2024 Grant Awardees

Chicago Audubon Society – $22,325

Chicago Bird Alliance and key partners will train 30 new field trip leaders that represent the diverse backgrounds of Chicago and support them in engaging traditionally underserved communities in birding activities and habitats at lakefront parks. Training will also incorporate the environmental history of Chicago and its waterways, including the conservation issues that birds face when migrating.

Chicago Community Sculling – $25,000

Chicago Community Sculling (CCSI) provides sculling and indoor rowing programs accessible to all. CCSI has strong partnerships with middle and high schools primarily serving youth from Chicago’s west side and offers indoor training sessions on swimming, rowing technique, and conditioning, as well as on-the-water sessions at boathouses on the Chicago River. This grant will support hiring the organization’s first executive director, which will significantly expand the reach of CCSI programming to more students and schools in underserved areas of Chicago.

Chicago Park District – $100,000

Chicago Park District is developing updated engineering designs for a disabled-accessible water landing at Steelworkers Park. In 2019, the park district received final construction drawings for a water launch at this park that were later determined to be unfeasible due to fluctuations in Lake Michigan water levels. This grant will support developing revised drawings, updated to reflect the dynamic environment and associated safety measures, and guiding the sound construction of this asset to provide critical recreation access to Lake Michigan and the Calumet River.

Faith in Place – $74,136

Faith in Place will continue its signature nature-based education program, Migration and Me, in Cook and Lake counties. Faith in Place will facilitate Migration and Me nature outings, stewardship education, and story circles for intergenerational audiences, especially underserved BIPOC community residents, in Cook and Lake county forest preserves and other natural public parkland. Nature outings supported by this grant will highlight coastal-specific natural habitats, species, and the value of coastal natural resources.

Friends of the Chicago River – $145,000

In 2020, Friends of the Chicago River initiated the Greater Chicago Watershed Alliance to establish a forum to improve regional collaboration for expanded watershed-based stormwater management using multi-benefit nature-based solutions. This grant will support the organization to continue to advance project implementation and readiness work for areas within or impacting the Illinois coastal area; maintain and enhance the award-winning Natural Solutions Tool, which provides a visionary approach for investments in natural infrastructure; expand participation in the Alliance, focused on local municipal representatives and community-based organizations; and facilitate applications for joint funding.

Friends of the Forest Preserves – $149,157

Friends of the Forest Preserves will build upon previous work funded by the Coastal Management Program to expand community engagement program offerings in the coastal region of Cook County, specifically at Eggers Grove, Whistler Woods, and Beaubien Woods. With support from this grant, the organization will introduce a full-time, five-person engagement crew to implement community engagement goals. To ensure all community benefits of this project flow directly to residents of the coastal Calumet region, the organization will ensure 100% of crew member hires are from or live in the Calumet area. The crew will implement deep community engagement work while crew members train for careers in environmental education, interpretation, community organizing, and more. Engagement activities include volunteer and attendee recruitment for nature-based programming, such as regular exercise groups, bird walks, cultural events, and more.

Friends of the Parks – $42,633

Friends of the Parks will continue its successful Nature Along the Lake education program, which helps develop the next generation of nature stewards, while enhancing their exposure to science education, and strengthening their knowledge and skill set. Each school year, the program engages kindergarten through eighth grade children by leading field trips to Montrose Point, which includes outdoor classrooms such as the Magic Hedge birding trail, Montrose dune formation, and Montrose Harbor. The field trips also take place at Rainbow Beach, a south side location, and in the classroom or virtually if necessary. Annually, the program serves about 750 students from under-resourced schools, covering science learning standards.

Lake County Forest Preserve District – $25,845

The Chiwaukee Prairie-Illinois Beach Lake Plain Conservation Partnership was formally established in 2010 as a concerted effort to protect and manage the unique and high-quality natural features of the Lake Plain. This grant will fund a critical need identified by the partnership to develop a branding scope to strengthen the regional identity for the Lake Plain and the partnership. Branding will strategically increase the development and protection of the region by creating a sense of place and connecting people to the physical environment. The branding scope will increase visibility, facilitate partnerships, and help develop the viability of the region, ultimately enhancing and promoting recreation and research opportunities on the Lake Michigan Lake Plain.

Lake Forest Open Lands Association – $64,954

Lake Forest Open Lands Association will provide environmental education and stewardship programs and increase access to coastal area recreational activities with events and workshops in target communities. This grant will build on the success of previous coastal grants and marks the expansion of the association’s educational mission within the coastal communities of Lake County. The program will focus on reaching a broader audience, serving multiple coastal area communities, and spanning generations. The association will build partnerships with schools, non-profits, and BIPOC small business and community organizers in Waukegan and North Chicago; implement educational programs and workshops that highlight coastal habitats and species; and develop engaging nature-based education events.

Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce – $50,000

The Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce will conduct a feasibility study of the Belmont-Diversey Trail. The study will explore the potential for enhancing connectivity along the Chicago River for a section of the riverfront that remains largely unknown and underutilized, indicating a pressing need for enhanced access. This trail connection seeks to address a significant gap in connectivity, with potential to enhance this section of the riverfront into a vibrant and accessible community asset. The feasibility study will assess the viability of linking two significant riverfront infrastructural developments: the Riverview Bridge and the trail network of the Lathrop Homes redevelopment project.

Lincoln Park Zoological Society – $38,277

Explorando la Naturaleza is a program that employs and equips experienced, Spanish-speaking, social-emotional learning educators with training and resources to plan and interpret recreational experiences in nature as pathways to community wellbeing for Little Village and Marshall Square residents. Up to nine parent leaders will be trained and paid to organize, support, and facilitate experiential programming centered on conservation and socio-emotional learning outcomes. The training curriculum focuses on advancing the professional development of adult learners who co-create lesson plans and facilitation strategies to encourage community building and stewardship action outdoors in parks, community gardens, forest preserves and coastal areas throughout the Chicago region. The program’s community events, field trip outings, and public presentations co-created with parent leaders build inclusive spaces that connect residents to nature and provide context for the ongoing mentorship and supervision of parent leaders by zoo staff.

Navy Pier – $30,000

After years of damage caused by elevated lake levels and severe storms, Navy Pier requires an assessment of the concrete caissons and deck of the South Dock Extension. Navy Pier Inc. will hire engineering services to determine the conditions of the caissons through nondestructive means such as radiography and visual inspections conducted by divers. The project will enable Navy Pier Inc. to enhance the pier’s resilience through future improvement projects and represents an essential step to ensuring long-term operation of the landmark in the face of climate change and its impacts.

OAI – $100,000

OAI’s Sharing Services to Maintain Green Infrastructure project assists low- to moderate-income majority Black or Latinx communities in Chicago’s coastal region who struggle to maintain their green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) assets. OAI will continue its work on this initiative, providing on-site technical assistance in the Chicago region and continue the work of the on-site training program for workers responsible for newly installed GSI. Additionally, OAI will continue hosting GSI maintenance trainings, collaborating with partners and advocating for improved maintenance strategies and workforce development opportunities. These efforts have increased collaboration across Chicago-region organizations, government and communities; increased maintenance for existing GSI; increased workers trained in GSI maintenance; and attracted new workers to the field.

Openlands – $56,343

With this support, Openlands will develop an engaging and comprehensive curriculum aimed at educating teens and adults on the rich history, present-day assets, and ecological significance of the African American Heritage Water Trail along the Little Calumet River and Cal-Sag Channel, spanning from Beaubien Woods to the Village of Robbins. The curriculum will serve as a guide for interpreters and facilitate awareness among students and the broader community about the local history associated with the water trail.

Urban Rivers – $150,000

Urban Rivers is dedicated to revitalizing ecosystems in urbanized waterways and reconnecting communities to their rivers. This grant will allow it to increase staff capacity to take the lessons learned from its experience with their signature Wild Mile floating wetlands project, expand programming and educational offerings into new locations, and develop plans and designs to replicate the Wild Mile strategy across the urbanized watershed. Adding staff capacity will allow Urban Rivers to develop and provide community learning, volunteerism, and programming and help other riverside communities envision how they might reclaim their stretch of river.

Wilmette Park District – $1,725

With this grant, the Wilmette Park District will develop interpretive signage for two coastal parks, Langdon Park and Gillson Park. The signage in Langdon Park will provide information about Lake Michigan shoreline dynamics, such as lake level change, and the coastal ecosystem. The signage in Gillson Park will offer information about dune or coastal ecosystems and the need for habitat protection.