The Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation is committed to supporting, creating, and implementing solutions expressed in its landmark Community Voices report. Earlier this year the Foundation announced the recipients of its 2025-26 Community Grants, awarding $270,000 to 16 nonprofit organizations serving West Cook County. The grants provide ongoing support for the Foundation’s strategic priority of mental and behavioral health for youth and young adults, including increasing the mental health workforce pipeline.
2025-26 Community Grant Recipients
- A Greater Good Foundation
- Austin Coming Together
- BUILD
- Dominican University
- Family Service and Mental Health Center of Cicero
- Kinfolk CoLab
- Maywood Fine Arts Association
- New Moms
- Race Conscious Dialogues
- The Firehouse Dream
- Kehrein Center for the Arts Foundation
- Nehemiah Community Project
- Thrive Counseling Center
- Youth Crossroads
- Youth Educational Mentoring Basketball Association (Y.E.M.B.A.)
- Youth Outreach Services
Based on feedback from grantee recipients and members of the West Cook community, including mental health practitioners, the Foundation’s grants and programs committee reviewed and revised grantmaking processes through a framework called “trust-based philanthropy.” This approach emphasizes advancing equity, shifting the power dynamic and building mutually accountable relationships. As a result, the Community Grants program now includes such practices as giving multi-year, unrestricted funding; removing unnecessary steps in the application process; being transparent, open and honest; ensuring equity of voice; and offering support beyond the check.
Moving forward, the Foundation will facilitate a “community of practice,” a subset of interested mental health practitioners within the mental health grantee cohort, to further the goal of a robust workforce and provide peer learning and leadership opportunities.
“We are proud to provide focused support to organizations that are providing these vital mental health services in our region,” said Carrie Summy, president and CEO of the Foundation. “It’s important that we continuously reflect the community’s shared goals. The Foundation must actively listen and amplify the voices of those most vulnerable, and those working hard to make our community a place where everyone can thrive. This is the only way to ensure our work is truly collaborative, responsive and impactful.”
Learn more about the Community Grants Cohort and the Foundation’s grants strategy at oprfcf.org/grants-strategy.