Stadelman secures $250,000 in state funds to strengthen local nonprofits

A $250,000 state grant will help the Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence continue the capacity-building work of its 81Thrive initiative that began as a COVID-19 response and is credited with stabilizing seven local philanthropic organizations jeopardized by the global pandemic.

Leaders of three of those agencies – Northwest Community Center, Jeremiah Development and Court Appointed Special Advocates – joined NICNE Executive Director Pam Clark Reidenbach and State Senator Steve Stadelman at a news conference today to discuss how the state funding Stadelman secured will strengthen 100 nonprofit groups NICNE serves. The agencies leaders shared how NICNE assisted them in everything from strategic planning and board and fund development to purchasing software that allowed Northwest Community Center, for example, to enroll families online for its after-school programs.

“Senator Stadelman learned of the needs of the nonprofit sector and asked NICNE how he might help,” Reidenbach said. “We appreciate that Senator Stadelman recognizes nonprofits are reporting uncertainty for the future and a return to normalcy weighs heavy on staff and volunteers. He understands the importance of being creative and resourceful and deepening collaborations to solve social issues.”

81Thrive supplied organizations with a team of nonprofit experts to assess opportunities and strengthen their position, giving organizations time and space not only to address challenges posed by COVID-19 but also to discover new opportunities for the future.

“Without question, our local nonprofits played a vital role in helping people across the community cope with various hardships of the pandemic,” Stadelman said. “As a nonprofit affiliate of Northern Illinois University based in Rockford, NICNE is in a unique position to provide tools and expertise to reinforce the efforts of a network of charitable groups that make the Rockford region a better place to live.”

During the height of the pandemic, NICNE convened and led the 815 Community Resource Team and delivered Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training for hundreds of nonprofit leaders and employees to address social injustice and polarizations in our community. Currently, NICNE is a community navigator for the state’s Back 2 Business economic stimulus program, offering information and technical assistance to eligible nonprofits.
 

WTVO-17 news report

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