Community Impact Grant: Education, Environment and Animal Welfare

The Community Impact Grant by the DuPage Foundation supports programs that enhance the quality of life for residents in DuPage County. With a focus on areas like health, education, workforce development, environment, and animal welfare, this grant provides funding to local not-for-profits. Applicants can seek seed grants up to $5,000 or sustain grants up to $25,000. The initiative aims to foster community welfare and enable organizations to address pressing local needs effectively.

Background
Since its inception, DuPage Foundation has awarded more than $100 million in grants to not-for-profit agencies serving the residents of DuPage County and beyond. As DuPage County’s philanthropic leader, we are committed to raising the quality of life for area residents through our support of area not-for-profits and special initiatives while also helping donors realize their unique charitable goals.
Through our Community Impact grant program, DuPage Foundation supports programs and projects that raise the quality of life for DuPage County residents. During two grant cycles each year, applications are accepted from local not-for-profits serving the DuPage County community in the following areas:

• Spring:
• • Health & Human Services
• Fall: Please note that these priority areas have changed for 2025
• • Youth Education
• • Workforce Development
• • Environment
• • Animal Welfare
• Grant Categories and Priorities

The following categories and priorities provide 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 children at risk for academic failure, the application should be submitted in the youth education category.
Health & Human Services – Primarily supports programs in the areas of affordable housing, behavioral health, healthcare access, food insecurity, and financial/language literacy.
 Youth Education – Primarily supports out-of-school educational and leadership programs for youth.
 Workforce Development – Primarily supports programs that prepare people for employment, help workers advance in their careers, and build a skilled workforce.
 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.
 Animal Welfare – Supports programs that promote the well-being of domestic animals
Grant Application Options
Applicants may apply for a Community Impact grant by submitting one of the following applications:

• Seed Grants - for requests up to $5,000Sustain Grants - for requests up to $25,000

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 CodePrimarily serve DuPage County residentsOnly one application per organization may be submitted within any calendar year.Applications may be submitted for existing or new projects, programs or operating purposes.Grants are awarded for a one-year period.

Ineligibility

The Foundation does not award grants from the Community Needs Grant Program to:Individuals Organizations for religious activities (secular activities provided by religious organizations may be eligible for grant funding)Organizations that have received grants from unrestricted or field-of-interest funds through the Community Impact grant program for the past three consecutive years Governmental agencies, including supporting foundations Public, parochial, private, or charter schools (pre-k through 12th grade), including supporting foundationsAdditionally, the Foundation does not award grants from the Community Impact grant program to:EndowmentsHistorical societies and their related foundations for projects that do not have a broad reach beyond a specific communityPurchase food (Equipment)