Landmarks Illinois Creates Special Grant Program Offering Nonprofits Emergency Relief Funding During COVID-19 Pandemic

CHICAGO – Landmarks Illinois, a statewide historic preservation advocacy organization, today launched its new Landmarks Illinois COVID-19 Organization Relief Grant Program, intended to provide monetary assistance to nonprofit organizations in the state of Illinois that have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The current health crisis has forced many organizations to rethink how they operate. Some are in difficult, if not dire, financial positions at the moment,” said Bonnie McDonald, President & CEO of Landmarks Illinois. “Our new pandemic response grant program offers some relief to those nonprofit partners. It also aligns with Landmarks Illinois’ organizational value of empowering people and improving lives in Illinois.”

Nonprofits are encouraged to apply for one of more than a dozen $2,000 individual grants available through the limited-time program. The application deadline is May 15, 2020. Thirteen grants will be awarded funding to pay for organizational expenditures that include but not limited to:

Staff and contractor payroll, taxes and processing fees

• Rent/mortgage payments
• Utilities
• Insurance
• Loan principal and interest payments
• Digital access improvements (such as server upgrades, social media, website and presentation platforms)

Guidelines
Applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with an annual budget of less than $1 million or fewer than seven full-time equivalent employees. Additionally, the applicant’s purpose or programming must align with Landmarks Illinois’ mission of People Saving Places for People.

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Additional requirements include:

• Applicants must demonstrate a critical need as a result of the impacts of COVID-19 due to significant projected or actual disruption in contributed or earned revenue and/or the immediate need to make digital improvements for operational and/or programmatic purposes.
• Applicants must possess the capacity to manage the grant funds prudently. A follow-up report of the project is required to be submitted to Landmarks Illinois within a determined time period.

Grant recipients
Landmarks Illinois COVID-19 Organization Relief Grants applicants will be reviewed by Landmarks Illinois staff and approved by Landmarks Illinois' Board of Directors. Grant recipients will be announced in June 2020. Applications will be selected based on the strength of alignment with Landmarks Illinois' mission, demonstration of need and the applicant’s ability to utilize the funds quickly.

Unlike other Landmarks Illinois grant programs, the grants awarded through our COVID-19 Organization Relief Grant Fund are not matching grants. Recipients will not be required to raise funding equal or greater to the $2,000 provided from Landmarks Illinois.

Additional Information
The Landmarks Illinois COVID-19 Organization Relief Grant program is temporarily replacing the Landmarks Illinois Preservation Heritage Fund Grants and the Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II Preservation Fund for Illinois for the month of May. Landmarks Illinois will begin resuming accepting applications for the Preservation Heritage Fund in July and for the Donnelley Fund grant program in October.

Landmarks Illinois thanks Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II for providing an additional $5,000 for this special COVID-19 grant fund.

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