June 11, 2024 – The Heart of Illinois and Decatur Earthmover Credit Union have announced $400,000 in grants as part of it’s CommunityWorks Grant Program.
15 organizations will receive a total of $400,000 in funding through the program. According the the Heart of Illinois Community Foundation, the received 1.7 million in requests between 49 applications.
“The overall purpose of CommunityWorks is to provide a coordinated, systems-based approach toward the achievement of community aspirations,” says Heart of Illinois Community Foundation President Natalie Beck. “This endowed fund provides grants to area organizations and institutions whose efforts further the vision of a sustainable community in select priority areas of workforce development, education and environmental sustainability.”
In 2005, the Community Foundation was one of 18 initial community foundations selected to participate in the Illinois CommunityWorks Endowment program. The Foundation raised local dollars, which were matched by the Grand Victoria Foundation, to create an endowment that provides funding in the areas of workforce development, environment sustainability and childhood education initiatives. This year’s grants are made possible due to the $1 million grant funding collaboration, Moving Forward, between the HICF and Decatur Earthmover Credit Union.
Those awarded CommunityWorks Grants include:
Environment (2 organizations; $65,000 total funding in this category)
- Block by Block, $15,000, Cultivating Communities
- Funding supports their work in emergency home repairs and neighborhood revitalization
- Macon County Conservation District, $50,000, Improvements to Educational Offerings at Rock Springs Nature Center
- Funding supports the addition of a portable StarLab planetarium; will be used to take to schools to educate about astronomy and history
Workforce Development
- *Heritage Behavioral Health, $29,000, Advancing the Behavioral Workforce
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- Funding will support licenses and certifications for staff to advance their careers and provide more certified behavioral health professionals, which will provide increased access to care
- *The Salvation Army of Decatur & Macon County, $35,000, Workforce Development for Homeless Men
- Supports Salvation Army workforce development and placement opportunities for men in the shelter
- *Dove, Inc, $50,000, Life Skills & Employability Program
- Supports Dove’s program that works to provide participants with skills necessary to obtain and maintain income and stable housing
Education
- *Engineer in the Classroom, $10,000, Creating Tomorrow’s Engineers Today
- Funding will support growth of the program; allows them to increase marketing of their program and create a website
- *Macon County Farm Bureau, $10,000, Ag in the Classroom
- Funding supports bringing agriculture education to approximately 10,000 students in Macon County
- Cerro Gordo CUSD #100, $15,000, Fired Up for the Fine Arts
- Funding support expansion of their fine arts program in the schools, specifically a kiln for art classes
- *Willow Tree Missions, $18,000, Education and Community Programs Space Build Out
- Funding supports a build out to add 2 apartments and a multi-purpose space to conduct programming
- Greater St. Louis Area Council Scouting, $18,000, Scouting in Macon, Moultrie and Paris, IL
- Funding supports starting a pack in Paris, IL and general Scouting operations in Macon and Moultrie counties
- *Decatur Family YMCA, $20,000, Child Development Center Curriculum Support & STEM Equipment
- Funding supports kindergarten readiness curriculum for their child development center and replacement of learning equipment in the classrooms
- *Sunshine Supplies for Teachers, $25,000, Store Start-Up
- Funding supports start up costs for their storefront; project will impact every teacher in Macon and Piatt County
- Richland Community College, $30,000, Dual Credit Adult Education
- Funding supports students seeking their GED to enroll in credit classes at Richland
- *Meridian CUSD #15, $35,000, Meridian Elementary STEM Lab
- Funding supports converting their computer lab into a STEM lab for students in K-5
- *Children’s Museum of Illinois, $40,000, STEM Center
- Funding supports converting their old gift shop into a STEM center, also supports partnership with MDH Foundation to bring back the Girls Who Code program
*indicates a fully funded request
