The Lumpkin Family Fund for Learning, Leadership and Innovation in East Central Illinois
(The Family Fund)

The Lumpkin Family Fund makes grants to organizations working in East Central Illinois toward long term improvements in the following mission areas: 

• Environmental Health;
• Preventative (human) Health;
• Education and Community Access to the Arts; and,
• Civic Engagement and Community/Nonprofit Organizational Leadership.

This is The Foundation’s largest program, reflecting the Lumpkin family's historic connection and commitment to the community. The Lumpkin Family Foundation is committed to spending a minimum of 50 percent of its annual grant-making budget on projects in Central Illinois.

GEOGRAPHIC AREAS OF INTEREST

Generally, we will give priority to organizations working in Coles and the surrounding Illinois counties. However, we encourage inquiries from organizations outside of the area for work that supports one of our mission areas.  (e.g. Illinois state-wide projects or policy development).       

FOCUS OF SUPPORT

We will accept applications from organizations working in the above mission areas for grants that:    

• Support the creativity of nonprofit organizations by seeding new projects and encouraging experimentation and innovation;
• Support organizations demonstrating outstanding leadership in their field or community;  
• Promote the effectiveness of organizations and the nonprofit sector by supporting planning, learning and the professional development of staff and board leaders;   
• Facilitate collaboration across traditional organization or sector boundaries for community benefit; and,  
• Develop public understanding of issues and promote philanthropic support necessary to address issues of community importance. 

Here are a few examples of past grantees that fit current guidelines: 

• Eastern Illinois University, $2,000,000, as a match to endow cultural events at the Doudna Fine Arts Center and to provide talented school children in the area with opportunities to learn from internationally recognized artists.
• Lakeland College, $94,000, to purchase wind turbines for use in a new alternative energy curriculum.
• Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center, $30,000, for the development of a business plan for the expansion of the Women & Children First Dental Program into a mobile oral health program for East Central Illinois.
• Faith In Place, Chicago, $15,000, to create a Central Illinois Office in Champaign to engage area congregations in ecological stewardship, collaboration and the development of public understanding for important conservation issues.
• Little Theatre on the Square, Sullivan, $10,000, to hire a consultant to assist in the formation of a cooperative effort of theatre organizations in the region called COTO (Coalition of Theatre Organizations).
• Prairie Rivers Network, Champaign, $5,000, to complete an online communications and social media development project that will lead to an online engagement program for the organization.

PROGRAM TIMETABLE

Organizations may submit applications during either or both cycles: 

Spring Cycle: 

• Letters of inquiry are accepted no later than February 26, 2010. 
• Full applications will be invited by March 19, 2010
• Applications will be accepted no later than April 2, 2010
• Grant decisions will be made by April 23, 2010

 Fall Cycle:

• Letters of inquiry are accepted no later than August 31, 2010 (and requested no earlier than August 1). 
• Full applications will be invited by mid September 20, 2010
• Applications will be accepted no later than October 15, 2010
• Grant decisions will be made by November 26, 2010

TO APPLY

The first step in applying for a grant is the submission of a letter of inquiry. Click here for more information on submitting a letter of inquiry. Letters of inquiry for The Family Fund grants are accepted twice a year. Click here for to see our application timetable and here to apply (https://www.grantinterface.com/lumpkin/Common/LogOn.aspx).

INQUIRIES

Please direct inquiries on The Family Fund to:

Bruce Karmazin
Health, Education and Community Access to Culture
bruce.karmazin@consolidated.com
217-234-5915

Annie Hernandez
Civic Engagement and Community Nonprofit Organizational Leadership
annie.hernandez@consolidated.com
217-234-5702

BACKGROUND: A Realignment of LFF Strategy:

In recent years The Lumpkin Foundation conducted several grant programs over three cycles. To summarize:

• The Foundation received applications in the Spring from organizations in downstate Illinois (South of highway 80) to support conservation efforts (focused mostly on water quality) and local food systems
• The Foundation received applications in the Fall for organizations in East Central Illinois to support efforts in education, preventative health and to support organizational capacity building.  
• On a quarterly basis we received applications for micro-grants (under $1,500) to support organizational learning and professional development among mostly small nonprofit organizations in East Central Illinois. 

For the past year we have engaged in a process of strategic planning. Our board has considered its mission and vision in light of its commitments and resources.  The Foundation’s grant-making committees, each with community representation, have taken a hard look at the resources available and what they hope to accomplish. 

We have listened carefully to the communities with which we work.  We received helpful feedback from recent grant-seekers through a survey conducted by an independent consultant.  We listened carefully to our partners in the new, on-line community goodWORKSconnect.org for their advice and suggestions.  We also we convened and surveyed area nonprofit leaders extensively throughout the year. 

These conversations have led us to a simplified grant-making structure that we hope will support effective grant-making and simplified grant-seeking.