Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation

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OVERVIEW:  Blowitz-Ridgeway funds health, mental health and housing initiatives in Chicago and six surrounding counties.

IP TAKE: Blowitz-Ridgeway’s grants mainly serve Chicago-area organizations that work with “uninsured, underinsured and low-income” populations. This is an accessible funder for organizations involved in health, mental health and housing, although grants generally top off at about $20,000. Blowitz-Ridgeway’s application process is straightforward, and it accepts applications at any time via its online portal.

PROFILE: In 1984, the Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation was created with proceeds from the sale of the Chicago Ridgeway Hospital, a psychiatric facility that mainly served adolescents from low-income backgrounds. The foundation’s current mission is “to support nonprofit agencies that provide vital comprehensive health care and housing (homeless) services to the economically disadvantaged of all ages.” Grantmaking serves Chicago and the surrounding Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will Counties.

Grants for Public Health and Mental Health

Blowitz-Ridgeway’s grantmaking for health and mental health prioritizes “uninsured, underinsured and low-income metropolitan Chicago residents” and aims to increase access to relevant services including preventative care, medical treatments, dentistry, vision care and psychiatric and counseling services.

Recent health grantees include the Antioch Area Health Accessibility Alliance, the DuPage Health Coalition and the Family Health Partnership of McHenry County. Mental health recipients include the Crisis Center for South Suburbia, the Juvenile Protective Association of North Lawndale, NAMI of DuPage County and Alternatives, Inc., which works in schools and community centers to provide trauma counseling, crisis intervention and substance abuse treatment services to low-income residents of Chicago.

Grants for Housing, Homelessness and Community Development

This funder’s grantmaking for housing focuses on individuals and families who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless. The foundation funds programs and initiatives that “provide access to prevention, intervention, follow-up, supportive services, and employment training.” Recently, the Foundation has made grants to All Chicago Making Homelessness History, Casa Central, Connections for the Homeless and the Franciscan Outreach Association.

Important Grant Details

This funder’s grants generally range from $10,000 to $20,000, with a maximum grant size of $30,000.

  • The Foundation’s grantees tend to be small to medium-sized organizations that maintain a strong presence in the communities they serve.

  • Grantmaking is limited to Chicago and the surrounding counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will.

  • For additional information about past grantees, see the foundation’s current and past grant pages.

This funder accepts grant applications throughout the year via its online grant application portal. The review period for submitted applications is three to four months, and applications are reviewed in the order that they are received. Applicants will be asked to submit information about measurable outcomes, organizational budgets and finance and personnel. Inquiries may be directed to the foundation’s executive director, Serena Moy, or its grants manager, Laura Romero, via email.

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