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Executive Director's Corner
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Greetings,
I am excited to share the findings of the Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County’s (HFNLC) Summer Community Listening Initiative (SCLI) with you (now available on our website)! We extend our gratitude to the over 800 individuals across northern Lake County who generously shared their time and expertise with us during the summer of 2024, through community events, facilitated discussions, or key informant interviews. We also appreciate our community and business partners who invited us to engage community members at their events or allowed their sites to be utilized for facilitated discussions over a meal. Additionally, we thank HFNLC’s 2024 summer interns, Gisela Contreras and Stone Yan, who are residents of Lake County, and without whom this undertaking would have been extremely difficult.
In December 2024, we shared initial SCLI findings with participants in a SCLI activity (or those who wanted to learn more about it) at our Holiday Open House and Data Walk (HOHDW) at the University Center of Lake County. Two formal PowerPoint presentations of SCLI data were delivered by Dr. Venoncia M. Baté-Ambrus, Executive Director, and Angela Baran, Senior Program Officer. HOHDW participants also reviewed SCLI data poster boards located throughout the meeting space in an interactive data walk. Select HFLNC board and committee members, including Mike Duffy, Magdalena McElroy, Megan Brady, Sunny Sonnenschein, Frances Baxley, Laura Ramirez, and Adam Carson, served as SDOH ambassadors to engage in conversations with participants, gathering their initial impressions, questions, and potential solutions. Time to network was also integral to the experience.
The purpose of the Summer Community Listening Initiative was to learn directly from the community which Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) have the greatest impact on their overall health, well-being, and social functioning. This valuable information will inform our future funding strategies, which were made possible by a bylaw change in 2023. We firmly believe that to create a more equitable and just society, those who are most affected by health inequities must also be part of the process of creating solutions. The Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County is honored to collaborate with communities across our funding area to improve community health and well-being. If you have any questions about the final report, collaborative opportunities, or would like to share ideas, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Additionally, this summer, we are exploring three key Social Determinants of Health (SDOH): employment and income, healthy food access, and community engagement and social support. Please contact us if you are interested in discussing these topics and/or hosting public events where we can engage the community to gather their input on the effects of these drivers and desired solutions.
In solidarity,
Dr. Venoncia M. Baté-Ambrus
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🗣️ Did You Know? HFNLC Now Accepts Verbal Interim Reports!
We’re excited to announce a new, more accessible way to keep in touch with us: HFNLC now accepts verbal interim progress reports!
Interim reports are a key part of our grant process and are due six months after your organization receives a grant award. These reports must be received and approved before any additional payments are made.
What’s new? You can now choose to submit your interim report in either a written or verbal format—whichever works best for you and your team. The verbal report is a great opportunity to connect directly with the Foundation, share updates, and ask questions in a more conversational manner.
📌 To select your preferred format, log in to the online grants management system via our website.
Please note that final reports must still be submitted in writing through the online system.
Both interim and final reports should include narrative and financial updates, along with progress on the outcomes and indicators from your original application.
We hope this new option helps you stay connected and supported as you carry out your work. Let’s keep the conversation going!
| | 2025 Giving Tuesday Grants | | Applications Accepted Soon! | | |
Applications are open from June 1- June 30
Giving Tuesday 2025 is Tuesday, December 2nd
We are excited to announce that HFNLC will offer Giving Tuesday matching grants again in 2025. Letters of Inquiry are not required. HFNLC will accept applications from June 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025.
If awarded, this grant would match funds from new individual donors and the increased portion of donations from existing individual donors raised during any campaign between November 25, 2025, and December 16, 2025. Funds can be received through any online platform and via cash or check.
Other requirements are:
- Be a current HFNLC grantee - have received a grant within the last 12 months or are in your year off.
- Agree to apply HFNLC funds to health programs in northern Lake County.
- Submit a final report on basic metrics as well as lessons learned during your campaign. Final reports will be due January 9, 2026.
If you have any questions about this process, contact Angela Baran, HFNLC Senior Program Officer.
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Important Reminder
Letter of Inquiry Submission Dates
All grant applications—including new and renewal requests—begin with submitting a Letter of Inquiry in our online grants application system. You can access our online application system through the Apply Page of our website. If you have any questions about this process, contact Angela Baran, HFNLC Senior Program Officer.
Letters of Inquiry must be submitted between May 15, 2025, and June 15, 2025, before 5:00 p.m. for the August 1, 2025 proposal deadline.
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| Josselyn Center opens larger Waukegan healthcare facility; ‘This is a big upgrade with a lot of possibilities’ | | |
National Louis University is a proud supporter of Lake County communities, organizations, and individuals looking to make a difference. Partnering with the University Center, NLU offers multiple programs, including Community Psychology, perfect for master's-prepared behavioral health and human service professionals looking to take the next step as researchers, practitioners, and leaders in their field.
Learn more about the cohort kicking off in Fall 2025 (and the 15% tuition benefit) today! Email Rosario at rosario.medina@nl.edu.
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RWJF is committed to creating a future where health is not a privilege, but a right. They are proud to work alongside many grantees and partners who share a determination to improve the health and well-being of our nation, with no one left behind.
Their work as researchers is made more difficult by the new federal administration eliminating equity-centered projects. Universities are losing academic freedom and funding. Public data are being recklessly deleted. These are direct and concerted attacks on science and knowledge.
Evidence—not ideology—has the power to improve society. The science is clear: structural racism harms the nation’s health. They are working to focus research on creating actionable and consequential science to topple those barriers. They can hone our health science research system to be inclusive of people with different experiences, perspectives, and ideas. They value scientific methods, as well as local wisdom, innovative approaches, and new ways of working that will advance society in profound ways. We can push science to be better, so it can serve everyone.
In this spirit, see their latest funding opportunities to advance health equity by clicking the button below.
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If you have a success story, news, or event you'd like HFNLC to publicize, please send it our way. We'll consider sharing your entries through HFNLC's monthly e-newsletter.
If possible, include pictures or graphic designs. Send your entries to Meredith Polirer at meredith.polirer@hfnlc.org.
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OUR MISSION
The Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County supports efforts that improve access to health services for underserved Lake County, Illinois, residents. We strive to improve the health status of uninsured, underinsured, and medically underserved residents.
We are especially interested in addressing gaps in health services, increasing the capacity of effective organizations and programs, and fostering innovative solutions to persistent healthcare access problems.
| | Questions about the Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County? Contact: | | | | |
