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
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
MONIQUE B JONES
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