One of 10 Charitable Trust Grants to Illinois Nonprofits
Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs on Friday announced a $20,000 Charitable Trust grant to Christian Care, a Rock Island nonprofit that provides shelter, food, and support services for homeless individuals, and transitional housing for veterans.
The grant was one of 10 awarded to small nonprofits throughout Illinois through the treasurer’s Charitable Trust Stabilization Program, which helps nonprofits fulfill their missions to serve people in need by providing housing, food, and workforce and economic development assistance.
“We know the essential work that organizations like Christian Care do to support our communities.
They deliver services to those in need,” Treasurer Frerichs said at a news conference at Christian Care in Rock Island. “It’s a domino effect. I believe when you invest in people, people invest in themselves, and in turn we all benefit.” “I want to thank the members of the Illinois Charitable Trust for believing in the work we do,” Christian Care Executive Director Frank Roe said. “Your support will ensure that we are ready for the expected increase in usage of our meal site over the coming year. We are incredibly grateful to have been selected.” Christian Care provides safe shelter for men, women, and children who find themselves experiencing homelessness, operating a 42 -bed men’s shelter with six beds for a Veterans Transitional Housing Program. The women’s shelter has a 20-bed capacity for women and children. Meals are provided daily. Christian Care has been providing services since 1916.
The grant will help Christian Care battle food insecurity as it serves 45,000 meals a year, a 9% increase. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served 365 days a year to more than 500 people. The organization is situated in a food desert with 20.9% of people living below the poverty line, nearly twice the 11.9% rate in Illinois, according to Christian Care.
In addition, food prices have been rising, and the Trump administration has been cutting funding for vital programs, including food and housing.
“Here in Rock Island, and in Illinois we look after our own. Unfortunately, we are hearing about Federal cuts to the very programs that help organizations like Christian Care feed and house our most vulnerable, including unhoused Veterans,” Frerichs said. “As Treasurer, I will make sure Charitable Trust is here to help those organizations around Illinois that help our neighbors, and make our communities stronger through compassion, faith, and volunteerism.” Treasurer Frerichs’ Charitable Trust Stabilization Fund assists small nonprofits that have annual budgets of $1 million and at least one full-time employee. Money in the fund comes from fees that not-for-profit corporations pay when filing annual reports with the Illinois Secretary of State – and not from personal or property tax dollars.
For the fall 2024 grant cycle, funds were awarded to nonprofits in two categories: organizations with food programs and organizations with workforce and economic development programs.
The 10 grant recipients each will receive $20,000 and were selected from 110 applicants.
• Christian Care in Rock Island • Community Service Center of Northern Champaign County in Rantoul • Donka Inc. in Wheaton • Interfaith Action of Evanston in Evanston • Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry Inc. in Aurora • St. Paul Church of God in Christ Community Development Ministries in Chicago • The CABET Group Inc. in Chicago • The Firehouse Dream Inc. in Maywood • The Good Samaritan Inn in Decatur • The Night’s Shield in West Frankfort An independent 11- member committee, which oversees the management and guidelines of the fund, selects the grant recipients. The maximum award amount is $20,000 for each organization.
Grant applicants located in an area where pervasive poverty, unemployment and economic distress exist will be given special attention. Previous grant recipients are eligible to apply if the term of their grant has been complete for at least one calendar year.
Since being established in 2017, the Charitable Trust Stabilization Fund program has awarded 241 grants — totaling more than $4.8 million — to 204 nonprofit organizations. The program has impacted more than 100,000 people’s lives for the better.
The Charitable Trust Stabilization Fund’s next grant application period will run from July 1 to September 30 and will award grants to nonprofit charitable programs in two categories: food and housing. For more information, visit ilcharitabletrust.com or contact the Treasurer’s Office at (217) 836-4590.
About the Illinois Treasurer The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office is a powerful economic engine that invests in people to drive prosperity, development and growth throughout the state. As State Treasurer, Michael Frerichs (FRAIR'iks) is the state’s Chief Investment and Banking Officer and actively manages approximately $60 billion. The investments help families pay for college and trade school; workers save for a dignified retirement; and local governments process bill payments more efficiently so they can pass along the savings to taxpayers. The office provides financial institutions money to loan to farmers, small business owners, and qualified individuals at below-market rates because better jobs create stronger communities. The office operates the state’s largest consumer- protection initiative, the unclaimed property I-Cash program, which has returned a record- breaking $2.2 billion since Frerichs was elected.
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