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2026
Community-Centered Wellness
Microgrants Program

SGA Youth & Family Services is proud to partner with the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) to launch the Community-Centered Wellness Microgrants Program. This initiative provides funding to grassroots and community-based organizations to expand or sustain existing high-impact, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed wellness activities across Chicago.

Grant requests can be a minimum of $2,500 and a maximum of $20,000

Funding Amount:
$2,500-$20,000

Pre-Proposal Webinar:
August 25, 2026 at 1:00 pm CST

Applications Closed:
September 9, 2026 at 11:59 PM CST

View Webinar Slides

Watch Webinar Recording

View Webinar FAQs

2026 Applications Are Now Closed

The application period for the 2026 Community-Centered Wellness Microgrants Program closed on September 9, 2026.

View Grant Guidelines:

2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity

Review eligibility, funding details, and requirements

Good news! Another funding opportunity is coming in 2027.

This is the first of two Community-Centered Wellness Microgrant funding cycles. Organizations may apply during this cycle, the next funding cycle in 2027, or both. Stay tuned for additional details about the next opportunity.

What are Community-Centered
Wellness Microgrants?

SGA Youth & Family Services (SGA), in partnership with the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), is excited to launch the Community-Centered Wellness Microgrants Program, a funding opportunity designed to invest directly in Chicago communities through community-led health and wellness activities. SGA has been helping children, families and communities since 1911.

We invite grassroots and community-based organizations (CBOs) to apply for funding to expand or sustain existing high-impact, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed wellness activities.

 

SGA is here to help your organization apply for the grant funding and support awarded programs. We are happy to provide technical assistance and resources to assist in the grant application process – do not hesitate to contact us with questions at wellnessmicrogrants@sga-youth.org.

Additional and detailed information on the Community-Centered Wellness Microgrant Program opportunity, total funding, funding allocation and selection criteria can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Yoga instructor leads a diverse group of community members in an outdoor yoga class in a Chicago park.

Microgrant Program Objectives

The Community-Centered Wellness Microgrants Program aims to invest directly in Chicago’s neighborhoods by funding community-led health promotion and wellness events.

The primary objectives of the Community Wellness Program are to:

  • Increase Awareness & Access: Bring free or low-cost health, wellness, and social services directly to residents.
  • Enhance Local Events: Leverage local insights to address priority health needs across all age groups.
  • Build Capacity: Support grassroots groups with the funding and technical assistance needed to host successful community activities.

To be considered a successful and competitive project, applicants must demonstrate:

  • An Existing Program: Applicants must have an existing event or program and propose to use CDPH funds to enhance or expand it with an eligible wellness activity.
  • Service Expertise: Proven expertise in service delivery, including qualified staff, adequate resources, and clear methodology.
  • A Successful Track Record: How your current wellness programs are making a real difference in the community.
  • Community Ownership: How community members actively guide your programs, make decisions, and share ongoing feedback.
  • Equitable Reach: Clear, intentional ways you connect with and support people facing the biggest barriers to health and wellness.

CDPH Core Priorities & Principles

Through this grant administration model, CDPH advances its mission to work with communities and partners to create a fair, safe, resilient, and Healthy Chicago.

The overarching goal is that by the end of both grant cycles, more than 22,800 residents will have measurably increased access to essential health resources, services, and community-based support where individuals and communities thrive and achieve their optimal health and wellness.

CDPH investments are guided by three core principles:

  1. Trauma prevention and trauma-informed services: Creating environments and services that actively prevent harm and promote healing. This includes integrating trauma-informed frameworks and restorative practices that address root causes of poverty and violence and ensuring physical and emotional safety.
    • Framework Integration: Embedding trauma-informed care frameworks into service delivery standards and training all staff.
    • Root Cause Prevention: Developing prevention strategies that address the root causes of trauma, such as poverty, violence, and systemic discrimination.
    • Safe Spaces: Ensuring service environments are physically and emotionally safe, with built-in feedback mechanisms for participants.
    • Restorative Practices: Promoting restorative practices that acknowledge harm and support both individual and collective healing processes.
  2. Cultural Responsiveness: Ensuring all services and communications are tailored to diverse cultural, linguistic, and social needs of the communities served, including multi-lingual support and community-driven practices. Key practices include:
    • Diverse Workforce: Building and sustaining a workforce equipped to engage across the community’s cultural diversity and proficiency in the languages spoken by residents.
    • Language Access: Providing interpretation, translation, and culturally relevant materials in multiple languages.
    • Traditional Knowledge: Incorporating community-driven practices, traditions, and knowledge into service models and program design.
    • Community Expertise: Engaging with community leaders and cultural experts to continuously assess and adapt services for relevance and effectiveness.
  3. Health in All Communities: Intentionally prioritizing resources to communities facing significant health challenges using disaggregated data and targeted strategies to close life expectancy gaps. Strategies involve:
    • Targeted Program Design: Structuring funding formulas and program designs to prioritize historically underserved communities.
    • Community Voices: Engaging community members in participatory budgeting and decision-making processes related to health equity initiatives.

Funding Tiers & Grant Structure

A total pool of $130,000 will be awarded directly to CBOs. To ensure funding reaches the neighborhoods experiencing the greatest relative need, allocations are split by region: South Region (52%), West Region (32%), and North Region (16%). 

Applicants may apply for funding under one of three tiers based on the scale and estimated reach of their activity.

Please Note: You may apply for a lower tier even if you expect to exceed its minimum reach. A single organization can receive one microgrant during this grant cycle.

Table 1. Microgrants Funding Tiers 

Microgrants funding tiers: Tier 1 awards $15,000–$20,000 and requires reaching 5,000+ participants; Tier 2 awards $7,500–$14,999 and requires reaching 750–4,999 participants; Tier 3 awards $2,500–$7,499 and requires reaching 50–749 participants.

Community Health Landscape and Program Rationale

Chicago has a robust network of community-based organizations that play a vital role in advancing public health at the neighborhood level.  Across the city, these organizations host community health fairs, workshops, and outreach events that connect residents to health information, preventive services, and social resources. These events serve as trusted spaces where residents can access screenings, learn about available services, and engage with local providers and organizations. CDPH has a long history of partnering with community organizations to promote health education and expand access to care. However, the number of community events across Chicago exceeds the department’s capacity to provide direct support at each event. 

Significant geographic disparities in health insurance coverage, socioeconomic conditions, and access to care contribute to the wide gap in life expectancy observed across Chicago neighborhoods. Communities facing higher barriers to care often experience delayed treatment, limited preventive services, and poorer health outcomes. To address these problems, CDPH is implementing the Community-Centered Wellness Grant Program that will direct health resources to the communities with the greatest need. 

Eligibility Criteria

To apply for a microgrant, your organization must meet the following baseline requirements:

  • Legal Status: Be a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization (or utilize a designated fiscal sponsor).
  • Local Presence: Be headquartered within the City of Chicago, as reflected in the organization’s 501(c)(3) documentation.
  • City Standing: Be in good standing with the City of Chicago.
  • Funding Restriction: Organizations currently receiving CDPH funding for other projects are eligible to apply. However, you cannot use this microgrant to fund a specific health activity or event that is already directly supported by a CDPH grant.
    • Funds must be used to either enhance or expand an existing program.
  • Cost Share: Microgrants cannot be the sole financial support for the activity; the proposing CBO must have other resources (in-kind support, volunteer hours, or other funding) contributing to the event.
Community members distribute plants and seedlings during an outdoor community gardening event.

Eligible Activities & Event Standards

Microgrants can fund a single large-scale event or a cohesive series of smaller activities (in-person, or virtual settings if recorded for public access). Eligible uses of funds include, but are not limited to: 

    • Non-Clinical Preventive Services: Blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, BMI, stress assessments, and HIV/STD/STI screenings accompanied by a linkage to care.
    • Cancer Screening Awareness: Education, outreach, and direct referrals/linkages to care for breast, cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancers.
    • Access to Benefits: Education and direct enrollment support for public benefits (WIC, SNAP, Medicaid, senior assistance, pharmacy support).
    • Resource Navigation & Community Cohesion: Access to nutritious foods, economic education, job training, community walks, group fitness classes, youth/family sports, and senior-friendly movement programs.
 

All funded projects must design their environments to meet the following standards:

  • Trauma-Informed & Safe: Fostering vibrant, family-friendly, and inspiring environments that promote individual and collective healing.
  • Culturally & Linguistically Responsive: Tailored to local needs, reflecting community pride, and providing necessary translation/interpretation services.
  • Community-Driven: Built using direct input and feedback from neighborhood residents.

Application Information & Resources

2026 Application Period: The application period for the 2026 Community-Centered Wellness Microgrants Program closed on September 9, 2026 at 11:59 PM CST. 

Pre-proposal Webinar: The pre-proposal webinar was held on August 25, 2026. 

 

This is a competitive program that provides small grants to grassroots and community-based organizations to enhance existing programs that meet the specific interests and needs of people in their neighborhoods. Successful applicants must meet several eligibility requirements:

  • Physical Address: Respondents can only apply for a Community Area in which they can demonstrate a physical address or have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or linkage agreement with a partner that has a site in the Community Strategy Region. Respondents are advised to verify that their location is in the selected Community Area before they submit their application. To determine the Chicago Community Area where an address is located, visit:
    • Upload screenshot of search results confirming community site

 

Applicants must submit the following mandatory documentation at the time of application submission to be considered for funding:

  1. Non-profit Status/Fiscal Sponsor: Applicants must be a tax-exempt nonprofit organization or have a fiscal sponsor. Proof of 501(c)(3) status (IRS Determination Letter), either the applicant’s or the fiscal sponsor’s, must be submitted if awarded a grant. If a fiscal sponsor is used, the applicant must certify in the application that the fiscal sponsor is aware of the application and has agreed to receive and disburse the funds on the applicant’s behalf if awarded. The applicant must also submit the fiscal sponsorship agreement if awarded a grant.
  2. Certificate of Insurance (COI): As a condition of receiving grant funding, applicants who are awarded a grant will need to provide a valid Certificate of Insurance (COI).
  3. Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement: Executed fiscal sponsorship agreement, if applicable.

Additional Application Elements

  • A brief project budget and detailed justification showing how the microgrant funds will be used and what other sources/in-kind resources are supporting the event.
  • Unique Entity ID (UEI): All organizations or their fiscal sponsors must have a Unique Entity ID (UEI) (12- character alphanumeric ID assigned to an entity by SAM.gov), since the Microgrant Program funding is supported by federal funding via the City of Chicago. To be clear, if your organization is using a fiscal sponsor, you will provide proof of their valid UEI. Your organization does not need to have one.
  • If your organization has an active or inactive registration in SAM.gov, it has already been assigned a UEI.
  • It is located on your entity registration record in SAM.gov.
  • If your organization is not a registered entity in SAM.gov, your organization will need to obtain a UEI. It will require the following organizational information below. You may be required to provide documentation to validate these items during the process to obtain a UEI, so you should complete this as early as possible before the grant application deadline.
    • Legal Business Name
    • Physical Address
    • Start Year or Year of Incorporation
    • State of Incorporation
Community health worker checks an older adult’s blood pressure during an outdoor community health event.

RFP Timeline & Key Dates

RFP Timeline & Key Dates​

2026 Application Resources

Review the Community-Centered Wellness Microgrants RFP for complete information about eligibility, funding, application requirements, and required documentation.

 

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from the pre-proposal webinar are now available. Review the FAQs for additional information about the Community-Centered Wellness Microgrants Program and application process.

Contact Information and Technical Resources

Questions about the Microgrant Program: Applicants are encouraged to submit questions regarding eligibility, application content, grant funding, and submission to wellnessmicrogrants@sga-youth.org. The inbox is monitored Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM.

Submittable technical support: Questions about Submittable accounts, passwords, or grant portal access should be directed to Submittable’s Technical Support. Help resources, videos, and guides are also available through the platform’s Help Desk.

Language and accessibility support: Applicants seeking information about the program in Spanish may email wellnessmicrogrants@sga-youth.org and include a telephone number for a return call. Applicants with disabilities may use the same email or call 312-447-4350 to request reasonable accommodations.

Important: While we will do our best to support applicant needs during the submission process, SGA cannot guarantee technical or program-related support within the final 24 hours prior to the deadline.It is recommended to submit earlier than the deadline in case of any technical issues that the applicant may face.

No late applications will be considered.

Healthcare worker provides a health screening during an outdoor community wellness event.
Families and children participate in outdoor activities and visit resource tables at a community wellness event.