The Illinois Public Health Institute supports people, communities, and organizations collaborating to improve public health across our state and beyond.
Among the clearest signals of the Illinois Public Health Institute’s grantmaking is its role as a convener: it funds partnerships that improve public health practice, from school food systems to opioid response and medical respite care. The institute’s recent awards show a pattern of project-based support to organizations working on practical systems change rather than unrestricted institutional funding. In 2025, the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub produced a cluster of grants to schools, food organizations, and tribal and regional partners across the Great Lakes states, including Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative and Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. The same year, Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute awards supported organizations such as Home Sweet Home Ministries and Franciscan Outreach to develop care for people recovering from illness or injury while experiencing homelessness. Earlier awards also reached health systems and community providers through subawards tied to opioid response work. Across these examples, the foundation supports collaborators, intermediaries, and service providers working on public health infrastructure, capacity building, and implementation.
School food systems are a visible part of the Illinois Public Health Institute’s portfolio. Through the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub, it gave $74,373 to Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative for school food systems innovation and $41,243 to Rooted School Indy for the same hub. The institute also supports health-related capacity building. In 2025, it awarded $25,000 to Home Sweet Home Ministries Inc for the Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute, and another $25,000 to Franciscan Outreach for the same initiative. Public health and opioid response appear in subaward form as well: Saint Anthony Hospital received $74,170 for the CDPH Opioid Project, while Friend Family Health Center Inc received $60,000 for the CDPH Opioid Project-Subaward. These grants point to a funder that backs planning, coordination, and program delivery across food, housing, and healthcare.
Typical grant size sits at $20,000 at the 25th percentile, a $25,000 median, and $41,182 at the 75th percentile. The recent grants list includes both mid-sized subawards and larger project grants, with some awards above $70,000 and others at $25,000. The pattern also suggests recurring issue-based funding rather than one-off thematic experiments: opioid-response subawards appear in 2023, and school food system innovation grants appear in 2025. The foundation is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Several active programs accept unsolicited proposals, including the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub grants and an organizational strategic planning RFP.
$3.9M
$6.8M
$16M
$15.8M
Most grants fall between $20K and $41K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$41K
Crystal Tyler
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Grant recipients are spread across the Midwest and beyond, but Illinois remains a major recipient state, with 48% of grants going there. Chicago appears repeatedly among recipients, alongside Downers Grove, Burr Ridge, Bloomington, and Bridgeport. Outside Illinois, the foundation gives often in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan through the school food systems hub, with recipients in Waupaca, Keshena, Milwaukee, Appleton, Madison, Mequon, Indianapolis, and Kalamazoo. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 65 grants in the United States.
Its recent grants support school food systems innovation, opioid response and overdose prevention, medical respite care for people experiencing homelessness, public health workforce and organizational capacity building, and knowledge exchange through conferences. The named grant programs also show planning and implementation support tied to food, housing, healthcare, and public health infrastructure.
The foundation’s typical grant size is $20,000 at the 25th percentile, $25,000 at the median, and $41,182 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards also include larger project grants in the $70,000 to $80,000 range.
Some active programs do. The Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub grants are marked as accepting unsolicited applications, and the Organizational Strategic Planning request for proposal also accepts unsolicited submissions. Other listed efforts, such as the Medical Respite Care Planning Funds, are not open in that way.
The top state by grant count is Alabama, while 48% of grants go to recipients in Illinois, the foundation’s headquarters state. Recipient locations in the recent grants include Chicago, Downers Grove, Burr Ridge, Bloomington, and Bridgeport in Illinois, plus cities in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan.
The recent data show recurring issue-area funding across multiple years rather than a single isolated campaign. Opioid-related subawards appear in 2023, and the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub grants appear in 2025. That suggests repeated support for public health initiatives over time.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Boulevard of Chicago Inc | Chicago, IL | $135,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| The Night Ministry | Chicago, IL | $135,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| PADS Lake County | Waukegan, IL | $135,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Beds Plus Care inc | La Grange, IL | $135,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Phoenix Community Development Services | Peoria, IL | $134,764 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Beyond Green Sustainable Food Partners | Chicago, IL | $134,506 | 2026 | 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| Connections for the Homeless Inc | Evanston, IL | $131,422 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Franciscan Outreach | Chicago, IL | $130,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Lawndale Christian Health Center | Chicago, IL | $130,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Blessing Hospital | Quincy, IL | $127,482 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Reap Food Group Inc | Madison, WI | $126,843 | 2026 | 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin | Keshena, WI | $120,588 | 2026 | 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| Cornerstone Community Outreach | Chicago, IL | $116,250 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Home Sweet Home Ministries Inc | Bloomington, IL | $114,148 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| FoodRight Inc | Mequon, WI | $112,848 | 2026 | 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| Hundred Acre LLC | Milwaukee, WI | $105,613 | 2026 | 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| Global Philanthropy Partnership | Chicago, IL | $99,902 | 2026 | 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| Journeys the Road Home | Palatine, IL | $98,616 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative | Waupaca, WI | $94,063 | 2026 | 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| Respond Now | Chicago Heights, IL | $89,904 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| The Inner Voice Inc | Chicago, IL | $86,250 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Madison Consolidated Schools | Madison, IN | $84,731 | 2026 | 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| Project Now Inc | Rock Island, IL | $84,259 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| University of Illinois | Chicago, IL | $83,910 | 2026 | 394-25- CDC 2312 SPAN (9.24-9.25), 394CF- CDC 2312 SPAN Carryforward, 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| Joliet Township | Joliet, IL | $75,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Heartland HOUSED | Springfield, IL | $75,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Swedish Hospital Foundation | Chicago, IL | $74,994 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Partridge Creek Farm Inc | Ishpeming, MI | $72,436 | 2026 | 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| Madison County Health Department | Wood River, IL | $69,539 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Gottleib Community Health Services Corp dba MacNeal Hospital | Berwyn, IL | $62,569 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Housing Forward | Maywood, IL | $60,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Greater Alton Community Development Corporation | Alton, IL | $60,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Helping Hands of Springfield | Springfield, IL | $60,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Rockford Human Services Department | Rockford, IL | $55,836 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Take Action Today Inc | West Frankfort, IL | $54,073 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Greater Wabash Food Council | Bridgeport, IL | $37,303 | 2026 | 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| Northeast Wisconsin Hmong Professionals | APPLETON, WI | $36,024 | 2026 | 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| Rooted School Indy | Indianapolis, IN | $33,744 | 2026 | 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| KALAMAZOO VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE | KALAMAZOO, MI | $33,704 | 2026 | 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| Board of Regents of University of Wisconsin System | Milwaukee, WI | $33,694 | 2026 | 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| WILL GRUNDY MEDICAL CLINIC LTD | JOLIET, IL | $30,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Rooted WI Inc | Madison, WI | $22,455 | 2026 | 411-USDA (1/25-12/25) |
| Wholistic Alliance | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Arrowleaf | Vienna, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| The McLean County Center for Human Services Inc | Bloomington, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Regional Housing & Supportive Services IncDBA Hope on 5th | Atlanta, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Southern Illinois Resource and Advocacy Center | Shawneetown, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Lake County Crisis Center for the Prevention DBA A Safe Place | Zion, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| City of Champaign Township | Champaign, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
| Respite Suites | Chicago, IL | $20,000 | 2026 | Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute |
Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Phoenix Community Development Services
$134,764Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Beyond Green Sustainable Food Partners
$134,506411-USDA (1/25-12/25)
Connections for the Homeless Inc
$131,422Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Lawndale Christian Health Center
$130,000Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Blessing Hospital
$127,482Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Reap Food Group Inc
$126,843411-USDA (1/25-12/25)
Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
$120,588411-USDA (1/25-12/25)
Cornerstone Community Outreach
$116,250Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Home Sweet Home Ministries Inc
$114,148Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
FoodRight Inc
$112,848411-USDA (1/25-12/25)
Hundred Acre LLC
$105,613411-USDA (1/25-12/25)
Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative
$94,063411-USDA (1/25-12/25)
Madison Consolidated Schools
$84,731411-USDA (1/25-12/25)
Project Now Inc
$84,259Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
University of Illinois
$83,910394-25- CDC 2312 SPAN (9.24-9.25), 394CF- CDC 2312 SPAN Carryforward, 411-USDA (1/25-12/25)
Joliet Township
$75,000Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Heartland HOUSED
$75,000Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Partridge Creek Farm Inc
$72,436411-USDA (1/25-12/25)
Madison County Health Department
$69,539Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Gottleib Community Health Services Corp dba MacNeal Hospital
$62,569Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Greater Alton Community Development Corporation
$60,000Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Helping Hands of Springfield
$60,000Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Rockford Human Services Department
$55,836Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Take Action Today Inc
$54,073Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Greater Wabash Food Council
$37,303411-USDA (1/25-12/25)
Northeast Wisconsin Hmong Professionals
$36,024411-USDA (1/25-12/25)
Rooted School Indy
$33,744411-USDA (1/25-12/25)
KALAMAZOO VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
$33,704411-USDA (1/25-12/25)
Board of Regents of University of Wisconsin System
$33,694411-USDA (1/25-12/25)
Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Rooted WI Inc
$22,455411-USDA (1/25-12/25)
Wholistic Alliance
$20,000Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Arrowleaf
$20,000Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
The McLean County Center for Human Services Inc
$20,000Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Regional Housing & Supportive Services IncDBA Hope on 5th
$20,000Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Southern Illinois Resource and Advocacy Center
$20,000Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
City of Champaign Township
$20,000Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute
Respite Suites
$20,000Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Institute