grants

About our Grant

Impact Grants Chicago recognizes the valuable work of the many local nonprofit organizations addressing the critical needs and social issues facing Chicago. To support this work, Impact Grants Chicago annually awards $100,000 grants to Chicago nonprofits, providing them the funds to support high-impact projects and programs. We fund new programs or projects as well as the expansion or continuation of successful programs or projects.

The number of $100,000 grants to be awarded is announced in February of each year based on Impact Grant Chicago’s membership numbers. Each member joins with a $1,000 donation and 100% of these funds are pooled to create $100,000 grants. For every 100 members, one Impact Grant is awarded. Residual funds are awarded as Merit Grants to the remaining finalists for general operating support.

Grant finalists are determined through a detailed process of review and evaluation by member committees and grant recipients are selected by a vote of the entire membership at the Grant Awards Celebration in May. Every member has an equal vote in deciding which nonprofits receive the grants each year.

Impact Grants Chicago conducts one grant cycle each year beginning in September with the submission of Letters of Inquiry and ending in May with the awarding of the grants at our Grant Awards Celebration. We recommend that you carefully read through the Eligibility Requirements, the Grant Process and Schedule (including the Nonprofit Important Dates) and Grant FAQs sections of the website prior to submitting your Letter of Inquiry.

 

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Eligibility and Requirements

To apply for an Impact Grants Chicago grant, an organization must:

  • Be classified as a “Public Charity” with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code for a minimum of 36 months prior to applying for the grant.
  • Be based and operate in the city of Chicago.
  • Provide the majority of the services in the city of Chicago.
  • Independently file an IRS Form 990 (unless exempt by federal law).
  • Report total revenues for the last full fiscal year between $1,000,000 and $8,000,000 in the most recent 990. If exempt from filing 990, must meet revenue requirement in the audit.
  • Be independently and separately audited. If your nonprofit is part of a consolidated organization, the consolidated audit must include consolidating statements (statement of activities and balance sheet) for the applicant, or must reflect the financial results presented in the IRS Form 990.
  • Use the full amount of the grant within 24 months.

Further eligibility determination is at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

Please note: Previous recipients of a $100,000 Impact Grant may not apply for a period of three years after the grant was awarded.

Unsure of your organization’s eligibility? Use this simple tool for an initial eligibility check.

Eligibility Tool

What Impact Grants Chicago Funds

  • Projects or programs that address an identifiable need within the organization or served population.
  • Projects or programs that have a high impact on the organization and the community it serves. These may include new, existing or expansions of existing projects or programs.
  • Projects may include capital expenditures or improvements, funding of program expenses, or a combination thereof.

What Impact Grants Chicago Does Not Fund

  • Capital projects to property that are:
    • not owned by the applicant as of the Full Grant Application due date;
    • leased under a lease not in effect as of the Full Grant Application due date; or
    • leased under a lease with less than five years remaining on the lease as of June 1 of the Impact Grants Award year.
  • Projects involving acquisition of real estate
  • Debt reduction
  • Pass-through grants
  • Interim or bridge funding
  • Fundraising activities or events
  • Endowments
  • Private Foundations
  • Partisan, legislative, or political activities
  • Fraternal, sectarian, religious and other organizations where the grant is intended for the principal benefit of the organization's own members or adherents or where the grant is intended for inherently religious activities or participation in religious activities is required as a component of the program.

Focus Areas

Impact Grants Chicago asks organizations to indicate a primary Focus Area. You will be asked in the application to select the focus area that best describes your services. Your choice of focus area does not influence the review of your LOI.

  • Culture: Projects or programs that develop, cultivate or enhance the cultural and artistic climate; or explore and educate others about the arts, cultural heritage and diversity in Chicago.
  • Education: Projects or programs that advance or improve learning opportunities for children and/or adults, including job training, in Chicago.
  • Family: Projects or programs that strengthen and enhance the lives of children and families in Chicago.
  • Health: Projects or programs that improve the physical and/or mental well-being of people living in Chicago.
  • Sustainability: Projects or programs that promote a positive and sustainable relationship between humans and their environment or help neighborhoods thrive by promoting healthy food systems through community gardening, urban agriculture or other activities in Chicago.

 

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Grant Process and Schedule

Welcome to our 2024/25 grant cycle. Please check the 2024/25 Nonprofit Timeline and Important Dates for other information.

The Impact Grants Chicago grant cycle is a four-step grant application process including a Letter of Inquiry, Full Grant Application, Insightful Visit and a Final Decision Process. The Nonprofit Timeline and Important Dates chart identifies the important dates included in each step. A more detailed summary of the requirements of each step are outlined below.

STEP 1: LETTER OF INQUIRY

Please refer to the table above for specific dates 

  • Applicants must submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) through our online grant application system (Slideroom) before the October deadline. Our application portal opens in September and the deadline for submitting an LOI is the last Friday in October. Organizations may submit only one application per year. Organizations should review the Eligibility Requirements carefully before completing the LOI.
  • Applicants will receive a confirmation from Slideroom when their LOI is submitted. Impact Grants Chicago will acknowledge the eligibility of each LOI in December.
  • Impact Grants Chicago members join Grant and Financial Review Committees (“member committees”). In late January, committees meet to review all submitted LOIs and select organizations to submit Full Grant Applications.

Click Letter of Inquiry Questions to preview the LOI or download in PDF format

STEP 2: FULL GRANT APPLICATION

Please refer to the table above for specific dates

  • Applicants will be notified in February as to whether or not they have been selected to complete the Full Grant Application. Selected applicants will log into Slideroom to complete the FGA form. The Full Grant Application is due 2 weeks after notification.
  • Member committees will review the Full Grant Applications and select organizations to host Insightful Visits.

Click Full Grant Application Questions to preview the FGA or download in PDF format.

STEP 3: INSIGHTFUL VISIT

Please refer to the table above for specific dates

  • Applicants will be notified in March as to whether or not they have been selected for an Insightful Visit. Impact Grants Chicago will contact applicants to schedule Insightful Visits, which take place in April.
  • The objective of the Insightful Visit is to meet the organization’s leadership team, and to investigate and resolve any final organization or financial questions. Insightful Visits are virtual, one hour meetings and should include participation of the Executive Director, Project or Program Manager, Financial Officer or Treasurer, or Board Member.
  • Following the completion of the Insightful Visits, the member committees will select Finalists.

STEP 4: FINAL DECISION PROCESS

Please refer to the table above for specific dates

  • Finalists will be notified in May.
  • Shortly after the notification, a virtual meeting with all Finalists will be held to share information about the Grant Awards Celebration presentations.
  • Impact Grants Chicago members will vote to select the $100,000 Impact Grant recipients at the Grant Awards Celebration at the end of May. The Voting results are tabulated electronically, in real time, and the grant award recipients are announced at the event.
  • Terms and conditions of the distribution of the Impact Grants will be set forth in Grant Agreement Letters. Click here to view a template of the Impact Grants Chicago Draft Grant Agreement Letter.

 

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Applicant Information Session

Impact Grants Chicago hosted an Applicant Information Session for new and returning Impact Grants Chicago applicants on September 10, 2024. The session included an overview of the Impact Grants Chicago funding model and grant application process, strategies to prepare a strong application, and a Q&A session.

Click here to access a recording of the session.
Click here for the slidedeck from the session.

 

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Grant FAQ

Q. How should I submit my Letter of Inquiry or Full Grant Application?
A. LOIs are submitted online through the Impact Grants Chicago website via “Apply For A Grant” button at the top of every webpage. See the Grant Process and Schedule page for details about the grant process, including the dates when our online management application system will be open for applications. Applicants invited to submit Full Grant Applications will be given instructions on how to submit their complete applications upon receiving their invitations.
 
Q. Do you have any suggestions on how to write a strong application?
A. Impact Grants Chicago hosts an Applicant Information Session in September, shortly before the LOI opens. This session reviews the grant process and key dates, and provides suggestions on how to write a strong application. Video recording and copies of the presentation from previous years are on the Applicant Information Page of our website.
 
Q. Who can we contact to discuss our application? 
A. Impact Grants Chicago is committed to a fair, unbiased process. As a result, we are unable to give advice on topics other than questions about the application process or forms. For questions regarding these topics, please email grants@impactgrantschicago.org.
Slideroom, our online applicant management system, provides extensive email support, FAQs, and self-help guides for submission issues.
 
Q. Why does the LOI ask about Focus Area and how do I select a Focus Area if we provide multiple types of services?
A. Focus area is only used to distribute LOIs evenly across all review committees. Each review committee evaluates LOIs from across all focus areas and does not consider focus area when making their determinations. If your services are applicable to more than one focus area, please select the one that most closely aligns with your mission.
 
Q. How can I update my application after it has been submitted?
A. All applications are completed in our portal, Slideroom. Once you have submitted your application, Slideroom does not allow you to make changes. If you want to make changes before the application deadline, you may email grants@impactgrantschicago.org and request that your application be “unsubmitted”. You will receive a reply when this is completed and you will then be able to make changes. It is your responsibility to “Re-submit” your application prior to the deadline to be considered for a grant. No changes to an application will be accepted after the deadline. 
 
Q. Can I reapply for a grant next year?
A. All applicants who did not receive an Impact Grant may apply again the following year. Impact Grant ($100,000) recipients are not allowed to apply again for three years.
 

Eligibility Requirements

Q. Can we submit an application for more or less than $100,000?
A. All organizations are applying for an Impact Grant of $100,000. The application will not ask for a requested grant amount. 
 
Q. What is the difference between the types of Grants you give (Impact Grants and Merit Grants)?
A. Each year we select 7 Finalists, who will each receive either an Impact Grant or a Merit Grant at our Grant Awards Celebration. Our grant model is based on the number of members who join our organization each year. For every 100 members, who donate $1,000 each, we will award one $100,000 Impact Grant. The residual funds and additional donations are awarded to the remaining finalists as Merit Grants. The amounts of these Merit Grants are not determined until late spring and may differ from year to year.
 
Q. Are your grants restricted or unrestricted?
A. All grants are unrestricted funds and may be used towards any of your organization’s projects that meet our eligibility criteria. Grants may be used towards a specific project or general operating funds. In your application, you may describe how you would plan to use a grant, but if received, the grant would not be restricted to that purpose. 
 
Q. Do you require grants to be used in a specific timeframe? 
A. Impact grant recipients ($100,000) are expected to use the funds within 24 months. Merit grant recipients do not have a timeline on their use of funds.
 
Q. Do you only fund women-focused organizations?
A. Impact Grants Chicago is a women’s collective giving organization; however, we consider all applications that meet our eligibility criteria.
 

Grant Process and Schedule

Q. We are going through the process of obtaining a 501(c)(3) designation; however, we are a program sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization and are using them as our fiscal partner. Do we qualify?
A. No. Your organization must have operated under its own 501(c)(3) status for at least 36 months and meet the operating budget guidelines to qualify.
 
Q. We are a national organization but have a local office providing services in Chicago. Can we receive funding from Impact Grants Chicago for our Chicago operations?
A. Yes, subject to the following qualifications:

Your Chicago operations must be headquartered and operate in the city of Chicago and the majority of your services must be provided in the city of Chicago. In addition, Impact Grants Chicago must be able to review the Chicago entity’s IRS Form 990 and audited financials (e.g. statement of activity and balance sheet) separately from the national organization.
 
Q. Can we receive funding from Impact Grants Chicago if we are Chicago-based, but are part of a consolidated entity? 
A. Yes, subject to the following qualifications:

Either the financial statements presented in the audit (statement of activities and balance sheet) reflect the same entity and operations reflected in the IRS Form 990 for the same time period; or, the audit must contain both consolidated and consolidating (i.e. differentiated for separate entities within the consolidated organization) statements (statement of activities and balance sheet).
 
Q. Our organization is exempt from paying sales tax in the state of Illinois and we have a certificate from the state. Can we use this to prove our nonprofit status in our Letter of Inquiry (“LOI”) submission?
A. No. If your organization is a 501(c)(3) public charity, you should have a determination letter from the IRS. A copy of the determination letter must be attached to your LOI. We use the IRS Letter of Determination to confirm that you have been an operating nonprofit for at least 3 years.
 
Q. We are a faith-based organization. Can we apply?
A. Yes, with certain qualifications. Impact Grants Chicago’s Eligibility Requirements and Grant Guidelines state that we will not fund fraternal, sectarian, religious or other organizations where the grant is intended for the principal benefit of the organization’s own members or adherents or where the grant is intended for inherently religious activities or where participation in religious activities is required as a component of the organization’s services. If your organization does not require clients to participate in religious services to receive support then you could be eligible to apply to Impact Grants Chicago.
 
Q. We have not yet had an audit; can we apply?
A. The state of Illinois requires all nonprofits with revenue greater than $350,000 to be audited annually. Impact Grants Chicago accepts applications from organizations with revenue between $1,000,000 and $8,000,000, so all applicants should have an audit. We recognize that the timing of our application deadlines may mean that you do not have an audit for the most recently completed fiscal year. In that case, you may attach your most recent audit to your application.
 
Q. When funding capital improvement projects, does Impact Grants Chicago have specific requirements with respect to the ownership/leasing of the property?
A. Yes. The property must be owned by the applicant or leased with a minimum of five years remaining on the lease as of June 1 of the Impact Grants Award year. Ownership or lease of said property must be in place as of the Full Grant Application due date. See the Eligibility Requirements and Grant Guidelines page for more information.

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If you have any questions regarding Grants contact us at grants@impactgrantschicago.org