Downstate Illinois Conservation Program

Peer Networking & Collaboration

We believe in the power of collaboration. We know that good things happen when the staff and board members of different organizations have the chance to meet and share ideas. Working together, nonprofit organizations have a stronger voice and can accomplish more in their communities. The Foundation has a critical role to play in convening groups and bringing diverse people together to advance the situation of all.

Illinois Environmental Fundraising Collaborative
Three prominent downstate environmental organizations, Prairie Rivers Network, Illinois Stewardship Alliance and Illinois Environmental Council, agreed to jointly hire a fundraising professional to help them build their fundraising capacity and build a more diverse funding base. What none of the organizations could do alone, they discovered they could do together. The Foundations is providing a three year start-up grant in partnership with the Grand Victoria Foundation of Elgin, Illinois. Click here to learn more about their first major joint fundraising event, Rolling on the River, Illinois Ride for the Environment.

Planned Giving Information Consortium
The Lumpkin Family Foundation is a founding sponsor of The Consortium, which provides training and networking opportunities to financial and nonprofit professionals in seven counties across East Central Illinois.  The goal is to encourage greater philanthropy and community action through skill development and public awareness programs, such as Leave a Legacy.

Illinois Food and Community Funders
The Foundation is in discussions with several Chicago-based foundations and the City of Chicago to create a major collaborative effort around the Illinois food system. Our primary interests are those of the farmers and farm communities in Central Illinois. But this effort represents many other important interests, including healthy food and improved food access in the inner city, land preservation and water quality, among others. Stay tuned for more information as this process unfolds.

Please direct inquiries to:

Mary Weber
(217) 235-3361
mary.weber@consolidated.com