Illinois Prairie Community Foundation connects generosity to local impact by stewarding resources, cultivating partnerships and fostering equity across our region. We empower individuals, families and organizations to create meaningful change — today and for generations to come.
Illinois Prairie Community Foundation Inc pairs broad local philanthropy with a strong scholarship-and-community-grants footprint across Central Illinois. Its active programs include donor-advised scholarship funds, competitive spring grants, a women-to-women giving circle, and youth-led grantmaking, all tied to the service area around Bloomington-Normal and the wider Illinois Prairie region. That mix shows a funder working through both donor-established scholarship criteria and open community grant cycles. Recent grant records also show the foundation moving at multiple scales. Larger awards have gone to organizations such as The Pasture in Hudson, Illinois, and Samaritan's Purse in Boone, North Carolina, while a substantial share of giving remains close to home in Illinois. Local recipients include Illinois State University Foundation in Normal, Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, and Community Health Care Clinic in Normal. Education appears repeatedly through scholarship administration and grants to colleges and universities, while community support extends into health, youth, arts, and civic engagement. The foundation’s structure as a mixed community foundation fits that range: it administers scholarship funds, accepts unsolicited applications in several grant programs, and uses named grant categories to direct support to specific community priorities.
Education is a visible thread in the foundation’s grantmaking. It awarded $272,719 to Illinois State University Foundation in Normal for charitable purposes, and its active scholarship programs support students pursuing post-secondary education through donor-established eligibility criteria. Health and wellness is another recurring area. In 2025, the foundation gave $50,201 to Community Health Care Clinic in Normal, linking its local grantmaking to community-based health services. Arts and culture also appears through program design and recent support. Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington received $60,509 in 2024, and the foundation runs a spring arts-and-culture grant category alongside music education support. Youth-focused work is part of its structure as well. The Youth Engaged in Philanthropy program awards grants to youth-oriented nonprofit programs and gives priority to organizations that include youth in the application process.
$2.1M
$27.5M
$6.1M
$3.3M
Most grants fall between $8K and $18K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$18K
LAURA KOWALCZYK
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Typical awards are modest relative to the largest recent grants: p25 is $7,962, median is $10,490, and p75 is $18,000. That distribution suggests a community-grant pattern with occasional larger awards, including six- and seven-figure gifts in the recent record. The foundation appears to combine recurring program areas with one-off and donor-directed support. Scholarship funds and spring grant categories are ongoing, and multiple grants to the same recipient over different years show repeat relationships with organizations such as Illinois State University Foundation, Illinois Wesleyan University, Lifesong for Orphans, and Community Health Care Clinic. It is a mixed community foundation, not a private operating foundation, and several grant programs accept unsolicited applications.
Grantmaking is concentrated in Illinois: 83% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, and Illinois is also the top state by grant count. Normal and Bloomington appear often, including Illinois State University Foundation in Normal, Illinois Wesleyan University and Moses Montefiore in Bloomington, and Heartland Community College in Normal. The broader recent record still includes a few grants outside the state, such as Boone, North Carolina; Boone, North Carolina; and Rochester, Minnesota, but the pattern is primarily local.
Its active programs cover scholarships, general community grants, arts and culture, music education, civic engagement, women and girls, youth philanthropy, and named scholarship funds. The listed focus areas also include environment and nature, health and wellness, and Jewish life and education.
Yes. Several active programs are marked as accepting unsolicited applications, including the scholarship funds, Spring general grants, Spring arts and culture grants, Women to Women Giving Circle Grants, and Youth Engaged in Philanthropy Grants.
Typical grant size is relatively small to mid-sized: the 25th percentile is $7,962, the median is $10,490, and the 75th percentile is $18,000. The recent record also includes much larger awards, which indicates a wide range of grant sizes.
It gives mainly in Illinois. Illinois is the top state by grant count, and 83% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Recent recipient cities include Bloomington and Normal, along with other Central Illinois locations.
Yes. Scholarship funding is a clear part of its work through donor-established scholarship funds and scholarship awards for students in Central Illinois and the Bloomington-Normal region. The foundation also administers a named scholarship fund, the Martin Litwiller Memorial Fund.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Illinois Prairie Community Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Applicants must meet IPCF's general criteria and the requirements of the Environment & Nature Grants cycle.
Deadline: Next application period in September 2026.
Who can apply: Applicants must meet IPCF general criteria and programs must primarily serve residents of the IPCF geographic area.
Deadline: 2027 applications will be accepted in February 2027.
Who can apply: Eligible applicants are the same as IPCF's community grant criteria; programs must benefit residents in the four-county area.
Deadline: February 1-27, 2026.
Who can apply: Applicants must meet IPCF general criteria. Programs must primarily serve residents of McLean, DeWitt, Livingston or Logan counties. Capital expenditures, fundraising events, scholarships and non-program-related expenses are generally not funded.
Deadline: 2027 applications will be accepted in February 2027.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAMARITAN'S PURSE | BOONE, NC | $1,000,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| RAM GLOBAL | CARBONDALE, CO | $118,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE CLINIC | NORMAL, IL | $50,201 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| NURSETRUST | LEXINGTON, KY | $43,715 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| EUREKA COLLEGE | EUREKA, IL | $38,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | NORMAL, IL | $37,848 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| HEARTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE | NORMAL, IL | $36,050 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ILLINOIS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY | BLOOMINGTON, IL | $35,806 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ASPEN ROTARY CLUB FOUNDATION | ASPEN, CO | $35,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ROTARY FOUNDATION | CHICAGO, IL | $30,650 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| MOSES MONTEFIORE | BLOOMINGTON, IL | $30,360 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| WESLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH | BLOOMINGTON, IL | $29,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| RECYCLING FURNITURE FOR FAMILIES | BLOOMINGTON, IL | $26,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CORNERSTONE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY | BLOOMINGTON, IL | $24,806 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| UNIVERSITY OF THE CUMBERLANDS | WILLIAMSBURG, KY | $24,509 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| THE BABY FOLD | NORMAL, IL | $22,151 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| I'M IN COACHING BEST | ATLANTA, GA | $20,363 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| AFRICA UNIVERSITY | NASHVILLE, TN | $19,920 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| MID CENTRAL COMMUNITY ACTION INC | BLOOMINGTON, IL | $19,850 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| BRIGHTPOINT | BLOOMINGTON, IL | $19,150 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ECOLOGY ACTION CENTER | NORMAL, IL | $15,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLECHARITABLE |
| ATLANTA PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRICT | ATLANTA, IL | $15,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| HOME SWEET HOME MINISTRIES | BLOOMINGTON, IL | $14,857 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA CHAMPAIGN | CHAMPAIGN, IL | $13,250 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| YWCA MCLEAN COUNTY | BLOOMINGTON, IL | $13,200 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $12,311 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| LEXINGTON CUSD 7 | LEXINGTON, IL | $12,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| MALARIA PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL | SEATTLE, WA | $11,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS OF THE HEARTLAND | BLOOMINGTON, IL | $10,857 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| SALVATION ARMY OF MCLEAN COUNTY | BLOOMINGTON, IL | $10,857 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| LIFELONG ACCESS | NORMAL, IL | $10,150 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| THE NEW BEGINNINGS | CAPE CORAL, FL | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| THE COMMUNITY HOUSE | HINSDALE, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| MIDWEST FOOD BANK FLORIDA | FORT MYERS, FL | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| LIFESONG FOR ORPHANS | GRIDLEY, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| DOVE INC | DECATUR, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| LINN COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT #3 | CENTRAL CITY, IA | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ILLINOIS ART STATION | NORMAL, IL | $9,585 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF BN | BLOOMINGTON, IL | $9,276 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ILLINOIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | SPRINGFIELD, IL | $9,263 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| YMCA MCLEAN COUNTY | BLOOMINGTON, IL | $9,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ST JOHN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH | ANCHOR, IL | $8,957 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| GIBSON CITY AREA HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | GIBSON CITY, IL | $8,957 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN - CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $8,957 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ST JOHN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH FOUNDATION | ANCHOR, IL | $8,957 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES OF ILLINOIS | DESPLAINES, IL | $8,957 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| UNITED WAY OF MCLEAN COUNTY | BLOOMINGTON, IL | $8,500 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| THE SALVATION ARMY BLOOMINGTON | BLOOMINGTON, IL | $8,450 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| THE SALVATION ARMY LINCOLN-PONTIAC | LINCOLN, IL | $8,300 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| THE SALVATION ARMY PONTIAC | PONTIAC, IL | $8,300 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
RAM GLOBAL
$118,500CHARITABLE
NURSETRUST
$43,715CHARITABLE
CHARITABLE
ASPEN ROTARY CLUB FOUNDATION
$35,000CHARITABLE
MOSES MONTEFIORE
$30,360CHARITABLE
WESLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
$29,500CHARITABLE
RECYCLING FURNITURE FOR FAMILIES
$26,500CHARITABLE
I'M IN COACHING BEST
$20,363CHARITABLE
AFRICA UNIVERSITY
$19,920CHARITABLE
ECOLOGY ACTION CENTER
$15,500CHARITABLECHARITABLE
ATLANTA PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRICT
$15,000CHARITABLE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA CHAMPAIGN
$13,250CHARITABLE
LEXINGTON CUSD 7
$12,000CHARITABLE
SALVATION ARMY OF MCLEAN COUNTY
$10,857CHARITABLE
LIFELONG ACCESS
$10,150CHARITABLE
THE NEW BEGINNINGS
$10,000CHARITABLE
DOVE INC
$10,000CHARITABLE
LINN COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT #3
$10,000CHARITABLE
ILLINOIS ART STATION
$9,585CHARITABLE
ILLINOIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
$9,263CHARITABLE
ST JOHN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH
$8,957CHARITABLE
GIBSON CITY AREA HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
$8,957CHARITABLE
ST JOHN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH FOUNDATION
$8,957CHARITABLE
UNITED WAY OF MCLEAN COUNTY
$8,500CHARITABLE
THE SALVATION ARMY BLOOMINGTON
$8,450CHARITABLE
THE SALVATION ARMY LINCOLN-PONTIAC
$8,300CHARITABLE
THE SALVATION ARMY PONTIAC
$8,300CHARITABLE