Links to Grant Funding Opportunities and Resources

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)
Produced by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and U.S. General Information Services Administration, Washington, D.C., the CFDA contains specific information on financial and non-financial assistance programs administered by federal agencies to assist potential applicants in identifying programs that support the specific objectives of their projects. Each program is assigned a five-digit program identification number, known as the CFDA number, the first two digits of which identify the Federal department or agency that administers the program, and the last three the specific program area. For example, the number for the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education is 84.116. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance database can be accessed at www.cfda.gov.  

 

College of DuPage Philanthropy Center
The Philanthropy Center is a partnership between the Donors Forum of Chicago and College of DuPage to meet the information needs of non-profit organizations located in the western suburbs of Chicago. The College of DuPage library web site provides internal access to online grant-seeking resources, including the Foundation Directory and the Illinois Funding Source. These databases and other grant-seeking and fundraising resources can be accessed at www.cod.edu/library/Philanthropy/index.htm.

 

Grants.gov
Grants.gov allows organizations to electronically find and apply for more than $400 billion in competitive grant opportunities from all Federal grant-making agencies. Grants.gov is the single access point for more than 1,000 grant programs offered by the 26 Federal grant-making agencies. www.grants.gov.

 

Illinois Arts Council (IAC)
Created by the Illinois General Assembly in 1965, the Illinois Arts Council (IAC) encourages development of the arts throughout the state. Through special programs and services, the Council provides financial and technical support, as well as information to individual artists and organizations. IAC works closely with the Governor’s office and the General Assembly to promote the arts in Illinois. Ensuring that all citizens have access to quality artistic programs is the Council’s primary goal. See the IAC web site at www.state.il.us/agency/iac for a newsletter, as well as ongoing and changing information. Most applications are available online.

 

Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE)
The General Assembly and Governor Otto Kerner created the Board of Higher Education in 1961 to plan and coordinate Illinois' system of colleges and universities at a time when enrollments in postsecondary education were taking flight. Grant programs include Higher Education Cooperation Act (HECA) — Access and Diversity; Improving Teacher Quality State Grant Program; and the Illinois Cooperative Work Study Program. Information regarding IBHE grant programs can be found at www.ibhe.org/Grants/default.htm.

 

Illinois Community College Board (ICCB)
The Illinois Community College Board has been the statewide voice for the Illinois Community College System since its inception in 1965. With offices in Springfield and Chicago, the ICCB works closely with other higher education agencies, the Illinois Legislature, Congress, federal government, and other statewide and national associations to promote the initiatives of the community colleges and higher education.

The ICCB provides categorical grants based on state appropriated dollars. These grants include the following: P-16 Initiative, Adult Education and Family Literacy, Workforce Development: Business and Industry Training, and Career and Technical Education: Program Improvement. See the grant policy guidelines at www.iccb.state.il.us for a full description of each of these restricted purpose grants.

 

Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (IDCEO)
The purpose of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grant funding is to prepare Illinois students to transition from school to high-skilled, high-paying jobs in science, mathematics and advanced technology, providing youth with work experience combined with closely related classroom instruction. Grants are awarded to consortia of high-technology businesses and local schools; a private sector employer or employer-based intermediary organization serves as the grantee. Information regarding IDCEO grant programs can be found at www.commerce.state.il.us/dceo.

 

Illinois Humanities Council (IHC)
The purpose of the Illinois Humanities Council is to offer high-quality, free public humanities programming to local audiences that encourages the exchange of ideas and reflects what human beings have thought, felt, and celebrated throughout time. The Illinois Humanities Council awards approximately 90 grants per year through its Mini-Grant and Major Grant categories for public programs that educate Illinois citizens to the breadth of the humanities, including African-American studies, anthropology/archaeology, art history and criticism studies, classics, comparative religion/religious studies, cultural anthropology/geography, economics, ethnic studies, folk arts and folklore, foreign languages/literature, history, international studies, jurisprudence, Latino studies, linguistics, literature, philosophy, political science, sociology and women’s studies. Information regarding IHC grant programs can be found at www.prairie.org.

 

Illinois Secretary of State (SOS)
The Illinois Secretary of State offers two grant programs related to higher education: the Adult Literacy Grant Program and the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grant. The purpose of the Adult Literacy Grant Program is to improve adult literacy or English language skills in Illinois through volunteer-based adult literacy projects that deliver direct instructional services in basic reading, writing, math, or English language to adult students over the age of 16 who read below the 9th grade level. Illinois libraries use LSTA grants to enhance their collections, foster stronger community relationships, develop digital imaging projects, and implement new library programs and initiatives.  The grants are available to academic, school, public and special libraries. Information regarding SOS grant programs can be found at www.cyberdriveillinois.com.

 

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars
The Office of Management and Budget evaluates the effectiveness of agency programs, policies and procedures, assesses competing funding demands among agencies, and sets funding priorities. These grant management circulars produced by the federal Office of Management and Budget outline grant related accountability standards. www.whitehouse.gov/OMB/circulars.