The Cook County Starting Block Grant initiative seeks to support the internal capacity of these organizations to ensure that they have the resources beyond programmatic support, to strengthen their practices, infrastructure, and organizational health.
The grant opportunity is open to community-based organizations in diverse sectors, including Arts and Culture, Community and Economic Development, Education, Health and Human Services, and Violence Prevention. To be eligible, organizations must have non-profit status and an annual operating budget under $1 million. This initiative goes beyond traditional grants for organizations to deliver services and allows them to focus on strengthening how they run.
This grant initiative is funded through the Cook County Equity Special Purpose Fund, created to address historic and continued disinvestment and inequities in Cook County.
Funding Information
Cook County will award up to $5 million in Starting Block Grants in 2023 with a subsequent grant award cycle planned for 2024. Awarded organizations will receive up to $100,000 in funding for capacity building over two years. The grant period for this first cycle of awards will run from November 1, 2023 – October 31, 2025.
Eligibility Criteria
Organizations applying for a Cook County Starting Block Grant must meet all of the following eligibility criteria:
- Identify as a community based nonprofit organization with a 501c(3) status, (no fiscal agents/sponsors are allowed for this opportunity);
- Have an annual operating budget of $1 million or under;
- Be headquartered in Cook County (operating and providing services within the City of Chicago or Suburban Cook County);
- Demonstrate at least three years of experience of working at the local level to improve the lives of residents in historically disinvested and vulnerable communities through the provision of services and/or by addressing the many societal challenges that impact those communities. Historically disinvested and vulnerable communities may include but are not necessarily limited to communities impacted over time by a lack of economic investment, declining property values and tax receipts, limited employment opportunities and household income, declining population, disproportionate exposure to crime and violence, or environmental and health hazards, or limited access to healthcare.
For more information, visit Cook County.
