Durbin Announces Over $1.7Mil in Grants for Community Service Organizations

December 16, 2010. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced today that the Corporation for National & Community Service (CNCS) has awarded roughly $1,720,000 in funding to 10 Chicago nonprofit organizations working to expand economic opportunities. Grantees will use this funding to help low income families boost their earnings, reduce expenses, and make better financial decisions.

CNCS is a federal agency that leads President Obama’s national call to service initiatives and engages more than 5 million Americans to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering.  Today’s funding was awarded through the Local Initiative Support Corporation which is a national nonprofit organization that combines corporate, government, and philanthropic support to help community residents transform distressed neighborhoods into healthy and sustainable communities of choice and opportunity.
The following Little Village organizations will receive funding under today’s announcement:

• Central States SER: $155,000 in funding to launch a new financial opportunity center in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. Central States SER expects to help 120 clients obtain employment, 80 improve their net income, and 30 improve their credit scores.

• North Lawndale Employment Network: $140,000 in funding to expand services offered by its Center for Working Families. North Lawndale Employment Network expects to help 168 clients obtain employment, 70 improve their net income, and 100 improve their credit scores.