The Dunham Foundation is proposing to local nonprofit organizations that serve youth within the Dunham Foundation Service Area a new grant program, Ready for the Future: Out-of-School Educational Enrichment Opportunities for Students in the Greater Aurora Area, to address learning loss and help accelerate academic achievement.
Request For Proposals (RFP) application portal will open on Monday, January 2, 2024, and the application deadline is April 1, 2024.
We believe that access to solid educational opportunities is the foundation for a child’s success in school and life. We acknowledge that learning spans beyond the walls of a school building and that positive one-to-one (1:1) relationships between a student and a trusted adult are foundational to student success.
A well-designed tutoring program delivering personalized, consistent academic support from quality tutors can profoundly impact student achievement and success in school and beyond. We desire that applications address the growing need for strong educational support for students beyond the school day.
Reflections
2023 was a pivotal year at the Dunham Foundation. The Board of Directors and staff focused on expanding resources provided to the nonprofits and individuals they serve in the greater Fox Valley area.
By the end of 2023, the Dunham Foundation provided 46 nonprofits with grants totaling $3.2 million. Since the foundation was founded in 2007, it has given more than 680 grants amounting to over $57 million.
The Dunham Foundation remains committed to fulfilling John C. Dunham’s vision of providing positive, multi-generational support to all individuals and families in our Service Area.
Community Needs Assessment
In April, the Dunham Foundation, in partnership with the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley and a national consulting firm, released a Community Needs Assessment (CNA). The assessment research began in January 2022 and highlighted the challenges nonprofits and our community members face.
Grantwriters Resource Fund
The CNA confirmed our suspicions that nonprofits struggle with being short-staffed. This year, we provided grants to smaller nonprofits through the inaugural Grantwriters Resource Fund. These grants will offset the cost of hiring a grant writer to help nonprofits obtain additional grants and free up nonprofit staff’s time for other pertinent tasks.
Dunham Foundation Legacy Scholarships
This year was the first time three Legacy Scholarships honoring past board members Judy B. Dunham, Janet B. Morcos, and Jacob “Jack” N. Morcos were awarded to local high school students or adult students.
A new Dunham Foundation Legacy Scholarship honoring Wendy Prussian Hirsch, who retired as a Dunham Foundation board member earlier this year, will be available to eligible applicants for the 2024-25 academic year.
Learn more about the Dunham Foundation Scholarships here. The scholarship portal is open until January 31, 2024.
Dunham Foundation Scholarship Fund in honor of Judy Behrens Dunham
Dunham Foundation Scholarship Fund in honor of Wendy Prussian Hirsch
Dunham Foundation Scholarship Fund in honor of Jacob “Jack” N. Morcos
Dunham Foundation Scholarship Fund in honor of Janet B. Morcos
Reminders
First Cycle Letter of Intent (LOI) submissions are due February 1, 2024.
RFP is available January 2, 2024, and proposals are due April 1, 2024.
The Dunham Foundation Board of Directors and Staff wish you and yours a treasured past, a cheerful present, and a prosperous year ahead.
