Grant Opportunities

Grants Help Convert Ideas into Accomplishments

For nonprofit organizations, a financial boost is often all it takes to turn a small opportunity into a big one. The Foundation offers several grants and programs to support and sustain general operations or a specific project, each with different focus areas. 

Questions about grant funding, eligibility and deadlines should be directed to the contact person indicated.

Future Philanthropists Fund

The future needs skilled, compassionate, and driven young people to serve their community. The Future Philanthropists Program is a collective giving model of young people, in which young people fundraise and determine areas to support, learning valuable leadership skills along the way. Funding supports organizations and programs which explicitly involve or benefit youth and young adults. Future Philanthropists Program students from the Junior Cohort determine priority areas to fund.

The 2026 grant application period is now closed. Questions? Please contact FPP Coordinator Renee Rotatori, [email protected].

Women Leaders in Philanthropy

Women Leaders in Philanthropy members vote annually on selected cause areas to fund, informed by community needs research provided by the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation. Awards can range up to $15–20,000 per proposal depending on the total collective funds to distribute, number of causes the membership wishes to support, organization needs, and scope of projects. Historically, priority areas are human needs such as food, shelter, physical and mental health and wellness, and support for women and girls.

Request for proposals is by invitation only.

Questions? Please contact Program Director Sam Siers, [email protected].

Russell & Josephine Kott Memorial Charitable Trust

The Trust provides grant funding to charitable organizations that improve the livelihood of individuals, especially through education or medical services, with an emphasis on such services for older adults.

The 2026 grant cycle is now open! To learn more about the Kott grant requirements, please view the guidelines here.  Click here to apply online.

For assistance with submissions in our grants portal, deadlines, or other processes, please contact Anne Sullivan, Grants Manager at [email protected]; please also connect if you are not sure whether your organization is already registered in the portal.  We are happy to assist you.

For general questions about the Kott Trust, contact Carrie Summy, President and CEO at [email protected], (708) 848-1560, or visit the website: Kott Memorial Charitable Trust.

Emerging Needs Fund

The Foundation provides grants to support charitable organizations that help maintain and enrich the social fabric of our communities. The Emerging Needs program will allow grantees to request funding for emerging needs as well as ideas for new projects that will serve our neighbors in the greater West Side.

We will share additional information about this newly created grant opportunity in the months to come.