A successful grant is of as much benefit to a foundation as it is to a grantee. For VNA Foundation, the special joy in our grantmaking comes from funding programs and projects which address the needs of those who have been the focus of our mission for over 100 years: the men, women, and children of the Chicago area who lack access to basic health services. We have been fortunate to be able to accomplish much in our 20+ years of grantmaking. With the help of our partners, we will continue to do so.
Here are some examples of proposals that we found particularly compelling.
AIDS Foundation of Chicago and Resilience
Over the past few years, VNA has been increasing our response to the growing need for funding that helps agencies to keep the doors open and the lights on, yet allows them to be responsive to the demands of our seemingly ever-changing healthcare environment. In FY’20 we awarded general operating grants to the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and Resilience, among others. Although different in size of agency and scope of work, both agencies presented compelling cases for renewed general operating support and we were pleased to award grants of $75,000 and $40,000, respectively.
Youth Guidance
VNA tries to work, as much as we are able, with grant writers—who often wear multiple hats within an agency—to ask for clarification as needed rather than dismissing a proposal that is simply not as well prepared as others. With that said, we always appreciate reviewing grant applications that arrive as clear and concise, with a compelling narrative and measurable outcomes. This proposal from Youth Guidance offers an example of such an application, and we were pleased to award it a grant of $50,000 in FY’20.
For more information on these and other VNA Foundation grant awards, please see the list of recent grants or our grant search.