Hope for the Day is thrilled to share that we have been selected to receive the Illinois State Board of Education Community Partnerships Grant! 

With this exciting announcement, we wanted to unpack what this grant is all about and why this is such a great opportunity for Hope for the Day and the Illinois communities that we work and live in.

The Community Partnership Grant addresses gaps in meeting students’ social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs. School districts and their students and faculty have faced a variety of challenges throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why the Illinois State Board of Education created the Community Partnership Grant.

The terms community and partnership build the foundation of this grant. Awardees are able to take a community-centered approach, allowing for flexibility and collaboration to find the best approach for local needs. This includes expanding opportunities for not only students but parents and faculty as well.

These goals align with Hope for the Day’s values as we seek to meet people where they’re at within their communities. We work to help everyone know that there are resources available to them when they need them.

Hope for the Day has already worked with a variety of schools across the Chicago area, working to bring our signature mental health education, The Things We Don’t Say, and resources to as many people as possible. The Community Partnerships grant expands those opportunities, according to Hope for the Day’s Impact & Grants Manager, Don Neil, MSW.

“We're going to be able to engage with schools in a way that we never have,” Neil said.

As we work to provide others with the tools they may need, the Community Partnership Grant is providing us the tools to expand our horizons and have an even greater impact and reach.

“We would like to see our programming as a cornerstone of mental health education in local Chicago schools,” Neil said.

The goal of our education programming is to provide tools for early recognition and intervention, to disrupt the highest risk factors for mental health crises and suicide. By starting the conversation about mental health in schools, students can be better equipped to handle real life situations.

Our education is also for the community — teachers, staff, and family — to create a presence in that community, not just in the schools. Through this we can help build open lines of communication and information according to Neil.

“Knowledge is going to pass through the community to equip these people with the tools and stuff to be able to start focusing on mental health, knowing how to respond to it, knowing the resources, and what's available in their communities,” Neil said. 

The Community Partnership Grant will also provide, as the name suggests, partnerships. As an awardee of this grant, we get to build connections with other organizations, schools, and like-minded groups to create positive change.

By fostering these relationships, we can create an even bigger pool of resources for community members to access and be able to “utilize those resources that are all here in our backyard.”

If you’re interested in having your school get involved, please fill out this form to get started.

Currently, the Community Partnerships Grant primarily focuses on public and private, middle and high schools in IL. However, we regularly offer our programming both in-person and digitally to all schools in IL. Please contact us if you’d like more information.