If you know of a nonprofit organization doing impactful work in one of the following areas — protecting our environment, advancing excellence in education, or promoting community health — we want to hear from you! Nominations are open to anyone who wants to support local nonprofits making a difference. Simply submit a nomination on our website, and we will review all submissions to select the organizations that align with our funding priorities.

Nonprofits that focus on one or more of the following areas are eligible for a RISE Grant:

1. Protect the Environment:

2. Reflecting Earthrise's environmental commitment to sustainability, Earthrise supports initiatives that protect our natural resources, enhance our environment, and sustain biodiversity in the communities where we work.

3. Excellence in Education: 

4. In keeping with our purpose to drive an equitable clean energy transition and tapping into our passion to innovate, Earthrise supports initiatives that teach business entrepreneurship and prioritize Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, including reskilling and upskilling.

5. Serve Our Local Communities: 

6. As long-term business owners, Earthrise supports initiatives that encourage safe, healthy, and prosperous communities.

To be eligible for a RISE Grant, nonprofits must meet the following criteria:

1. The organization must be a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit in good standing or a local government program.

2. The organization must provide services to Illinois residents.

3. The nonprofit’s work must align with Earthrise’s identified areas of giving: education, the environment, or community health.

4. The organization must demonstrate measurable impact in improving the lives of the communities where we operate.

Yes, there are certain restrictions on how grant funds may be allocated. The funds cannot be used for:

1. Political causes, candidates, organizations, programs, or election campaigns

2. Schools, sports teams, social, or civic-related travel costs, or non-education related supply expenses

3. Organizations raising money for second-party giving to a nonprofit or endowments

4. Fraternal, labor, athletic, and religious organizations or churches, unless the funding is for non-religious purposes and is used to provide a service for the general public

5. Organizations that discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, age, veteran status, or that violate any federal, state, or local laws

Yes, we do not allocate grant funds to use for: 

1. Political causes, candidates, organizations, programs, or election campaigns

2. Schools, sports teams, social, or civic-related travel costs, or non-education related supply expenses

3. Organizations raising money for second-party giving to a nonprofit or endowments

4. Fraternal, labor, athletic, and religious organizations or churches, unless the funding is for non-religious purposes and is used to provide a service for the general public

5. Organizations that discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, age, veteran status, or that violate any federal, state, or local laws

No, the RISE Grant is not for individual applicants. It is specifically for nonprofit organizations working in the areas of environmental protection, education, or community health. If you know of a nonprofit that could benefit from this grant, we encourage you to nominate them.

Anyone can nominate a nonprofit for a RISE Grant. Whether you're a community member, volunteer, partner organization, or just someone passionate about the cause, we invite you to nominate organizations that are making a meaningful impact in the areas of environment, education, or health.

To nominate a nonprofit for a RISE Grant, simply fill out the nomination form. You’ll need to provide information about the organization, the work they’re doing in one of the three funding categories, and how the grant would support their efforts. Once submitted, our team will review all nominations and follow up with the nonprofit directly if they’re selected.

No, there are no deadlines for submitting nominations. We review these nominations on a rolling basis. 

While our primary focus is on environmental protection, education, and community health, we do encourage nonprofits to apply if they believe their work closely aligns with one of these areas. If you’re unsure whether a nonprofit’s work fits, feel free to submit the nomination, and we’ll review it to determine if it’s a good match for the grant.

To be eligible for a RISE Grant, the nonprofit organization must be actively working within one of the following categories: protecting the environment, advancing education, or promoting community health. Additionally, the organization must be a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit or the equivalent, and provide services to Illinois residents. The grant is not available to individuals or for-profit businesses.

If the nonprofit organization you nominate is selected, we will contact them directly to inform them about the grant award and next steps. We will also notify you, the nominator, to let you know that the organization you nominated has been chosen to receive a RISE Grant.