October 7, 2020 – Governor Pritzker, along with Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton have announced the Healing Illinois initiative. The initiative is a response to the racial disparities that have been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Healing Illinois was launched in partnership with the Chicago Community Trust and will provide an opportunity for residents in communities across the state that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 to engage in meaningful dialogue. The Illinois Department of Human Services will oversee the new grant program.
“Healing Illinois is a bold new initiative pioneered by our own Department of Human Services to support meaningful dialogue regarding race and racism – conversations that we must have in order to move us toward the progress we seek. In order to truly fight inequities and build a better, more inclusive Illinois, we have to be able to articulate the history of personal, institutional and structural racism that got us here – and, just as importantly, the modern iterations of personal, institutional and structural racism that hold us back today,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “As a part of my commitment to healing, we’ve allocated $4.5 million to provide grants to community-based organizations of all sizes to help create community-centric, inclusive spaces to talk, learn and grow. The Chicago Community Trust has stepped up as our intermediary for this work and will be distributing our funds around the state, and I’m genuinely grateful for their assistance.”
The Illinois Department of Human Services will distribute $4.5 million in grants to organizations statewide that will facilitate racial healing activities. There will be two rounds of Healing Illinois grants and the application deadline for the first round will be October 14, and the second deadline will be October 30. Organizations are allowed to apply once. Additional application information can be found at www.healing.illinois.gov.
