Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation

01/04/2022

Applications are still open for our Community Stewardship Challenge Grant Program! This program is intended to support nonprofit organizations in restoring habitat through community engagement.

Deadline is January 11, 2022. Follow the link below to learn more and apply:

https://www.illinoiscleanenergy.org/natural-areas-program/community-stewardship-challenge-grant/

Photo courtesy of Citizens for Conservation.

06/01/2021

Applications are now open for ALL our Natural Areas grant programs! The Foundation funds projects that focus on stewardship, creating pollinator habitat, acquiring and protecting land, installing amenities, and more.

Have a project that could fall into one of the categories above? Visit https://www.illinoiscleanenergy.org/natural-areas-program to learn more and get started on an application!

Photo by Robert Shaw. Autumn in Funks Grove Land and Water Reserve.

01/29/2021

Applications are now open for our Pollinator Meadows Grant Program! Deadline is Thursday, March 4, 2021.

The Foundation's Pollinator Meadows Program is designed to help local governments and nonprofits convert turf grass to pollinator habitat. Applicants from southern Illinois are strongly encouraged to apply.

Follow the link below to apply:
https://www.illinoiscleanenergy.org/natural-areas-program/pollinator-meadows-program

The Foundation designed its Pollinator Meadows Grant Program to help local governments and nonprofits convert turf grass to pollinator habitat. The Foundation may limit invitations from a geographic region to ensure an equitable distribution of awards.

12/01/2020

Applications are also open for our Land Acquisition, Planning for Land Acquisition, and Capacity Building Grant Programs! The deadline for all is February 23rd, 2021.

The Foundation's Land Acquisition Program provides grants to assist in the purchasing of land that contains valuable natural resources or borders already protected land.

Follow the link below to apply:
https://www.illinoiscleanenergy.org/natural-areas-program/land-acquisition

The Foundation's Planning for Land Acquisition Program provides grants to help organizations pinpoint important natural areas and wildlife habitat that is in need of further protection. Planning
projects often result in future applications to the Land Acquisition grant program.

Follow the link below to inquire:
https://www.illinoiscleanenergy.org/natural-areas-program/planning-land-acquisition

The Foundation's Capacity Building Program provides grants to help increase the organizational capacity of nonprofit groups involved in protecting natural areas throughout Illinois.

Follow the link below to inquire:
https://www.illinoiscleanenergy.org/natural-areas-program/capacity-building

Photo courtesy of Openlands.

12/01/2020

Applications are now open for our Community Stewardship Challenge Grant Program! Deadline is January 5, 2021.

The Foundation's Community Stewardship Program provides grants to assist with stewardship costs and encourage community involvement in natural areas across Illinois.

Follow the link below to apply:
https://www.illinoiscleanenergy.org/natural-areas-program/community-stewardship-challenge-grant

Cash Donation Match: The Foundation provides 3 dollars for every 1 new dollar raised by a nonprofit organization over the 18-month grant period, not to exceed a contribution of $21,000 from the Foundation, to be applied towards stewardship of an eligible project site. The 3 to 1 match applies to net...

12/01/2020

Interested in creating a native pollinator habitat to be used for K-12 environmental education programming? Check out the Foundation's K-12 Pollinator Schools Grant Program! We are accepting applications until January 14, 2021.

Follow the link below to apply:

https://www.illinoiscleanenergy.org/natural-areas-program/k-12-pollinator-schools-program

Photo courtesy of The Friends of Bell School.

12/01/2020

The Foundation welcomes interested organizations to apply for the Community Stewardship Challenge Grant Program! The deadline for proposals is January 5, 2021.

The Community Stewardship program provides grants to assist with stewardship costs and encourage community involvement in natural areas across Illinois.

Follow the link below to apply:
https://www.illinoiscleanenergy.org/natural-areas-program/community-stewardship-challenge-grant

Cash Donation Match: The Foundation provides 3 dollars for every 1 new dollar raised by a nonprofit organization over the 18-month grant period, not to exceed a contribution of $21,000 from the Foundation, to be applied towards stewardship of an eligible project site. The 3 to 1 match applies to net...

07/27/2020

The Foundation welcomes interested schools and nonprofit organizations to apply for the next cycle of its K-12 Pollinator Schools Grant Program.

Proposal deadline is August 27, 2020.

Grant period runs from November 1, 2020 through April 30, 2022. On the ground work would not have to begin until the latter half of the 18-month grant period.

https://www.illinoiscleanenergy.org/natural-areas-program/k-12-pollinator-schools-program

07/09/2020

We look forward to the time when large workdays can be safely held again, as shown in these photos of volunteers from past Community Stewardship grant projects. For those who are planning for that time, the Foundation welcomes interested organizations to apply for the Fall 2020 cycle of its Community Stewardship Challenge Grant Program.

Proposal deadline is August 11.
Grant period runs from November 1, 2020 through April 30, 2022.

06/05/2020

Congratulations 2019 Community Stewardship Grantee, Friends of the Forest Preserves for reaching the match goal to support the care of habitat at Dan Ryan Woods. Thank you to Friends of Dan Ryan Woods and private donors. It is your work and support that helped make this happen. Keep up the good work all!