Last year, Forefront established the IL Count Me In 2020 Funders’ Collaborative to garner joint funding for Census outreach and education efforts for nonprofits in Illinois. The Funders’ Collaborative co-chairs, Mark Murray of the Field Foundation and Deborah Bennett of Polk Bros. Foundation, worked hard all year alongside Forefront to secure contributions of $1.75 million. This past fall, Forefront worked closely with a smaller subset of these foundations through a working group to create a pertinent grant application, drawing from the 2010 IL Count Me In RFP, that the larger Funders’ Collaborative for 2020 would review and approve.

A paper version of the IL Count Me In 2020 RFP was released on Forefront’s website on January 15. For the first time in Forefront’s history, an online portal went live on February 1 along with an informational webinar. An FAQ document regarding the RFP was updated consistently throughout the month. The portal was open for the month of February and the deadline to apply was midnight on February 28.

Eighty organizations applied, totaling requests over $6.5 million. The smaller funders’ working group had the hard task of reviewing applications and selecting grantees that would comprise Forefront’s IL Count Me In 2020 Get Out the Count (GOTC) grantee program for 2020 Census outreach efforts with $1.65 Million to grant out.

In early March, the smaller funders’ working group were split into four teams to review applications. Once all the applications were reviewed, the group met in person to select the GOTC grantees. With the approval of the larger Funders’ Collaborative in mid-March, the grantees were officially unveiled at the Forefront Census Summit in Springfield last week.

On April 3, 2019 Forefront announced the 42 grantees that will participate in IL Count Me In 2020 GOTC program. At the Census Summit, Forefront Consultant Tuyet Le remarked on the selection process: “We wanted organizations that were deeply rooted, trusted, and led by those from the community they serve.”

Grantees will begin their work in June, 2019 in Illinois with a grantee convening to begin digging into plans for the GOTC campaign. Forefront is incredibly proud to shepherd these vital resources to our grantees resulting in their increased capacity and to build even more momentum leading up to the 2020 Census. #ILCountMeIn2020

Please see list of the IL Count Me In 2020 GOTC grantees below:

Arab American Family Services

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago

Brighton Park Neighborhood Council

CHANGE Illinois

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless

Chicago Urban League

City of North Chicago (via YBLC Inc.)

Claretian Associates

Common Cause Education Fund

Communities United

Enlace Chicago

Faith Coalition for the Common Good, Inc

First Ladies Health Alliance NFP

Gail Borden Public Library Foundation

Howard Brown Health

Illinois Action for Children

Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Illinois Migrant Council

Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition

Illinois Partners for Human Service

Latino Policy Forum

Literacy Works

Logan Square Neighborhood Association

Mano a Mano Family Resource Center

NAACP Chicago Westside Branch

Organizing Neighborhoods for Equality: Northside (ONE Northside)

PASO West Suburban Action Project

Public Narrative

Sinai Health System

Southern Illinois Community Foundation

Southwest Organizing Project

Spanish Community Center

St. Agatha Catholic Parish

The Resurrection Project

United Congregations of Metro-East

United Way of the Fox Valley and City of Aurora

Waukegan Public Library and City of Waukegan

Westside Health Authority

Workers Center for Racial Justice NFP

World Relief (Moline)

Young Men’s Christian Association of the University of Illinois

YWCA Metropolitan Chicago