We are so honored to be one of 36 not-for-profit organizations awarded grants through DuPage Foundation’s Fall Community Needs Grant Program. DuPage Foundation awarded $363,192 to local organizations working in the areas of Education, Arts and Culture, the Environment and Animal Welfare.
The Conservation Foundation received a grant in the amount of $20,000 to help support our Nature Rx program- “Enhancing Community Mental Health through Nature Rx DuPage.” Nature Rx was developed to increase awareness of the health benefits of nature, and to encourage everyone to spend more time outside connecting with the natural world. In 2021, we will be focusing more on mental health in our communities and how nature can help us cope with the stress and anxiety we are all facing right now. Our annual DuPage Environmental Summit on January 28 is themed around nature and our mental health, and we’ll be sharing research and stories of how we can all use nature to help us find balance and mental clarity in these trying times.
Because of recommendations from one or more of DuPage Foundation’s 300+ donor-advised funds (DAFs), the Foundation was able to grant an additional $104,825 above its Community Needs grant budget. “Each grant cycle I am amazed by the generosity of our donor-advised fund-holders,” said Barb Szczepaniak, DuPage Foundation vice president for programs. “Their interest in learning about the projects that our community’s hardworking organizations are implementing, and their support of these projects, is inspiring.”
During the past fiscal year, DuPage Foundation awarded $8.8 million on behalf of donors and the community to area not-for-profits, including $1 million from the DuPage Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund developed and funded last spring. Since its inception, DuPage Foundation has grown to more than $95 million in assets and awarded more than $55 million in grants to local not-for-profits. For more information, visit dupagefoundation.org.
THANK YOU to the DuPage Foundation and their donors for supporting our conservation work!
