DuPage United receives $25,000 Community Needs Grant from DuPage Foundation

DuPage Sponsors, publicly known as DuPage United, was one of 37 DuPage County nonprofit organizations to receive a grant through DuPage Foundation's Spring Community Needs Grant Program.

the DuPage Foundation awarded $702,860, a new record amount, to organizations working in the areas of Health & Human Services.

DuPage Sponsors received a grant in the amount of $25,000 to help support its ongoing campaign to reduce the number of incarcerated people with mental illness.

DuPage United was founded to change unjust societal systems and structures through organized citizen action. It is affiliated with the Industrial Areas Foundation, the oldest and largest network of community organizations, with affiliates throughout the U.S., England, Germany, Australia and Canada.

The organization began to take form in 1997 when a group of clergy and lay leaders throughout DuPage County met with an organizer from the IAF and began exploring how to establish a broad-based community organization to address the needs and concerns of the county's residents. Officially incorporated in 1999, DuPage United now has 28 member institutions including churches, mosques, synagogues and other nonprofit organization.

Because of DuPage United's mental health initiative, DuPage County established its own program to provide Crisis Intervention Team training for police officers that has proven effective in de-escalating encounters involving mental illness and directing those affected to treatment rather than jail.

Since the county training program began, more than 700 officers have been CIT-trained. Other goals of the initiative include the establishment of 24/7 crisis stabilization units county-wide, and increasing the number of affordable, accessible and supportive housing units in DuPage County.

Thanks to additional donations from DuPage Foundation's donors and donor-advisors, thefFoundation was able to grant $307,388 above its regular Community Needs grant budget.

"We are so fortunate to have such caring and generous donors who see the value in helping those with limited resources in our community," said Barb Szczepaniak, DuPage Foundation vice president for programs. "With their added support, we were able to award well-deserved grants to more local not-for-profit organizations which in turn expands services and resources to those most in need in DuPage County."

During the past fiscal year, DuPage Foundation has awarded $8.3 million on behalf of donors and the community.

Applications for the Community Needs Grant Program are accepted twice per year. Grant applications in the areas of education, arts & culture, environment and animal welfare are due before 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3 (Central). See more information and apply at dupagefoundation.org/grants/community-needs.html.

Since its inception, DuPage Foundation has grown to more than $115 million in total assets and awarded more than $55 million in grants to nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit dupagefoundation.org.

For further information regarding DuPage United/Sponsors, visit dupageunited.org or contact Senior Organizer Amanda Reilly-Sokoli at reillysokoli@gmail.com.