The Women’s Fund of the Community Foundation of Central Illinois hosted its second annual Girls Investing in Girls (GIG) workshop event on Tuesday, October 4, to introduce the concept of philanthropy to young women in high school. At the end of the day, these young women had the unique opportunity to work through the grantmaking process and award a $5,000 Women's Fund grant to one deserving nonprofit, for which they chose Crittenton Centers for their Connecting with Caregivers program.

In 2021, the GIG pilot program was a success with a group of 15 young women of diverse backgrounds and experiences from Illini Bluffs, IVC, Peoria High, and Peoria Regional Learning Center who participated and had the opportunity to learn about the importance of philanthropy, the Community Foundation of Central Illinois, the Women’s Fund, and how

to review grants.

This year’s program grew to 35 participants from nine local high schools throughout Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties. They were presented with two grants applications previously selected by the Women’s Fund grant review committee and then chose this year’s recipient.

GIG participants spoke about some of the things they learned, which included what philanthropy is, how nonprofits operate, programs the Women’s Fund helps, and the process of reviewing grants. Cecilia, a Junior at Washington Community High School (pictured to the left) said, “Today I learned that there is a lot of work that goes into nonprofit organizations, and I’ll definitely take away how I can help and what resources I can use to do so."

Thank you to the 2022 GIG sponsors for making this event such a success:

CFCI is working to address the of challenges and opportunities around economic development as they exist within our community, with a goal of driving systematic, long-term change. As such, CFCI is interested in investing in collaborative (two or more organizations working together) economic development programs that emphasize job creation and retention. Preference will be given to projects focused on current in-demand job skills, including healthcare, information technology, and technical training (including manufacturing, building, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, masonry and energy).

Letters of intent are due November 21, 2022.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS HERE

With a rich history spanning over 13 decades, Crittenton Centers has been serving central Illinois in many different capacities since 1892. Originally conceived as a maternity home for unwed mothers, the agency has evolved into a multi-service, multi-million dollar not-for-profit child welfare organization. Crittenton Centers serve a diverse population of children, adolescents, young adults, and parents through an array of programs that range from a crisis nursery to traditional daycare to parent education and resources.  

Most recently, Crittenton Centers has become an even more pivotal service provider in central Illinois with the nationwide formula shortage that has affected so many families. During an average month, the Center provides around 80 cans of formula to families in need. However, during the formula shortage, they have been providing an average of 211 cans per month – which equates to helping over 1,000 children. With this drastic increase, they are finding themselves unable to keep up with the demand. With their donation closet continually being depleted and budgeted dollars already being spent, they are relying heavily on donations and grants, like the one recently awarded to them by CFCI. 

CFCI is very pleased to have been able to provide grant awards to Crittenton Centers over the last three decades. Between fundholder donations and our competitive grantmaking process, CFCI has supported Crittenton Centers with over $480,000. Crittenton Centers is a great example of how organizations make the most of each dollar they are awarded. We are happy to highlight the excellent work they continue to do in our community!

To learn more about Crittenton Centers or to see how you can help, please visit their website.