ECF Resilience Grant

Overview

ECF Resilience Grant

Designed with community-need in mind, these special grants allow the Foundation to remain responsive and supportive of our local organizations, and the communities they serve in an ever-changing landscape.

ECF will offer multiple cycles of this Resilience grant opportunity until all funds are allocated.

All Resilience Grant requests must align with one or more of the following categories of need:

*  Addressing an unexpected loss of funds (government, private, other significant funding streams)  
* Providing support (such as Know Your Rights education or legal assistance) to mitigate the harmful impact of mass deportations in the Evanston Community.
* Convenings to organize multiple community partners to respond or create shared resources to avoid or manage a crisis in the Evanston Community. 
* Established mutual aid services and cash assistance programs. This could include, but is not limited to mutual aid or cash assistance programs that support:  
* Immigration documentation fees and legal services 
* Access to basic human needs
* Items required to avoid or manage a crisis
* Healthcare fees for those who have lost coverage unexpectedly or are not eligible for coverage due to immigration status 
* Offer Crisis Counseling services or emergency mental health support/first aid

Eligibility

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Application Details

Resilience Grants
At the Evanston Community Foundation (ECF), we work to support a just and resilient network that
strengthens our community. Our grant opportunities reflect this commitment. These grants allow the
Evanston Community Foundation to be responsive to evolving community needs. Our grant processes:
Are grounded by our Align with our ongoing Prioritize supportive
organizational mission and commitment to advancing partnerships
strategic plan racial equity
We invite applicants to visit our website to learn more about the Evanston Community Foundations mission
and strategic plan.
We understand that preparing and submitting an application is an investment of your time and resources.
Please note that we are not able to fund all requests through this grant opportunity and cannot
guarantee funding to any applicant.
While this grant opportunity is intended to provide support as outlined in this Request for Proposal (RFP),
under unique circumstances ECF may restrict grants to maintain compliance with internal policies and
commitment to stewarding funds for charitable purposes. Should this situation arise for your organization or
group at any time during the application process, an ECF staff member will reach out to you with more
information.
Please note, this RFP is designed to be responsive to evolving community needs. The eligibility
requirements and parameters for this grant opportunity are subject to change.
Thank you for your interest in this ECF grant opportunity.
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About this Funding Opportunity
This grant opportunity provides up to $15,000.
For this grant, we prioritize applications from both nonprofit organizations and grassroots community
groups that:
• Address a systemic inequity in the Evanston community
• Show a strong commitment to racial equity in mission, vision, values, and work
• Significantly serve and prioritize resources for the Evanston community
ECF encourages applications from organizations and groups that are led by, for, and with Black, Brown
Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and intersecting systemically marginalized identities.
Eligibility: Who can apply
The following eligibility criteria are included below to help you evaluate if you are eligible for this grant
opportunity. All interested applicants will complete an eligibility quiz prior to completing the brief application.
Please review the following information carefully before applying.
Part 1 - Eligibility
Applicants must fit in one of the following categories:
Nonprofit Organizations: Grassroots Community Groups:
501c3 organizations, 501c6 organizations, and Any group of community members working together to
community organizations fiscally sponsored by a address a community need. These groups have no
501c3 nonprofit organization. 501c3, 501c6 or fiscal sponsorship.
Part II – Grant Purpose
All Resilience Grant requests must align with one or more of the following categories of need:
• Addressing an unexpected loss of funds (government, private, other significant funding streams)
• Providing support (such as Know Your Rights education or legal assistance) to mitigate the harmful
impact of mass deportations in the Evanston Community
• Convenings to organize multiple community partners to respond or create shared resources to
avoid or manage a crisis in the Evanston Community
• Established mutual aid services and cash assistance programs. This could include, but is not
limited to mutual aid or cash assistance programs that support:
Immigration documentation fees and legal services
o
Access to basic human needs
o
Items required to avoid or manage a crisis
o
Healthcare fees for those who have lost coverage unexpectedly or are not eligible for
o
coverage due to immigration status
• Offer Crisis Counseling services or emergency mental health support/first aid
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If you need support assessing if your request aligns with these categories or if you have a request that
does not fall into these categories but that you think aligns with the intention of the grant opportunity, please
reach out to Director of Programs - Grantmaking, Jenna Beltrano beltrano@evanstonforever.org
Part III – Additional Requirements
Your nonprofit organization or grassroots community group must also:
• Have an Evanston address and serve the Evanston community through their work and mission
If you need support assessing if your organization or group meets this requirement, please
reach out to Director of Programs - Grantmaking, Jenna Beltrano
beltrano@evanstonforever.org
• Must have been awarded at least 1 successful grant from the Evanston Community Foundation
within the past 4-years (2021 – 2025).
• Have an active status and maintain compliance with all 501c3 or 501c6 IRS Tax Code
requirements throughout the application process if the lead applicant is a nonprofit organization or
using a fiscal sponsor.
A note about collaborations
If this request is a collaboration between multiple community partners, at least one of the collaborating
partners must fulfil the eligibility criteria as outlined in the request for proposal (RFP) and submit the
Resilience Grant application as the lead applicant.
Funding Guidelines
Your nonprofit organization or grassroots community group can request up to $15,000. There is a brief
report required for this grant opportunity 6-months after the decision date. A grant agreement will be
collected at the time of the award.
What this grant opportunity will not fund:
• Endowments
• Fundraising or sponsorship of one-time events
• Scholarships
• Requests that only benefit a person and is not part of a larger group effort that benefits the
Evanston community
• Religious or faith-based activities or proselytizing
• Businesses or for-profit entities
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How to Apply
Organizations or groups may be awarded up to one Resilience Grant in a 12-month period.
You must submit all application materials through ECF's online grant system by the predetermined
deadline.
Your nonprofit organization or grassroots community group can submit application materials at any time
while the grant period is open. Please view the calendar below for all important application dates and
deadlines:
Important Dates
Q1 Application Open Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Q1 Application Due Monday, March 3, 2025 at 11:59PM
Grant Awards Announced Monday, March 17, 2025
The ECF Programs Team is available to support your organization or group throughout the application
process:
1:1 Consultation with ECF Program Staff
Virtual One-on-one Consultations with ECF Program Staff
(English and Spanish – Zoom)
Schedule at the following link: https://calendly.com/beltrano/2025-resilience-grants
General Assistance
If you would need a computer to use or assistance at any point throughout the application process, please
reach out to Director of Programs - Grantmaking, Jenna Beltrano beltrano@evanstonforever.org
In the case that funding is not approved
Please note that we are not able to fund all requests through this grant opportunity and cannot guarantee
funding to any applicant. ECF will offer multiple cycles of this Resilience grant opportunity until all funds are
allocated. Please refer to our website at evanstonforever.org for updated information. ECF staff will not be
offering post-decision feedback meetings as part of this process.
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