VNA Foundation funds program, operations, capital, and start-up grants.

VNA defines general operating in the traditional sense. A general operating grant, also referred to as general operating support funding, is a grant that provides unrestricted funds to an organization.

Since the grant is unrestricted, it may be used to support basic operational costs like payroll and rent, various programs or projects, and/or any other need related to the organization’s mission.

You can always ask a Program Officer if you’re unsure, but a general rule of thumb is that if the agency is a health-related entity and all programs align with VNA’s priorities, a general operating request could be a good fit.

If the agency includes non-health-related programs (e.g. traditional arts programming or education), a program or project grant for the agency’s health-related work is recommended. Also, for agencies with a vast geographic focus area, a programmatic grant focusing on VNA Foundation’s geographic focus areas would be more competitive.

The majority of our grants are made to organizations serving Cook County. Our extremely limited funds mean that, at present, we are generally unable to fund in DuPage Lake, McHenry, Kane, and Will counties except under special circumstances.

Generally, funding priority will be given to organizations with operating budgets of $30,000,000 or less.

Each request is considered on an individual basis, but typically requests should be at or above $40,000. The exception to this is if smaller grants are required due to organization budget size or other identifiable factors. The maximum grant is generally $80,000 except in special circumstances, like for special initiatives.

VNA Foundation prefers requested grant amounts to be rounded up or down to the nearest $500. If you have questions, please contact your Program Officer.

Yes, VNA Foundation funds indirect costs. Your Program Officer will reach out to you during the grant application review stage with any questions or concerns related to budgeted indirect costs. 

At the LOI stage, no budget is necessary. If invited to apply, only an agency budget is needed for general operating requests. If you are requesting funding for a program, project, or salary, a program budget will be required in addition to the agency budget. For capital requests, a capital budget is required in addition to an agency budget.

No, any format you regularly use should be fine, however for non-general operating requests, it is ideal if the program or project budget shows how VNA dollars would be used and how the funds fit into the larger program. Budgets that only include VNA grant dollars do not tell the financial story as well as budgets for entire programs. Strongnonprofits.org has a toolkit with program budget examples and instructions, which may be helpful.

Historically, VNA Foundation has given priority consideration to programs in which care is provided by nurses in deference to our roots as the Visiting Nurse Association of Chicago. However, we consider all programs or agencies that align with our funding areas whether or not nurses are employed.

In the past, multi-year grants were given very infrequently. Beginning in 2024, VNA began piloting multi-year grant awards to a small initial cohort of organizations. Feel free to contact your Program Officer to learn more.

VNA Foundation funds must be used only for the medically underserved. This is accomplished through grants to agencies that work exclusively with this population, or by funding specific programs that target the under- and uninsured, which includes Medicaid recipients.

No, our Super Star in Community Nursing Award was the only grant VNA Foundation made to individuals. This award has been suspended indefinitely.

No. All grants must support home- or community-based health care and health services.

No. All grants are made to qualified nonprofit agencies exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3), and designated as public charities under section 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2), of the Internal Revenue Code.

Due to capacity limitations, VNA Foundation does not fund any large hospital or university systems. All grants are made to qualified nonprofit agencies exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) and designated as public charities under section 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2), of the Internal Revenue Code.

Due only to capacity limitations, VNA Foundation is unable to accept requests to fund organizations or programs that only focus on specific diseases, older adults, and/or populations with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

VNA Foundation has supported a wide range of home-based direct health services since its inception. Recent examples of funded programs include doula home-visiting and birth support for adolescent mothers, parent educators working with families experiencing homelessness, and in-home multisystemic therapy for youth with behavioral problems. In addition, many home-visiting initiatives we consider employ nurses or community health workers.

During the last few years VNA has received an overwhelming amount of requests from agencies providing mental health services. As a smaller funder with limited capacity, we generally prioritize grants to federally-designated Community Mental Health Centers, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and other community health centers that provide mental and behavioral health services regardless of clients’ inability to pay. You can read more about our mental health funding priorities here.

Yes, if the applying organization does not as a substantial part of their activities, attempt to influence legislation, or directly or indirectly participate in and/or intervene in political organizations and political campaigns. VNA funds cannot be used for lobbying.

VNA Foundation has supported health-related facility costs, such as the construction or rehabilitation of health centers, medical exam rooms, counseling spaces, and/or pharmacies. VNA has also helped organizations purchase vans and support child care costs to remove barriers to care for participants.