Highland Park Community Foundation recognizes 65 grantees, including The Record

The Highland Park Community Foundation recently announced its 2024 grant recipients, which includes for the first time The Record North Shore.

The foundation awarded a total of 65 grants totaling more than $873,000 to help “address the educational, human service, creative, and cultural arts needs of young children, teens, families, adults, individuals with disabilities, and seniors in our community as well as expand opportunities for all residents,” according to a press release from the organization.

Since its founding in 1992, the foundation has distributed more than $7.3 million in grants to nonprofits serving the community. The foundation also stepped up during the onset of COVID-19, awarding $240,000 in emergency grants, and following the Highland Park shooting, distributing more than $1 million in response funding between 2022 and 2024.

The annual grant supports organizations that serve Highland Park and Highwood residents and grantees were invited to a meet and greet on Oct. 25 at the Art Center of Highland Park.

 “We’re honored to offer opportunities and support to our neighbors in Highwood and Highland Park,” said Eric Ephraim, vice-chair of HPCF’s governing board, in the release. “Each of our board members performs heavy due diligence to ensure that the money we raise is distributed to local organizations that will be effective.

“This process ensures the success of the funded programs and strengthens our community.”

While the complete list can be seen below, for the first time in its history, the community foundation is supporting local nonprofit journalism with a grant to The Record North Shore, a nonprofit newsroom that began covering Highland Park in 2022 and reports on everything from local government and elections to businesses and local sports.

The funding will allow The Record to elevate its reporting of Highland Park and Highwood in 2025.

“There is great need, and it’s humbling for an organization like HPCF to support our mission at The Record. I know our readers are grateful to the generous donors and the City of Highland Park who we will continue to serve with local, trusted journalism,” said Ryan Osborn, director of development at The Record North Shore.

HPCF’s 2024 Annual Grant recipients are: 112 Education Foundation, A Safe Place, Art Impact Project, Arts of Life, Arts4Impact, Bella Ru Catering Giving Program, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Bitter Jester Foundation for the Arts, Blessings in a Backpack Highland Park, Cancer Wellness Center, Center for Enriched Living, Collaborative Community Housing Initiative, College Bound Opportunities, Community – The Anti-Drug Coalition, Community Partners for Affordable Housing, Curt’s Café, Direct Giving Lab, East on Central Association, Erie Family Health Centers, Family Focus HP, Family Service of Glencoe, Focus on the Arts, Glenkirk, GPF Foundation, Gratitude Generation, Heart of the City, Highland Park After Prom, Highland Park Community Early Learning Center, Highland Park Historical Society, Highland Park Public Library, Highland Park Strings, Highwood Public Library & Community Center, Housing Opportunity Development Corporation, HPHS – Estudiante to Student Mentor Program, HPHS – Homework Club, HPHS – National Hispanic Institute, JCFS Chicago, JCYS – Lutz Family Center, Josselyn, Keeping Families Covered, Keshet, Kids Rank, Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, Mothers Trust Foundation, Music Institute of Chicago, North Shore School District 112 – Service Learning, North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association, Operation Warm, Parks Foundation of Highland Park, Pilgrim Chamber Players, Roberti Community House, SaLT – Service and Learning Together, Southeast Lake County Faith in Action Volunteers, The Art Center Highland Park, The Record North Shore, Time to Dance, Tri-Con Child Care Center, United Way of Lake County, Uptown Music Theater of Highland Park, Willow House, Working Together, Youth Services, and Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center.

For more information on the Highland Park Community Foundation and its grant programs, visit hpcfil.org.

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