Community Foundation of Northern Illinois

The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) was founded in 1953 as the Rockford Community Trust. Today, CFNIL serves four counties in Northern Illinois (Boone, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago) with the mission: to inspire endowment and promote philanthropy for the current and future needs of the people of Northern Illinois. We work to connect the charitable goals and intentions of donors with organizations and causes that make our community a healthier, safer, and more vibrant place to live. The nature of our work is long-term; the endowments we steward are designed to support the unique intent of each donor into perpetuity. A portion of our assets were made as unrestricted gifts. These gifts are distributed for charitable activities through our Community Grants Program, a program with six focus areas: Arts & Humanities; Education; Health; Human Services; Sustainable Communities; Youth & Families. Founded in 1953 as a public charity, CFNIL is the area’s leading provider of grants and scholarships. With more than $85 million in assets and more than 400 individual funds, CFNIL provides charitable dollars, provided by generous donors, to the Northern Illinois community. Funds at CFNIL are prudently invested and preserved as a way to provide permanent funding for community needs. Investment income is distributed to nonprofit agencies in the form of grants and scholarships, helping our community respond to the many needs of today and tomorrow. Nearly 90% of CFNIL's assets are permanently endowed, meaning that those assets will serve Boone, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago Counties in perpetuity.