Through the Community Needs Grant Program, The DuPage Community Foundation supports programs and projects which impact, improve, enhance and enrich the quality of life for DuPage County residents.  Through two grant cycles each year, the Foundation accepts applications from local not-for-profit organizations serving the community in the following areas:

First-time applicants are strongly encouraged to call or email Barb Szczepaniak, Director of Programs, to determine eligibility before beginning the application process.

Grant Application Options
Applicants may apply for a Community Needs grant by submitting one of the following applications:

                    Community Needs Grant Application - for requests up to $20,000
                    Community Needs Mini-Grant Application - for requests up to $2,500

Guidelines, eligibility, restrictions, and published deadlines are the same for both application options.

Grant Application Due Dates
Organizations may submit one application for the Community Needs Grant Program per calendar year.  Two copies (one original, one copy) of the application are due to the Foundation office, 104 E. Roosevelt Road, Suite 204, Wheaton, IL 60187, by 5:00 p.m. on the dates listed below.  Applications received after the specified deadlines will not be accepted.

2013 Spring Cycle
Friday, March 1, 2013 - Deadline for Health and Human Services applications

2013 Fall Cycle
Friday, September 6, 2013 - Deadline for Arts and Culture, Education and Environment applications

Eligibility
Applications to the Community Needs Grant Program will be accepted from not-for-profit charitable organizations that:

• Are public charities classified as exempt from federal income taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (Please note that the Foundation does not generally award grants to organizations which have operated as a 501(c)(3) for less than three years)
• Are located in DuPage County

Previous grantees must have complied with all reporting requirements and be in good standing before submitting another grant request.  Prior grantees who have outstanding final reports at the time of application submission must include a final report (if project/program has been completed) or an interim report (if project/program has not yet been completed).  If an interim report is included with the application, a final report from the grant will be due no later than May 1, 2013 for Health and Human Services grants or November 1, 2013 for Arts & Culture, Education and Environment grants.

Restrictions
The Foundation does not generally award grants from the Community Needs Grant Program to:

• Organizations located outside of DuPage County
• Organizations which have received grants through the Community Needs or General Grant Program for the past three consecutive years
• Organizations which have operated as a 501(c)(3) for less than three years
• Individuals
• Support religious activities (secular activities provided by religious organizations may be eligible for grant funds)
• Endowments
• Disease-specific organizations
• Private foundations and private operating foundations
• Hospitals, including supporting foundations
• Historical societies and foundations for projects that do not have a broad reach beyond a specific community
• Food pantries for the purchase of food (equipment and other programs provided by food pantries are eligible for grant funds)
• Governmental agencies, including supporting foundations
• Public, parochial, private or charter schools (pre-k through 12th grade), including supporting foundations

Application Review Process
The Foundation Grant Committee consists of Foundation Trustees, community volunteers, and the director of programs.  The Committee meets several times to review and evaluate all applications received and to conduct site visits when appropriate.  The Committee then makes grant recommendations to the full Board of Trustees for approval.

All applicants will be notified in writing whether or not a grant has been awarded.  Notification letters will be sent out mid-May for Health and Human Services grant requests and mid-November for Arts & Culture, Education and Environment grant requests.

Application Questions
Please contact Barb Szczepaniak, Director of Programs, at (630) 665-5556 or barbs@dcfdn.org with questions concerning the grant program, the application process and program category selection.

Grant Guidelines
When applying for a grant, please note the following:

• Only one application per organization may be submitted within any calendar year
• Applications may be submitted for existing or new projects, programs or operating purposes
• In the health & human services, arts & culture, and education categories, importance will be placed on organizations which deliver effective existing programs to assist underserved populations, offer new approaches to solving problems, or create opportunities for organizations to collaborate
• In the environment category, importance will be placed on organizations that effectively address current and future environmental needs/issues in DuPage County through improvement of existing or development of new programs, educational outreach, and collaborative efforts
• Grants are awarded for a one-year period
• Applications that do not contain all the requested information in the specified format may be denied
• Applications will be accepted into the program category that best fits the specific program for which funds are being requested
• Once submitted, applications may be moved into a different category at the discretion of the director of programs

The chart below provides broad program descriptions as a guideline to the applicant.  When applying, category selection should be based on the program's content, not necessarily on the type of organization.  For example, if a human services organization is providing after-school tutoring to at-risk children, funding for this program would be in the education category.

Application Deadline	Program Category			Program Description
3/1/13	Health and Human Services			Supports a wide range of programs that improve the quality of life of DuPage County residents in need by: strengthening, assisting and advocating for at-risk and low-income populations and providing basic human needs to children, youth, adults, and senior citizens, and/or  promoting physical and mental health
9/6/13	Arts and Culture			Supports programs that provide opportunities for participation, education, awareness, and appreciation for the arts and cultural heritage.
9/6/13	Education			Supports community education programs (outside public and private elementary/high school settings) to enhance and promote learning from early childhood to adulthood.
9/6/13	Environment			Supports environmental education; programs that promote conservation and restoration of natural areas, habitats, and green spaces; efforts to reduce pollution and waste; and programs that protect wildlife and endangered species.

Funds
Grants are made from the earnings of permanent endowment funds established by corporations, foundations, individuals and organizations wishing to make a lasting contribution to the people of DuPage County.

Community Needs grants will be funded from earnings on the following funds:

Unrestricted Funds

• Cleve E. Carney Fund
• Lois L. and Edwin F. Deicke Fund
• Elizabeth D. Eben Memorial Fund
• General Endowment Fund
• Joseph and Bess Kindlon Fund
• Jack and Virginia Knuepfer Fund
• John W. Squire Fund

Field-of-Interest Funds

• Access to Recreation Fund

Founding donor:  Midwest Community Foundations Ventures (2007)
For accessible recreation programs/projects

• Arts Fund

Founding donor:  WPWR-TV Channel 50 Foundation (1994)
For artistic endeavors including, but not limited to, performing and visual arts, art exhibits, and arts education

• Basic Human Needs Fund

Founding donors:  First Annual Benefit Attendees (1993)
For agencies responding to emergency housing, food, clothing and health care needs of low-income residents

• The Alben F. Bates and Clara G. Bates Foundation Fund

Founding donors:  The Alben F. Bates and Clara G. Bates Foundation (2005)
To support the residents of Elmhurst

• Children and Youth Fund

Founding donors:  Richard and Carole Cline (1988)
For physical, emotional, educational and intellectual needs of children and youth

• Ruth and Hugh Christ Fund

Founding donors:  Ruth and Hugh Christ (2000)
For disadvantaged children and youth

• Environmental Fund

Founding donor:  Molex Incorporated (1991)
For efforts to improve and/or preserve the quality of the the natural environment

• Health Fund

Founding donor:  Central DuPage Health System (1995)
For broad health needs in the community

• Martha McCormick Hunt Fund

Founding donor:  Brooks and Hope B. McCormick Fund (1988)
Primarily for conservation and protection of the natural environment

• Wesley E. Luehring Foundation Fund

Founding donor:  The Wesley E. Luehring Foundation (1999)
For charities located in or serving the Itasca area

• Sindelar Family Fund

Founding donor:  Peg Sindelar (2002)
For education and health

Grant Applications
For requests up to $2,500, please complete the Community Needs mini-grant application
For requests up to $20,000, please complete the Community Needs general grant application