The Heart of Illinois United Way's grants include the Community Impact Fund and Supporting Student Success (S3), which support our partners' work for education, financial stability and health.

2023-24 Community Impact Fund Grants

Our Work in Education Quality education helps youth and adults achieve their full potential.Education-Related Grants Funded by the Community Impact Fund

American Red Cross – Central Illinois Chapter: Youth Preparedness Program
This program provides education to children of all ages about preparedness, safety, and disaster topics.

Big Brothers Big Sisters, Heart of Illinois: Youth Mentoring Program
Through the one-on-one lunch buddies and community-based programs, Big Brothers Big Sisters pairs an at-risk student with an adult mentor to foster better habits in school and throughout life.

Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Peoria: Youth Development: Tutoring and Mentoring
Focusing on extremely at-risk students, the Boys and Girls Clubs provides free tutoring and mentoring in order to achieve academic success and avoid risky behaviors.

Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Peoria: Summer Camp
This summer camp for at-risk kids provides activities that promote academic retention and healthy life skills that lead to positive behavior change.

W.D. Boyce Council, Boy Scouts of America: Life Skills 202
This program is designed for youth ages 11-17 and focuses on developing important life skills, such as leadership, financial stability, public speaking, and cooking.

G.W. Carver Community Center: Skills for Life
Program provides career readiness skills including personal/life skills, workforce skills, and technical skills along with tutoring and homework help in math, writing, and reading at each grade level to encourage STEM careers.

G.W. Carver Community Center: Virtual Learning Preschool (V.L.P.)
Program focuses on supporting kindergarten readiness through weekly education provided through a digital library of resources that correlate with the readiness goals in area Pre-K programs: language and literacy, math, and social-emotional development.

The Center for Prevention of Abuse: PreventEd – Bullying
The program’s primary purpose is to decrease bullying at school and in the community by providing bullying prevention education to area students. Using an evidence-based social emotional learning/bullying prevention curriculum, students learn to build healthy relationships and learn what to do when bullying occurs.

Children’s Home Association of Illinois: Good Beginnings
Good Beginnings provides intensive, long-term home visits and parenting education for first-time, at-risk families to reduce child abuse/neglect and promote healthy child development.

Community Workshop & Training Center: Adult Development Skills Training
Program provides custom, individual training based on identified needs of clients with disabilities. Outcomes include areas such as work and community access skills, communication skills, social skills, academic skills, money management, and literacy skills.

Crittenton Centers: Parent Education and Support Services
This multi-tiered approach to educating and supporting parents helps new and struggling parents improve their parenting skills and support them as they create sustainable positive change in the family.

Dream Center Peoria: DCP Kids
An afterschool program for at-risk youth focused on individual support for current coursework, educational mentoring, and physical activity.

Dream Center Peoria: DCP Youth
This youth development program for at-risk youth focuses breaking the cycle of poverty through tutoring and improvement in academics, job skills with hands-on experience in the trades, life (health, finance, etc.) skills, art classes, and physical activities.

Goodwill Industries of Central Illinois: Digital Skills Training
Provides computer-based skills training for adults to improve vocational skills and foster self-reliance.

Goodwill Industries of Central Illinois: GoodGuides Youth Mentoring Program
Promotes positive youth development by pairing youth ages 12-17 with a caring adult mentor to support at-risk youth in building the skills needed to be successful in school, at home, and in the workforce.

Greater Peoria Family YMCA: Teen REACH
Youth development program focused on e-learning opportunities for middle school students with hands-on help with computer problems, homework, after school academic tutoring, and STEAM and culinary learning opportunities.

Neighborhood House Association: Adult Literacy
Program offers students the opportunity to improve their literacy skills and potentially work towards earning their GED including classes on digital literacy, civic responsibility, nutrition, etc.

Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service: STEAMS Friendship House Academy and Summer Camp
This after-school and summer program provides activities that encourage students to be academically and socially successful, offering tutoring services and enrichment activities in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math.

The Salvation Army: Child Care Center
The Child Care Center provides an affordable and supportive early childhood educational environment for at-risk children who, because of their home and community environment, are subject to language, cultural, economic, and other disadvantages.

Our Work in Financial Stability - Improving life skills increases independence. The Heart of Illinois United Way is focused on ensuring individuals and families achieve financial stability.Financial Stability-Related Grants Funded by the Community Impact Fund

CASA of the Tenth Judicial Circuit: Court Appointed Special Advocates
CASA recruits, trains, and supervises community volunteers who are appointed by judges to be independent fact finders and to speak up for the best interests of abused and neglected children, with the goal of securing safe, permanent homes for the children as quickly as possible.

The Center for Prevention of Abuse: Adult Protective Services
This program alleviates the effects of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of seniors and adults with disabilities, by investigating reports of abuse and providing intervention and advocacy services to ensure safety and maximum independence.

The Center for Prevention of Abuse: Court Advocacy Services
This program’s goals are to provide support to victims of domestic violence and their children as they file Orders of Protection through the local court system. Clients are supported throughout the court process, provided information about their rights as a victim and the dynamics of domestic violence, and provided advocacy, services and referrals to ensure safety and well-being.

The Center for Prevention of Abuse: Shelter Services for Domestic Violence Victims
This shelter program provides crisis intervention and immediate safety and stability to families who are homeless due to domestic violence, and provides clients with comprehensive case management and connections to community resources needed for increased self-sufficiency and long-term housing stability.

The Center for Youth and Family Solutions: New Day Senior In-Home Counseling and Support Services
Through in-home visits, this program provides effective mental health interventions designed to help seniors cope with challenges exacerbated by aging, strengthen and support their self-reliance and ability to continue living independently, and improve their quality of life.

Community Workshop and Training Center: Employment Readiness and Retention
CWTC promotes self-reliance in adults with disabilities through the successful development of employment skills, obtaining job placement, maximizing employment status and income, and increasing job retention.

Dream Center Peoria: DCP Emergency Interim Shelter
Emergency shelter is provided for families in crisis, with the goal of locating and sustaining safe, affordable, and permanent housing.

EP!C: Community Job Placement
Employment readiness, job placement, and job coaching activities are provided to assist people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to maximize their independence and self-reliance.

EP!C: Maximizing Life Skills
This program bridges the challenging medical, social and intellectual barriers associated with various disabilities by teaching clients skills for maximized independence, including personal care, safety, community access, interpersonal skills, and personal finances.

Goodwill Industries of Central Illinois: Employment
This program provides individualized job training, placement and support services to job-seekers, addressing barriers to employment and working with local employers to identify good job matches.

Habitat for Humanity – Greater Peoria Area: Project HOPE
The goals of the HOPE (Home Owner Preparedness and Education) program are to educate partner families on how to become successful homeowners. Mentoring is provided, as well as workshops to strengthen skills in finance, budgeting, neighbor relations, home maintenance and life skills.

Neighborhood House Association: Meals on Wheels
In an effort to help the elderly and disabled continue to live independently, Meals on Wheels delivers regular, nutritious meals and provides regular social contact to residents unable to shop and cook for themselves.

Phoenix Community Development Services: Glendale Commons
With the goal of ending homelessness and increasing self-sufficiency, Glendale Commons provides affordable, permanent housing for homeless families with one household member who has a disabling condition, and homeless individuals with mental illness, developmental disability and/or substance use disorder.

Phoenix Community Development Services: Supporting Homeless Youth
Homeless Youth Services provides a continuum of care to youth 18-21 years old who are experiencing homelessness or are at immediate risk for homelessness through up to 2 years of individualized, strengths-based programming.

Phoenix Community Development Services: New Hope Apartments
New Hope Apartments is a permanent supportive housing program serving homeless individuals with mental illness, developmental disability, and/or substance use disorder and providing opportunities to pursue self-sufficiency.

Phoenix Community Development Services: Street Outreach & Rapid Rehousing
Program provides street outreach and rapid rehousing services to homeless persons living in places not meant for human habitation (for example streets, vehicles) or emergency shelters. All services are tailored to the individual’s needs and are mobile, provided wherever the consumer is located.

Prairie State Legal Services: Coordinated Problem Resolution
This program provides free in-office legal services to at-risk individuals and families with an emphasis on single-parent families and limited-English speaking individuals. Services focus on protecting the basic human needs of physical safety, shelter, and income.

Prairie State Legal Services: Crisis Intervention Legal Services
This program provides free legal services to low-income families in crisis with non-criminal legal problems requiring prompt action that impact the family’s ability to meet basic needs. Examples include abuse, access to public benefits, and homelessness prevention.

Prairie State Legal Services: Legal Services to Promote Job Readiness
Program provides assistance to clients who are experiencing a legal barrier to employment and connects clients with job readiness partners while assisting them in obtaining necessary documents for legal services.

Prairie State Legal Services: Medical/Legal Advocacy – Client Wellness
Program provides legal advice to low-income, at-risk clients referred from medical providers advice so clients are able to make informed decisions as it relates to their legal matter and understand their rights and responsibilities, which can prevent future health crises.

The Salvation Army: Family Shelter
With the goal of rapidly re-housing families as quickly as possible, this low-barrier program provides shelter, meals, clothing, receipt of mail, case management, basic human necessities, and coordination with other providers to facilitate self-sufficiency.

The Salvation Army: Safety Net
This program provides emergency shelter to homeless single men and offers food, clothing, receipt of mail, showers, and case management to work toward permanent housing as quickly as possible.

Tazewell County Resource Centers: Employment Services Program
This program assists persons with disabilities to obtain and maintain employment through community job development, job coaching, and job retention activities.

Tazewell County Resource Centers: Residential Services
This program provides affordable housing for low-income, developmentally disabled individuals with 24-hour care in community homes promoting independence.

Tazewell County Resource Center: Vocational Services
This program offers curriculum and experiential opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to enhance life skills, experience multiple vocational opportunities, deepen their connection to the community, and increase independence.

Our Work in Health Prevention, intervention and education lead to health and wellness The Heart of Illinois United Way is focused on ensuring the people of central Illinois have access to quality, affordable health care.Health-Related Grants Funded by the Community Impact Fund

American Red Cross – Central Illinois Chapter: Disaster Services
The American Red Cross is oftentimes the first organization on the scene of a local disaster in order to meet clients’ immediate needs, including food, clothing, shelter, health services, and mental health services.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Peoria: Back Pack/Healthy Habits
In order to ensure youth are able to eat full, nutritious meals over the weekend or during school breaks, this two-pronged program teaches kids how to plan and prepare a healthy meal, and then sends them home on the weekend with a backpack full of healthy meals and snacks.

G.W. Carver Community Center: Go Fit – Fitness, Education and More
Peoria GFL teaches children, teens, and adults the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through programs designed to prevent and/or manage behaviors that lead to obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

The Center for Prevention of Abuse: Family Violence Intervention
Program provides education for men and women who are court ordered to attend as a condition of probation from a domestic violence charge, referred by a child welfare judge as part of a treatment plan for child abuse, or voluntarily seek services. Curriculum focuses on accountability for previous actions, developing empathy, conflict resolution skills, building positive and respectful relationships that are violence free, and improvement of communication.

The Center for Prevention of Abuse: Medical Advocacy Services
This program provides emergency crisis intervention to adult and child victims of domestic violence and sexual assault through immediate medical advocacy at local hospitals and emergency departments. Goals are to alleviate a victim’s immediate sense of trauma, provide information about available services and follow-up, and mobilize the survivor’s support network.

The Center for Prevention of Abuse: Survivor Therapy Services
Program provides therapy services to survivors of sexual abuse/assault and domestic violence in a non-judgmental, victim-centered, trauma-informed manner with a focus on long-term needs, specialized therapy, and assessment of current emotional symptoms and needs while exploring past trauma and abuse.

The Center for Youth and Family Solutions: Family Counseling Program
These counseling services aim to improve mental/emotional health and family stability in families who would not otherwise be able to afford it.

Central Illinois FRIENDS of PWA: Community Public Health Initiative
This program provides free education, testing and treatment referrals to reduce the rates of sexually transmitted infection (STIs), HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancy in at-risk populations.

Central Illinois FRIENDS of PWA: Get Yourself Tested Days (GYT)
GYT aims to lower STI rates in youth ages 13-18 by providing evidence-based, comprehensive sexual education and community awareness in local schools, including free, confidential and anonymous testing.

Children’s Home Association of Illinois: HOPE Team
The HOPE Team provides intensive therapeutic services in order to prevent further mental health crises and psychiatric hospitalizations, minimizing the negative effects on families. Services promote the development of coping skills to reduce reliance on the emergency room in non-emergency situations.

Crittenton Centers: Crisis Nursery
With a focus on the prevention of child abuse and neglect, the Crisis Nursery provides childcare 24 hours per day/365 days per year for families facing crisis and/or parental stress, ensuring children have a safe, nurturing environment in which to stay.

FamilyCore: Counseling Connections
Specifically providing services for strengthening at-risk families, this program aims to stabilize families through low- to no-cost counseling, education, and case management while promoting stability and healthy relationships.

Freedom House: Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Intervention
This program provides immediate safety, stabilization and support to adult and child victims/witnesses of domestic violence and sexual assault for residents of Marshall, Putnam and Stark Counties. Services include emergency shelter, crisis intervention, safety planning, and other support services to lay the groundwork for transition to independence.

Freedom House: Healing from Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
Counseling is provided for victims, witnesses and family members to promote safety, reduce the effects of trauma, and build coping skills to become independent survivors.

Heartland Health Services: Diabetic Case Management Services
The program’s purpose is to provide additional support for diabetic patients in managing their chronic disease, reduce the risk of complications, and improve overall health and quality of life for patients.

Hult Center for Healthy Living: Adolescent Health Empowerment
Program empowers adolescents ages 12-18 to manage their changing health needs through a blend of in-person and e-learning health education while encouraging students to access in-school health services where available.

Hult Center for Healthy Living: Oncology Nutrition
Through registered dietitians, program provides evidence-based oncology medical nutrition therapy to adult patients undergoing treatment for cancer including customized medical nutrition treatment plans, in addition to providing clients with resources, recipes, and samples of oral nutrition supplements as needed.

Hult Center for Healthy Living: Sex Ed COACHES
Program assists area schools with student and educator self-assessments then provides a customized action plan, including e-learning modules and in-person support to implement sexual health education.

Hult Center for Healthy Living: WELL Wellness Education & Lifestyle Learning
Program focuses on increasing knowledge and healthy behaviors among youth ages 8-17 to reduce the community’s high rates of obesity and diabetes through preventive care screenings and well-child visits.

Hult Center for Healthy Living: Your Amazing Body!
Program expands Pre-K students’ social-emotional development and health literacy through interactive classroom-based education based on understanding and appreciation for the body systems such as heart, brain, lungs, senses, and social-emotional learning while introducing core concepts, including health literacy, science, math, and vocabulary.

Hult Center for Healthy Living: Youth Mental Health Matters
Through collaborations with other local organizations, this program supports mental and social-emotional health by providing students and supporting adults with knowledge, skills and resources needed to foster healthy social-emotional development and a foundation for good mental health.

OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois: Resource Link
Through care coordination and psychiatric consultation for children and their families, Resource Link helps increase the capacity of primary care practices to treat mental illness and optimize the existing community system of mental health care.

Phoenix Community Development Services: Community Support Services
Program provides mental health supportive treatment services to consumers residing in supportive housing programs, as well as, residing in private housing on the rental market.

Tazewell County Resource Centers: Sight Center Services
TCRC provides examinations, rehabilitation, training, and outreach to help ensure individuals with visual impairments retain/regain their independence to allow individuals to pursue employment, increase their health and independence, and decrease the risk of poverty.

UnityPlace Tazwood Center for Wellness: In-School Counseling Program
This program provides counseling to the East Peoria students with the goals of helping students stay and succeed in school, develop interpersonal skills to establish/maintain positive relationships, and make good personal decisions.