Grants

Grant Program Description
Childhood obesity, which leads to a whole slew of related health problems, is a national epidemic that has been steadily increasing since the 1970s. Contributing factors are the lack of availability of fresh foods, not enough physical activity, the high availability and low cost of junk food, and a lack of education about health and nutrition. (Source: Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children)

The Bright Promises Foundation initiated a four-year grant program called Healthy Children/Healthy Adults: Promoting Health through Better Nutritional Choices. The program responds to the escalating problem of childhood obesity in the state of Illinois. Now in its second year, the Foundation has so far paid and pledged $334,446.00 to community-based multi-purpose agencies to promote better health among low-income and other at-risk children between the ages of 8-12.

Grantmaking Process
Grant applications are considered annually from a pool of invited applicants. Proposals are evaluated based on criteria including measurable goals and objectives, and sustainability after Bright Promises Foundation funding ends. Grantees are required to report at least twice each year on their measurable objectives, and project coordinators from the Bright Promises Foundation board of directors conduct site visits with staff during the application process and during the grant year.

Current Grantees

*Center for New Horizons, “Healthy Children/Healthy Adults” project, serving children in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. Program includes nutrition classes delivered to children, parents and staff as well as menu planning, budgeting, food preparation and cooking, developing a working community garden and a peer education program where students will learn to be leaders in their school and to promote health and nutrition school-wide. webpage

*Erie Neighborhood House, “Super H – Healthy Kids Make Happy Kids” project, serving 200 children in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago. Changing attitudes toward health and nutrition, they are making a healthy lifestyle “cool.” The bi-monthly club for children and their parents includes education about the nutritional value of chosen “super foods” and how to prepare them, field trips, staff training and hands-on activities. webpage

*Harold Colbert Jones Memorial Community Center, “Promoting Health Through Better Nutritional Choices” project, serving 60 children in the South suburb of Chicago Heights. Nutrition, cooking and physical fitness classes are offered, parents are engaged through meetings where they learn the same concepts as children, and a dietician has been hired to assess the food offered to the children as well as through their food pantry. webpage

*Howard Area Community Center, “SHARP Kids” Program serving 105 children in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. Goal is to cultivate healthy eating and physical fitness among children and their families, at three locations, and includes publishing a healthy cookbook as a collaboration between staff, families, and the community. webpage

*Northwestern University Settlement, “Healthy Behavior Initiative,” serving 157 children in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago. Activities include cooking classes for children and adults, field trips, physical education activities, staff training in healthy behavior, creating a cookbook with healthy meal recipes, and development of an agency-wide Wellness Policy. webpage