Financial Assistance and Grant Programs Resources
Community Foundation of Northern Illinois
The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) provides scholarships, including scholarships for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and grants to charitable organizations in Boone, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago counties. Visit CFNIL’s scholarship opportunities page to learn more.
CommunityGro Community Garden and Food Program in Galesburg
CommunityGro equips people with the resources, education, and support to grow food for their communities. The program seeks to continue bridging the food security gap, creating self-sufficiency, and lasting solutions for food accessibility in Knox County.
To learn more contact communitygro61401@gmail.com or (309) 299-1802. You can also visit the CommunityGro Facebook page.
The Compassionate Friends (TCF) is a self-help bereavement organization, providing support to bereaved parents, siblings, grandparents, and close family members who are going through the natural grieving process following the death of a child of any age (from pre-birth to adult) from any cause.
TCF resources include:
- Grief materials and information for the newly bereaved
- A meeting locator tool to help you find a chapter near you
- An online support community and live chats
- A downloadable, online magazine
- A comprehensive list of similar nonprofit organizations
Contact Ministries in Springfield
Contact Ministries is a non-profit, faith-based, social service organization serving the greater Springfield community. It provides free on-site support services and emergency shelter to single women, women with children, families and individuals in poverty.
Contact Ministries provides:
- Referrals
- Food and clothing
- Emergency shelter and transitional housing
- Financial assistance and other programs
Call Contact Ministries at (217) 753-3939.
Create Your Own Communication Card for People With Hearing Loss
The Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission (IDHHC) provides a template to create a personalized Communication Card for people with hearing loss. The card helps others understand your communication needs and lists your preferred communication provider’s name and contact information. To create a personalized Communication Card, visit the “Create my own Communication Card” page on IDHHC’s website.
For more information, contact the IDHHC:
- Voice: (217) 557-4495
- Video: (217) 303-8010
- TTY: (888) 261-2698
- DHH.Communications@Illinois.gov
Crosswalk Community Action Agency
Crosswalk Community Action Agency (CCAA) offers a variety of programs and services to help individuals and families in Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson and Williamson Counties. CCAA programs address the “day-to-day” needs and help individuals work to become self-sufficient.
Programs include:
- A Diaper Program
- Emergency Services
- Energy Assistance (LIHEAP)
- Food Pantry
- Homeless Prevention Services
- Home Repair and Rehabilitation
- Home Weatherization (IHWAP)
- Scholarships
Curb Mobility – Chicago Wheelchair Accessible Taxicabs
Curb Mobility, LLC (CURB) manages Chicago’s Centralized Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) Taxicab Dispatch Service. Passengers can call CURB or use a smartphone app to request and connect with an available WAV taxicab. Passengers can also request wheelchair accessible taxis in advance for Chicago events that may include high turnout from accessible vehicle users.
Passengers can request a CURB WAV taxicab ride by:
- Calling (888) WAV-CABS (1-888-928-2227)
- Downloading the CURB app
- Emailing a request to the City of Chicago Centralized Wheelchair Accessible Taxicab Dispatch Service, CURB, at least three business days in advance to chicagowav@gocurb.com
The Danny Did Foundation works toward its mission to prevent deaths caused by seizures with these main goals in mind: advancing public awareness of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), enhancing the SUDEP communication model between medical professionals and families afflicted by seizures, and mainstreaming seizure detection and prediction devices that may assist in preventing seizure-related deaths.
The Danny Did Foundation’s grant program does provide financial assistance for purchasing seizure detection and seizure prediction devices to qualifying individuals.
For questions, please call (800) 278-6101 or complete the online Danny Did Foundation contact form.
The Illinois Department of Human Services’ Division of Mental Health provides frequently-asked questions, tips and resources for how to handle traumatic events.
Information includes possible symptoms after experiencing a traumatic event and when to seek help from a trained professional.
Dean Ritter Foundation Scholarship for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
The Dean Ritter Foundation Scholarship for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing awards scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000 annually to graduating high school seniors throughout Illinois who have severe to profound hearing impairments. Individuals with financial needs will receive special consideration, but the program does not make scholarship decisions solely on a financial basis. Application deadlines and the number and amount of scholarships vary each year.
Students must be continuing their education at an accredited university or technical school to receive tuition scholarships. They must also:
- Be an Illinois resident
- Be a senior in high school in good standing
- Have significant (severe to profound) hearing loss in one or both ears