Campus News

Contacts:
Pam Clark Reidenbach, Director, Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence at Rockford University: 815-226-2833
Director of Communications Rita Elliott, 815-226-3374

Rockford, Ill., – The Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence (NICNE) at Rockford University has been awarded a grant totaling $60,000 from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL). The grant funds, referred to as “Collaboration Takes NICNE To The Next Level” will be dispersed over a three year period and are dedicated to expanding partnerships and collaboration to further enhance NINCE’s mission of providing capacity building, training, technical assistance and resource support to nonprofit organizations in the region.

‌NICNE Director Pam Clark-Reidenbach says, “We are deeply grateful to the CFNIL for its recognition of the value of the nonprofits and supporting efforts to promote innovation and excellence within the sector. These funds will help support expanded partnerships and collaborations that further enhance NICNE’s work in providing relevant capacity building programs, linking to regional and national resources, and to more deeply integrate into the University’s academic programs by connecting students with internship, research and community-based learning opportunities with our nonprofit partners.”

The primary components of the grant include maintaining the core programs for which area nonprofits have come to rely upon; creating collaborations with other colleges and universities across the country to enhance NICNE programming; integrating NICNE further into Rockford University’s academic programming; and generating conversations and on-going dialogue on cutting edge issues that transform and professionalize the nonprofit sector. NICNE will receive $20,000 per year for three years.

In addition to the CFNIL grant support, NICNE has also partnered with United Way of Rock River Valley to receive a total of $51,000 over the same three year period. The combined $111,000 in support of NICNE programming from the CFNIL and United Way of Rock River Valley demonstrates the region’s strong commitment to supporting a collaborative and vital nonprofit sector to better serve its citizenry.

NICNE was first formed in 2004 and has grown to reach more than 1,200 individuals from over 220 nonprofit organizations in 13 counties each year. The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois is a regional leader in philanthropy. Its mission is to serve as a catalyst to attract, grow, and preserve an endowment for the needs of the people of Northern Illinois.

For more information about the Northern Center for Nonprofit Excellence, United Way Rock River Valley or the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, visit:

www.rockford.edu/community/nicne/
www.unitedwayrrv.org/
cfnil.org/