The Northern Trust Foundation

Youth who experience food insecurity are more likely to struggle in school and face both mental and physical health challenges. We prioritize funding for programs that:

• Increase access to, awareness of, and participation in free food distribution programs and services
• Raise awareness of, and increase participation in, state and federal nutrition assistance programs (e.g., SNAP, WIC, Summer Food Service Program, etc.)
• Increase access to affordable, nutritious foods for purchase, particularly within food deserts, and leverage innovative solutions to address the issue of access to food

Stable housing can serve as the foundation for a secure future. We prioritize funding to organizations assisting people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with access to safe and permanent housing through programs that: 

• Support youth experiencing homelessness and help navigate and access services available in their local communities with a goal of getting them into permanent housing
• Assist low-income college students by providing supportive services and affordable housing
• Provide temporary or permanent free/affordable housing options for youth; highest priority will be given to programs that focus on moving youth efficiently into permanent housing solutions
• Provide housing-related case management, foster care or other services to youth who are living in unsafe or unstable home environments including LBGTQ+ and youth transitioning out of the foster care system

Low-income youth attend and complete college at a much lower rate than their peers. We prioritize funding for programs that support students “to and through” college (including trade schools) and specifically focus on removing barriers for low-income youth that: 

• Focus on academic readiness, including college-level coursework during high school, and high school completion with an emphasis on post-secondary school enrollment
• Support post-secondary school persistence, including those that focus on alternatives to remedial coursework
• Assist students through the college search, application and enrollment process, ensuring students ultimately are admitted to, enroll in and attend schools which are a good match and fit for their individual needs
• Provide access to financial aid for low-income youth and/or provide ongoing financial planning and credit building for students and their families, to ensure students complete their post-secondary education

The transition from child to adult healthcare is a greater challenge for low-income individuals. We prioritize funding to hospitals, healthcare centers and community organizations providing physical or mental healthcare that:

• Provide access to physical or mental healthcare for free or at a sliding scale
• Provide primary and preventative care, including health screenings for young women
• Focus on providing solutions that remove common barriers to care among this population (e.g., telehealth visits, pop-up clinics, after-hours appointments, etc.)
• Raise awareness and provide education of healthcare services and/or Medicaid and assist this population to apply for and access Medicaid

To qualify for a grant, organizations must be tax-exempt nonprofit, charitable organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and must provide direct services to youth ages 16-24, residing in south and west-sides of Chicago.

Organizations may apply and receive funding for three consecutive years from the Northern Trust Foundation. After three years of funding, organizations will be ineligible to apply for a grant for a one-year period.

The Northern Trust Foundation will not provide grants to:

• Organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, age, gender expression, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, citizenship status, political affiliation, service in the Armed Forces of the United States, disability, or any other classification protected by law
• Organizations less than three-years old
• Multi-year funding requests
• Event sponsorship, fundraising events and campaigns (e.g., galas, golf tournaments, awards ceremonies, raffles, runs/walks, auction purchase, memorial campaigns, etc.)
• Single-disease-specific projects
• Capital campaigns or endowments
• Individuals, including those seeking scholarships or fellowship assistance
• Religious organizations for sectarian purposes
• Requests focused primarily on advocacy or research
• Individual K-12 schools
• Fraternal groups
• Travel-related events unless specific to a qualifying program or project request
• Advertising or marketing activities unless specific to a qualifying program or project request
• Political, labor, or civic clubs (this includes advocacy, government agency, and political entities)
• Development or production of books, films, videos, or television programs
• Any organization not aligned with our corporate values or could involve Northern Trust in controversial issues