What kinds of organizations does Forefront support?

Forefront supports nonprofit organizations and community-based service providers, with recent grants focused on capacity building and general operating support. The foundation’s existing focus areas include nonprofit capacity building, grantmaker support, training and professional development, racial equity, policy and advocacy, research and library services, convening and networking.

How does Forefront typically structure its grants?

The foundation’s typical grant size is $25,000 at the 25th percentile, $50,000 at the median, and $92,500 at the 75th percentile. In the recent grant list, many awards are described as capacity building/general support, showing a strong emphasis on organizational strengthening rather than project-only funding.

Does Forefront fund only Illinois organizations?

Its giving is local and heavily concentrated in Illinois. Ninety-three percent of grants go to recipients in IL, and the top state by grant count is also IL. The recent grant record is entirely U.S.-based, with one California recipient appearing among the largest awards.

Are there any programs that accept unsolicited applications?

Yes. The Mission Sustainability Initiative (MSI) Grants program accepts unsolicited applications and supports Illinois nonprofit organizations exploring strategic options such as mergers, partnerships, and other sustainability strategies.

What areas of work show up most clearly in the recent grants?

Capacity building is the dominant thread, but the named grant purposes also point to food access, environmental justice, community development, and workforce advocacy. Recent recipients include Chicago Food Policy Action Council, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Vivery Community - Food Access Project, and Warehouse Workers Justice Center Inc.

Forefront

Name: Forefront — grants, 990 financials & funding data
Creator: Kindora

ActivePhilanthropy & Voluntarism

CHICAGO, ILWebsite3125780090

About Forefront

The membership association for Illinois grantmaker and nonprofit organizations, their advisors and allies — providing training, resources, connection, and opportunities to develop a vibrant, equitable, and sustainable social impact sector in Illinois.

Focus Areas

nonprofit capacity buildinggrantmaker supporttraining and professional developmentracial equitypolicy and advocacyresearch and library servicesconvening and networking

Who They Fund

nonprofit organizationscommunity-based service providers

Funding Style

capacity buildinggeneral operating support (unrestricted)

About Forefront

Forefront’s recent grantmaking is centered on capacity building and general operating support for Illinois-based nonprofits, with repeated multi-year support for organizations working on community health, food access, environmental justice, and neighborhood development. The largest recent award in the data is $993,000 to Westside Health Authority in Chicago for capacity building and general support, followed by $897,600 to University of Illinois Foundation in Champaign. Those grants sit alongside a pattern of substantial support for Chicago-area organizations such as Ymen, Austin Coming Together, and Neighborspace, all funded to strengthen organizational infrastructure rather than to underwrite a single program. The foundation also appears to use grants to help organizations sustain their missions over time: New Covenant Community Development Corp received $672,000 in 2023, and Ymen received three separate grants across 2023, 2024, and 2025. Across the recent grants list, the emphasis stays on helping nonprofits remain stable, develop systems, and continue delivering services to Illinois communities. Forefront’s role as a membership association for Illinois grantmakers and nonprofits also shapes that pattern, linking grant support with sector-building work.

What Forefront Funds

Forefront gives across a cluster of Illinois capacity-building priorities. In nonprofit sustainability, the Mission Sustainability Initiative (MSI) supports organizations exploring strategic options such as mergers and partnerships, with grant support tied to that broader sustainability work. In food systems and access, Chicago Food Policy Action Council received $275,000 in 2023 and $250,000 in 2025, while Vivery Community - Food Access Project received $250,000 in 2025. Environmental justice also appears in the recent record: Little Village Environmental Justice Organization received $275,000 in 2023, and Faith in Place received $283,425 in 2023 and $225,000 in 2025. Workforce and community advocacy show up as well, including a $300,000 grant to Chicago Community and Workers Right in 2025 and a $150,000 grant to Warehouse Workers Justice Center Inc in 2025.

How Forefront Gives

Forefront’s typical grant size is $25,000 at the 25th percentile, $50,000 at the median, and $92,500 at the 75th percentile, although the recent list also includes several large capacity-building awards well above that range. The pattern suggests repeat support: Ymen appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Austin Coming Together appears in both 2024 and 2025; and Build Incorporated appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Forefront is a regular funder rather than a DAF, does not fund individuals, and does not make program-related investments. One active program, MSI Grants, accepts unsolicited applications, while the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund did not. Most of the grants in the recent record are unrestricted or general support for organizational strengthening.

Financial Snapshot

Annual Giving

$17.1M

Total Assets

$18.5M

Total Revenue

$16.1M

Total Expenses

$9.5M

Typical Grant Size

Most grants fall between $25K and $93K, with a median of $50K.

25th Percentile

$25K

Median

$50K

75th Percentile

$93K

Geographic Reach

Local10 states funded

Funding intensity

Low

High

Headquarters

Leadership

MONIQUE B JONES

Accepts unsolicited proposals

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Recipient	Location	Amount	Year	Purpose
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS FOUNDATION	CHAMPAIGN, IL	$897,600	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
YMEN	CHICAGO, IL	$575,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
AUSTIN COMING TOGETHER	CHICAGO, IL	$543,031	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
YMEN	CHICAGO, IL	$450,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
AUSTIN COMING TOGETHER	CHICAGO, IL	$450,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
NEIGHBORSPACE	CHICAGO, IL	$400,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
ILLINOIS STEWARDSHIP ALLLIANCE	SPRINGFIELD, IL	$325,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
CHICAGO COMMUNITY AND WORKERS RIGHT	CHICAGO, IL	$300,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
WESTSIDE HEALTH AUTHORITY	CHICAGO, IL	$260,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
GARDENEERS	CHICAGO, IL	$255,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
DION'S CHICAGO DREAM	CHICAGO, IL	$253,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
CHICAGO FOOD POLICY ACTION COUNCIL	CHICAGO, IL	$250,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
VIVERY COMMUNITY - FOOD ACCESS PROJECT	CHICAGO, IL	$250,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
FAITH IN PLACE	CHICAGO, IL	$225,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
GARDENEERS	CHICAGO, IL	$221,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
BUILD INCORPORATED	CHICAGO, IL	$215,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
CHICAGO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY	GLENCOE, IL	$200,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
ADELANTE CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP	WAUKEGAN, IL	$150,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
WAREHOUSE WORKERS JUSTICE CENTER INC	CHICAGO, IL	$150,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
GLOBAL PHILANTHROPY PARTNERSHIP	CHICAGO, IL	$150,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
GROW GREATER ENGLEWOOD	CHICAGO, IL	$150,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
ADVOCATES FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE	CHICAGO, IL	$150,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST	DEKALB, IL	$150,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
CHICAGO LIGHTS	CHICAGO, IL	$150,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
INNER-CITY MUSLIM ACTION NETWORK	CHICAGO, IL	$150,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
FAIR FOOD NETWORK	ANN ARBOR, MI	$150,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
ABOVE AND BEYOND FOOD PANTRY	CHICAGO, IL	$125,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
ANGELIC ORGANICS LEARNING CENTER	CHICAGO, IL	$125,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
CHICAGO WORKERS' COLLABORATIVE	CHICAGO, IL	$125,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
ALLIES FOR COMMUNITY BUSINESS	CHICAGO, IL	$125,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
MIDWEST CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING	CHAMPAIGN, IL	$125,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
ENLACE CHICAGO	CHICAGO, IL	$125,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
CIRCLE URBAN MINISTRIES	CHICAGO, IL	$120,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
THE CONSERVATION FUND	ARLINGTON, VA	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
URBAN GROWERS COLLECTIVE INC	CHICAGO, IL	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
LIVE FREE CHICAGO	CHICAGO, IL	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
SISTERS WORKING IT OUT	MATTESON, IL	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
THE LITTLE VILLAGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION	CHICAGO, IL	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
HERE TO STAY COMMUNITY LAND TRUST	CHICAGO, IL	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
RUN A WAY BUCKERS CLUB INC	PEMBROKE, IL	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
AMERICAN INDIAN CENTER	CHICAGO, IL	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
ASI NE HEALTHCARE SERVICES	CHICAGO, IL	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
GARY COMER YOUTH CENTER	CHICAGO, IL	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
GSJ FAMILY LIFE CENTER	CHICAGO, IL	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
BETTER LOVE YOURSELF	FOREST PARK, IL	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
BUSINESS SERVICES COLLABORATIVE	CHICAGO, IL	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
COMMON MARKET	PHILADELPHIA, PA	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
FORESIGHT DESIGN INITIATIVE	CHICAGO, IL	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
ILLINOIS STEWARDSHIP ALLLIANCE(ILLINOIS FOOD JUSTICE ALLIANCE INFRASTRUCTUR	SPRINGFIELD, IL	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT
ELAWA FARM FOUNDATION	LAKE FOREST, IL	$100,000	2026	CAPACITY BUILDING/GENERAL SUPPORT

Recipient

Location

Amount

Year

Purpose

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS FOUNDATION

CHAMPAIGN, IL

$897,600

2026