Through our Community Grants program, the Community Foundation seeks to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations to serve the residents of Oak Park and River Forest.

The Community Foundation accepts grant applications once a year. CommunityWorks applications are due on April 1, 2008. Other Community Grant applications are due on August 1, 2008. Please refer to the grant application and guidelines for each:

Click here for a printable pdf of Community Grant guidelines and applications

Click here for a printable pdf of CommunityWorks guidelines
 

Areas of Interest

The Community Foundation accepts grant applications under the following focus areas. Some applications may be relevant to more than one focus area. If your organization serves the community in some way that does not seem to fit into one of the listed focus areas, please contact the Community Foundation to discuss your mission and programs.

Health & Human Services	Arts & Culture
Community Development	Education
Conservation & Environment	Recreation
CommunityWorks

Through the CommunityWorks initiative, the Community Foundation has identified areas of community priority in the focus areas of child care, land use/protection and work force development. Please refer to the CommunityWorks guidelines for a detailed description of areas of interest and grant opportunities.

Types of Grants

Capacity Building
The Community Foundation will consider proposals to build organizational capacity in areas such as: strategic planning, evaluation, fundraising, communications, operational efficiency, program planning, space planning, and board and staff development.

General Operating
The Community Foundation will consider proposals for general operating grants that support those portions of an agency's mission and operations that benefit the residents of Oak Park and River Forest.