Nonprofit Excellence Program
Micro-Grants for Training and Professional Development Opportunities
Habitat for Humanity, Champaign, IL
The Lumpkin Family Foundation makes grants of up to $1500 for attendance by nonprofit staff and board members at training and professional development programs of their own choosing. Micro-grants are strategic investments in people and organizations to be used to defray the cost of attending programs targeted at improving the management, governance and leadership of the applicant organization. Micro-grants can be used to send staff or board members to a specific workshop or conference or to engage a consultant to provide customized training to one or more organizations. We require that the applicant organization pay no less than 20% of the total cost. Only organizations in Central Illinois with an annual budget of less than $1 million are eligible to apply for Micro Grants.
The following are examples of activities that could be supported. (We are open to other ideas too):
- A program manager participating in a financial management training program in Chicago.
- The Executive Director and Board Chair attending a regional leadership conference together.
- A consultant providing a customized fundraising training to the Board of Directors.
- Two similar organizations jointly engaging a trainer to provide a volunteer management workshop.
Micro-grants are not intended for training or consulting that focuses on the programmatic side of the organization's work. Examples of activities that would not be supported include:
- A social service organization attending a workshop on how to improve the quality of their casework.
- An arts-focused organization hiring a consultant to provide staff training on methods of arts education.
Organizations may include all costs related to their participation in the proposed professional development opportunity including:
- registration or consulting fees
- travel
- meals
- lodging
- other applicable costs
How
to apply for a micro-grant
- Identify a training program that meets the specific development needs of your organization.
- Fill out the on-line micro-grant application (link to https://www.grantinterface.com/lumpkin/Common/LogOn.aspx) (It is a simple, quick process.)
Note: As a first step, register with the system. You will only have to do this once and your user name and password is good for all future grant programs. If you are unable to use the online system please contact us via e-mail at mary.weber@consolidated.com or 217-235-3361 for a Word or PDF version of the grant application.
- Micro-grants
are awarded quarterly. The submission deadlines are:
- January 15
- April 15
- July 15
- October 15
You will be notified of the status of your application within one month of the submission deadline.
If you have questions or aren't sure whether a particular training or professional development opportunity qualifies under this program, please call Annie Hernandez, to discuss it in advance of applying.
2007 Micro-Grants
Community Shares of Illinois, Champaign, IL
$1,270 for two staff members to attend the National Alliance for Choice in Giving in Orlando, Florida.
Mid Illinois Senior Services, Sullivan, IL
$1,500 to fund a board retreat and coaching program.
Little Theatre on the Square, Charleston, IL
$1,500 for their board to conduct a self evaluation exercise and a one-day board training.
Illinois Stewardship Alliance, Rochester, IL
$932 was approved to attend the Making Media Connections workshops in Chicago.
Children’s Advocacy Center of East Central Illinois, Charleston, IL
$1,460 to send the Executive Director and a member of the multi-disciplinary team to the National Children’s Advocacy Center’s National Symposium on Child Abuse in Huntsville, AL.
Best Buddies, Chicago, IL
$1500 to send four new student leaders to the Best Buddies International Leadership Conference in Bloomington, IN.
Coles County Inter-Agency Council, Mattoon, IL
$1,500 to fund a storytelling workshop which will also serve as a recruitment tool to increase overall membership for the council.
Habitat for Humanity of Sangamon County, Springfield, IL
$1500 to send the Executive Director and the Development Director to a course on major gifts at the Fundraising School in Chicago, IL.
Living Hope Counseling Center, Springfield, IL
$1490 for their professional counseling staff to attend a four-day training conference and team building opportunity in Nashville, TN.
Macon County CASA, Decatur, IL
$1,030 for the Executive Director and two part-time coordinators to attend the 2007 Illinois CASA state conference in Springfield, IL.
Prairie Rivers Network, Champaign, IL
$600 to send their Clean Water Program Coordinator to the Annual River Rally in Stevenson, WA.
Sangamon County Community Foundation, Springfield, IL
$1500 for the Executive Director to attend the annual Council On Foundation’s national conference in San Francisco, CA and a pre-session on resource development for community foundations.
University of Illinois Extension, Urbana, IL
$1500 to fund scholarships for their leadership conference in Champaign, IL for participants who do not have institutional support to attend.
Children’s Advocacy Central East Central Illinois, Charleston, IL
$1500 to send five members of the CAC Advisory Board to a training that will help establish protocol for procedures used when interviewing children who are victims of child abuse.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Vermilion County, Danville, IL
$940 to send the Executive Director and a board member to the 2nd installment of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Leadership training conference in Chicago.
Camp One Way, Mount Auburn, IL
$750 to send new employees to the National Convention and Exhibition of the Christian Camp and Conference Association.
Central Illinois Organizing Project, Bloomington, IL
$1,500 to bring to Central Illinois a national community organizer trainer for a day-long event.
Charleston Transitional Facility, Charleston, IL
$420 to send one member of the management staff to the Coles County Leadership Program.
Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities in Illinois, Springfield, IL
$1,500 to train new Board members regarding board roles and responsibilities.
Environmental Education Association of Illinois, Urbana, IL
$1,500 to send their immediate past president to the North American Association for Environmental Education annual national conference.
Crossroads Workforce Investment Board, Mattoon, IL
$1,000 to send the Executive Director and the Business Services Representative to the Pegasus Conference in Seattle, Washington titled “Amplifying our Impact: Strategies for Unleashing the Power of Relationship”.
Easter Seals Central Illinois, Decatur, IL
$1,100 to offer trainings for volunteers of the AgrAbility Unlimited Program which helps farmers and their families and farm workers dealing with a disabling accident or illness.
LifeLinks (formerly Coles County Mental Health Assn.), Mattoon, IL
$1,000 was approved to provide their new Director of Financial Services with 5 days of training in Chicago on their accounting software programs.
The Little Theatre on the Square, Sullivan, IL
$1,500 to hold a one-day board retreat to educate board members about theatre operations, 2008 board activities and to plan ahead for recruitment of future board members.