Twenty Non-Profits to Benefit from Program Unused Since 2007
ROCK ISLAND — The Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center is among 20 non-profit organizations to share more than $460,000 as recipients of the Charitable Trust Stabilization Fund in 2018, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said today.
The fund assists small non-profits with annual budgets of $1 million or less. Money comes from filing fees non-profits pay when incorporating in the state of Illinois, not personal or property tax dollars.
“The Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center is a vital asset to the Rock Island-area community,” Frerichs said. “We are excited to award this funding to help create a positive impact and meet the needs of an ever-changing community.” The Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center received $10,000. The grant will be used to fund the organization’s ongoing efforts to provide economically disadvantaged youth and families with a variety of services for the changing needs of the Rock Island community, including substance abuse prevention education, workforce development, afterschool programming, and a summer day camp.
Although authorized in 2007, no grant money had ever been issued. In 2011, the legislature transferred the authority to administer the fund out of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and into the Illinois Treasurer’s Office. Frerichs identified the inactive Charitable Trust Program in early 2015 during a comprehensive office review. Although the filing fee created to fund the grant program was actively collecting money, Frerichs found no explanation why grant applications were not being accepted.
After research and discussion, Frerichs activated the 11-member advisory committee to review grant applications. The advisory committee agreed to pursue two rounds of grant-making annually since 2017.
The next application window is between July 1 and Sept. 30, 2019. The on-line application is at to a computer or the internet should contact the treasurer’s office at (312) 814-1817.
The application requests basic information about a non-profit’s organization and leadership.
Applicants also will be asked to certify their eligibility for this grant, provide a narrative on how the grant money will be spent, provide supporting documentation that shows that the non-profit has filed the appropriate forms with the State of Illinois and the federal government, and other information that demonstrates the fiscal health of the organization.
The other awardees:
Fall 2018:
▪Bella Ease dba Quincy Teen Reach in Quincy qualified for $25,000 ▪Centers for Changing Lives in Chicago qualified for $25,000 ▪Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Northern Illinois in Woodstock qualified for $25,000 ▪Cultivadores/Cultivators in Rantoul qualified for $24,000 ▪Donka, Inc. in Wheaton qualified for $25,000 ▪ECIRMAC in Urbana qualified for $23,065 ▪Ebenezer Community Outreach in Chicago qualified for $25,000 ▪Helping Hands of Springfield in Springfield qualified for $25,000 ▪Illinois Stewardship Alliance in Springfield qualified for $25,000 ▪Illinois Valley Public Action to Deliver Shelter in LaSalle qualified for $20,000 ▪Latino Union of Chicago in Chicago qualified for $25,000 ▪Lawndale Business Renaissance Association in Chicago qualified for $25,000 ▪Ottawa Community Food Basket in Ottawa qualified for $24,750 ▪Prevention Force Family Center in Chicago qualified for $25,000 ▪Seven Generations Ahead in Oak Park qualified for $25,000 ▪Supportive Housing Providers Association in Springfield qualified for $25,000 ▪Taller de José in Chicago qualified for $10,000 ▪The CABET Group, Inc. in Chicago qualified for $25,000 ▪The Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center in Rock Island qualified for $10,000 ▪Uptown People’s Law Center in Chicago qualified for $25,000 About the Illinois Treasurer As Illinois State Treasurer, Frerichs is the state’s Chief Investment and Banking Officer and actively manages approximately $30 billion. The portfolio includes $13 billion in state funds, $11 billion in college savings plans and $6 billion on behalf of local and state governments. The investment approach is cautious to ensure the preservation of capital and returns $42 to the state for every $1 spent in operations. Frerichs’ office protects consumers by safeguarding more than $3 billion in unclaimed property, encouraging savings plans for college or trade school, increasing financial education among all ages, assisting people with disabilities save without losing government benefits, and removing barriers to a secure retirement. The Treasurer’s Office predates Illinois incorporation in 1818. Voters in 1848 chose to make it an elected office.