As previously announced, when the Highland Park Shooting Response Fund closed, we distributed $5.8 million, 100% of the funds donated, to assist families of the victims who were killed, victims who were physically injured, and nonprofit organizations serving the needs of victims and the community following the shooting.
We also opened a second fund, the Highland Park Shooting Recovery Fund, to accept donations that would be distributed as grants to nonprofits that are addressing continuing needs for mental health and other services resulting from the shooting.
Through the generosity of donors to the Recovery Fund, the HPCF was recently able to distribute $367,000 to support the work of 15 organizations that are providing services for impacted members of our community.
HPCF Board members, staff, and family members assemble COVID Care Kits for distribution to Highwood families by the Highwood Public Library. Project funded by a COVID-19 Emergency Relief grant from the HPCF and additional support from Craig & Monette Leva.
So many Highland Park and Highwood residents have experienced job losses, hunger, mental health issues, isolation, and more. Your donation will ensure that the needs of neighbors are addressed in what continues to be an unprecedented time of uncertainty.
As we take steps to protect our own families, workplaces, and neighborhoods from the effects of the virus, let’s not forget the impact COVID-19 has had on our neighbors. Missing paychecks, the inability to pay rent, and a lack of access to food and essential supplies are realities many residents still face.
Please join us in addressing their needs.
Donations made in support of the HPCF COVID-19 Response & Recovery Appeal will be used to fund requests the HPCF continues to receive from our grant recipients and other agencies that serve Highland Park and Highwood residents. To date, we have distributed 106 emergency grants, totaling close to $240,000, to support the important work of these organizations. Click here to see the full list of COVID-19 Emergency Grant Recipients and the types of needs we gave addressed through our grants.
100% of all donations will go directly to support services and supplies for those in need, with the exception of a small credit card processing fee that online donors may choose to cover.
DONATE TO SUPPORT OUR COVID-19 APPEAL
DONATE TO SUPPORT THE HPCF’S ONGOING EFFORTS
Donations can also be mailed to P.O. Box 398, Highland Park, IL 60035
In an effort to assist the nonprofit community, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) has raised the charitable deduction limit from 60% to 100% of adjusted gross income for itemizers, and allows deductions up to $300 in charitable giving for non-itemizers. C-Corporations can also deduct 25% of their taxable income, raised from 10%. Click here to read more.
As a Community Health Ambassador, we wanted to share some important news.
In the week before Illinois opens up eligibility to everyone over age 16, the Lake County Health Department (LCHD) is asking our community to help ensure that any senior who has not yet been vaccinated is not left behind.
Everyone is encouraged to get involved during Lake County Seniors Week, April 5-11.
In January, to help us celebrate our 30th anniversary, we issued a call for submission of photos to shine a light on organizations and community members who “give where they live” through their acts of kindness and service to others.
We received a wonderful response – thank you to everyone who participated in our Spotlight on Service project. As the sampling of submissions below shows, we live in a very caring community!
For 31 years, the Highland Park Community Foundation has been has been a lifeline for local nonprofits. Last year, we allocated funds to 63 organizations as part of our annual grant-making process.
While this work is at the core of what we do, the Foundation also addresses urgent, unexpected needs. In 2020 and 2021, we distributed emergency grants to assist with COVID-related needs. In July of last year, we established and managed the July 4th Highland Park Shooting Response Fund, and through our Recovery Fund, we are filling funding gaps for nonprofits that are helping residents as they continue to heal.
We could not do all this without your support. Thank you!
A little less than three months ago, COVID-19 hit our community. Its impacts have been intense and relentless, as has our resolve to address them.
The HPCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Appeal was launched on March 17. Since then, through the generous support of more than 250 donors and a grant from the Lake County Community Foundation, we have awarded 40 grants, totaling $119,730, to provide critically needed assistance to our friends and neighbors.
Included in this is a third round of emergency grants, totaling $34,380, which the HPCF Board awarded this week to 14 organizations that serve Highland Park and Highwood children, families, and seniors.
It’s heartening that all residents 16+ are now eligible for vaccines. As they become more readily available, we look forward to increased signs of COVID recovery and greater stability in people’s lives and our community.
At the same time, however, it’s disheartening that residents still struggle and COVID-related needs, including the following, persist:
In 2020, we launched our Corporate Champion Program to encourage businesses to serve as our philanthropic partners in making a difference for children and adults throughout Highland Park and Highwood.
Sunset Foods has always supported the work of the Foundation as a sponsor of our Grant Awards Receptions and through other meaningful contributions. We are extraordinarily grateful to Sunset for deepening its support through a 5-year financial commitment as a Silver Level Corporate Champion to advance our mission to address unmet needs in our community.
Our community – which includes dozens of organizations that provide essential services to help Highland Park and Highwood children and adults – wraps its arms around friends and neighbors in need. On October 19th, the HPCF distributed 63 annual grant awards, totaling $746,925 – $133,725 more than in 2021 – to support the work of these incredible organizations*. This marks the largest number of dollars allocated, as well as the largest number of grant awards, to agencies that address the needs of our community.
We are extremely fortunate that so many organizations are able to help residents. The quality and quantity of their services is astonishing. We are also tremendously grateful for the support of our donors, whose gifts – along with a generous $300,000 grant from the City of Highland Park – made these grants possible.
