Apply For a Grant

HPCF’s 2024 Annual Grant Application will be available May 15, 2024. It will be similar to the 2023 Annual Grant Application below, which you are welcome to review in advance of its release.

Apply Here – Returning and Approved New Applicants

1Section One:
General Information
2Section Two:
Organizational Information
3Section Three:
Program Information
4Section Four:
HPCF July 4th Highland Park Shooting Response Fund
5Section Five:
Assurances and Signatures
  • Section One: General Information

  • deadlines. No exceptions.

    • First-time Applicant Letter of Interest to Apply for an Annual Grant: June 1, 2023
    • Grant Application (including Supplemental Information): July 15, 2023

    first time applicants

    Definition

    Applicants who:

    • Have never applied for an Annual Grant from the Highland Park Community Foundation (HPCF)
    • OR

    • Applied for, but were not awarded an Annual Grant in 2020, 2021, or 2022

    Letter of Interest

    The HPCF requires all first-time applicants to submit a one-page letter of interest to apply for an Annual Grant by June 1, 2023. The letter should provide a very brief description of the organization and identify the need(s) in the community that the grant would address, the target population, and the cost of the service or program (“program”) to be funded. A copy of the organization’s 501(c)(3) certification or information about the organization’s fiscal agency or governmental status if it is not a 501(c)(3); the name of the organization’s leader, Executive Director, or CEO; and contact information for the supervisor of the program(s) for which funding is sought should also be provided. The Foundation will review each letter of interest and notify all first-time applicants as to whether they have been approved to submit a grant application.


    Additional information for first-time applicants can be found at https://hpcfil.org/first-time-applicants/


    supplemental materials

    In addition to completing the online application, please send a single pdf containing the Supplemental Information below, by July 15, 2022, to info@hpcfil.org.


    supplemental information

    • 501(c)(3) certificate or IRS Determination Letter; information about the organization’s fiscal agency or governmental status if the applicant is not a 501(c)(3)
    • If applicable, Form 990 for the last fiscal year or, if there is no Form 990, Form AG990-IL, Illinois Charitable Organization Annual Report
    • Audited financial statements for the most recently completed fiscal year or, if an audit was not done, unaudited financial statements (last 3 years for first-time applicants)
    • Organizational budget for current fiscal year, using the form that can be:
      downloaded here
    • Budget information for the program for which funding Is requested, using the form that can be:
      downloaded here

    other

    • After July 15, 2023, all grant applicants will be assigned a HPCF Board liaison with whom they will meet to discuss their application.
    • Funding support is provided for specific programs only, except for applicants that have previously received funding support for general operating expenses from the City of Highland Park through its Human Relations Commission. In general, the HPCF does not provide grants for debt reduction, pass-through grants, interim or bridge funding, fundraising activities or events, endowments, private foundations or political activities.
    • Additional information and grant details can be found at https://hpcfil.org/guidelines-and-procedures/
    • Please be concise and avoid repetition in your answers.
    • All applications must be submitted online via this website. To proceed, click Next below.
    • You may start and save your application online. You will receive a link to return and complete the form. The link will expire, however, after 30 days at which point you will have to re-enter your responses.