Community Foundation of Northern Illinois

Founded in 1953, the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) is a regional leader in philanthropy. With more than $140 million in assets and more than 400 individual funds, CFNIL makes grants to charitable organizations and scholarships to local students. CFNIL's grant and scholarship programs are made possible by the generosity of CFNIL's donors.

Our donors come from all walks of life, but are united in their commitment to the community and the recognition that their charitable intentions will be preserved for generations to come through the power of endowment. Endowments at CFNIL are prudently invested and preserved as a way to provide permanent funding for community needs. Nearly 90% of CFNIL's assets are permanently endowed, meaning that those assets will serve Boone, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago Counties in perpetuity.

The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) has been creating endowments and honoring donor intent through grantmaking in the Rockford region since 1953. Early grants responded to community needs by funding the distribution of the polio vaccine and creating safe places for children to play. Since its founding, CFNIL has granted more than $85,000,000 for the benefit of the region. This has been made possible through the generosity of CFNILs donorsindividuals, families and organizations committed to improving the regions quality of life. Endowed gifts create reliable funding for current needs and future opportunities.

Unrestricted gifts supplement CFNIL's Community Grants Program, which provides grants for charitable activities in six focus areas: Arts & Humanities; Education; Health; Human Services; Sustainable Communities; Youth & Families. Of these six, Education comprises half of all the grantmaking made through this program.

Education has always been a priority of CFNIL. Historically, more than a quarter of CFNILs grant making has supported education programs, projects and events. A bequest from Dr. Louis and Violet Rubin has significantly increased CFNILs grant making capacity. With increased grant making capacity, CFNIL will provide strategic funding under the banner of Education Works, a grant strategy that invests in endowments for scholarships, after-school programs, and career awareness initiatives. CFNIL expects to allocate considerable funds to Education Works in the coming years. Proposals for Education Works can request any amount, but proposals requesting more than $75,000 will be evaluated for their alignment with Education Works.

CFNIL does not create programs, we respect the expertise of the nonprofits working in various sectors and ask them to identify community needs and solutions.

The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) has been creating endowments and honoring donor intent through grantmaking in the Rockford region since 1953. With more than $140 million in assets and more than 400 individual funds, CFNIL makes grants to charitable organizations and scholarships to local students. CFNIL's grant and scholarship programs are made possible by the generosity of CFNIL's donors.

With 70 years of experience connecting donors with the causes they care about, we make giving easy. By creating an endowment, donors can accomplish charitable goals, now and in perpetuity. As a partner in endowment, CFNIL is a trustworthy and caring steward of charitable intentions and contributions.

Permanence

*An endowment is a sustaining gift. It can sustain institutions, causes, and scholastic opportunity.
*An endowment will express your personal values while benefiting the community in your name forever. You may add to your fund at any time.

Local Expertise

*Our experienced staff is here to assist you.
*Our staff is based in Rockford and has a deep knowledge of the area, its people, and its needs.
*Choosing us to be your partner in endowment, means that you are supporting a local institution that will always serve and be located in Northern Illinois.
*We have more than 150 community volunteers who evaluate grant and scholarship applications. These experts know the community because they are the community.

Benefit

*We are a public charity, so gifts to CFNIL may qualify for maximum tax deductibility. CFNIL is able to accept an array of gifts, including cash, securities, and real assets.
*We provide prudent, ethical, and objective fulfillment of your charitable intentions.
*We invest for diversity and long-term growth.
*We combine individual endowments to reduce administrative costs.
*CFNIL retains the counsel of an experienced and independent investment consulting firm.
*Endowments can be named after yourself, a loved one, or a group or organization.

Simplicity

*Establishing a charitable legacy through an endowment or contributing to an existing endowment at the Community Foundation is easy.
*There are no upfront costs to creating an endowment.
*We are happy to talk to you, your family, and your financial and legal advisors as you consider creating an endowment.

Since 1953 CFNIL has fulfilled the charitable intentions of thousands of donors with millions of dollars of investment in the Northern Illinois region and beyond. In the instances where a formal agreement is executed between the donor and CFNIL, the fund agreement document spells out the donor’s charitable intent and the rules governing the administration of the endowment. CFNIL is proud to have consistently and thoroughly stewarded each donor's intent, each and every year.

Unrestricted donations are added to the fund which supports the CFNIL Community Grants Program. These funds are distributed through a formal process which is refined and strengthened every year by staff, and monitored and reviewed by the CFNIL Trustees and a team of community volunteers. The focus areas (Arts & Humanities; Education; Health; Human Services; Sustainable Communities; Youth & Families) and the priorities for each of the focus areas provide metrics by which CFNIL may measure success:

1. Arts & Humanities

CFNIL funding priorities are for those proposals that:

*Increase the availability of and access to artistic and cultural experiences, especially those that represent the diversity of our community’s culture
*Celebrate the region’s history and preserve historical integrity

2. Education

*Align with CFNIL’s Education Works guidelines
*Provide creative and systemic approaches to educational improvement
*Support the education of current and future medical professionals

3. Health

*Improve the quality of and access to health services
*Support community wellness
*Conduct research to promote the health and well-being of our community

4. Human Services

*Serve the basic needs of individuals and families
*Provide services to persons with disabilities, especially activities that promote inclusion

5. Sustainable Communities

*Promote neighborhood and economic development
*Support efforts to ensure safety and access to quality, affordable, and permanent housing
*Preserve our natural environment, especially activities that increase the region’s understanding and appreciation of the environment

6. Youth & Families

*Provide pathways to self-sufficiency
*Strengthen families
*Support intellectual, emotional, physical, and social development

Staff monitors post-grant reporting from every grantee which ensures alignment to proposal plans. Staff findings in this report process are shared with Trustees and volunteers. In the years to come, we intend to better quantify the efforts in each of these priority areas and to provide more quantitative and qualitative reporting on the efforts of our grantees. Additionally, we will provide more reporting on the successes and challenges of the EducationWorks strategic investment effort.