Important Grantmaking Update
The Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation has been reviewing and refining its grant strategy to better focus on our work and subsequent grant focus.
Last year, the Foundation adopted a structured grant cycle centered on two issue areas: Health Care, reviewed each fall, and Housing (Homelessness), reviewed each spring. The new process now begins with a Letter of Intent (LOI), followed by a selective invitation to submit a full proposal. This approach helps the Foundation better align funding decisions with our strategic priorities while streamlining the application process.
Grant Strategy and Plan
As part of the re-evaluation, the Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation made two key changes: narrowing its geographic focus and limiting the size of eligible organizations.
Revised Geographic Focus Area – The Foundation has narrowed its funding area to Chicago and suburban Cook County, and will no longer fund organizations located in DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties.
Revised Organization Budget Thresholds -The Foundation also made the difficult decision to prioritize organizations with organizational budgets of under $10 million and will no longer fund organizations with budgets above that level.
These changes were made to increase our grantmaking impact, given the Foundation’s limited resources. As a result, we made the difficult decision to sunset support for some long-standing grantee partners located in the collar counties and/or with budgets over $10 million. We are proud of these organizations’ growth over time and their ability to secure more robust funding resources.
We recognize that the current federal environment has created significant uncertainty and strain for nonprofits, particularly those that rely heavily on federal funding. While we could not have anticipated the speed or scale of these challenges, we are mindful of their impact.
By making these changes, the Foundation aims to make space to support new organizations and over time, offer larger grant awards. Although this process is evolving, we are committed to approaching these transitions thoughtfully and respectfully.
The grant portal for the Health Care grant cycle will open September 1, 2026 with LOIs due by October 1, 2026. Selected applicants will then be invited to submit a full proposal.
The grant portal for the Housing grant cycle will open March 1, 2027, with Letters of Intent (LOIs) due by April 1, 2027.
This two-cycle approach helps the Foundation better align funding decisions with its strategic priorities while making the application process more efficient for applicants.
Please review the FAQ here for more information.
Any submissions that do not meet criteria will not be reviewed.
We remain committed to supporting our existing and prospective grantee partners, and we appreciate your understanding and continued partnership in this work. Please check our website for future announcements.
