Funder Proposal for Culture Canvas Cafe

WRD 321: Grant and Proposal Writing Autumn 2026

MEMORANDUM

TO: Rebekah Hall, Director of Culture Canvas Cafe

FROM: Allie Gesdorf, Grant and Proposal Writing Student Assistant 

DATE: October 6th, 2026 

SUBJECT: Culture Canvas Cafe Funder Proposal

Funder research yielded that The Lumpkin Family Foundation’s Land, Health, Community-Chicago Grant Program aligns with the priorities of UECA’s Culture Canvas Cafe Chicago, based on shared mission statements and project goals. Details on the Lumpkin Family Foundation’s history, funding trends, grant application process, and pertinence to Culture Canvas Cafe’s mission are discussed.

About The Lumpkin Family Foundation

The Lumpkin Family Foundation is a private foundation funded by the estate of Besse A. Lumpkin. What once started as the philanthropic branch of the Illinois Consolidated Telephone Company has now expanded into grantmaking for marginalized communities, with a focus on funding organizations that provide health resources and food systems. 

The Land, Health, Community-Chicago Program (LHC-C) within The Lumpkin Family Foundation seeks organizations that specialize in revitalizing marginalized Chicagoland communities. Since 2018, LHC-C has created healthy communities by providing grants to youth development, sustainability, and health programs. LHC-C prioritizes funding for:

• Opportunities for children to learn about the natural world, engage in outdoor physical activity, and develop leadership skills.  

• Programs that support the development of a healthy, local food system, including community-led initiatives that engage communities in growing, harvesting, and/or distributing sustainably produced, culturally relevant food.  

• Activities that connect young people to fresh, healthy food and build lifelong habits around nutrition, cooking, and healthy eating.  

• Multigenerational activities that position young people as drivers of nature-based learning and well-being in their own communities.  

Funding Information

Last year, The Lumpkin Family Foundation granted a total of $3,992,340 to multiple organizations, as reported in Form 990-PF filings. A breakdown of The Lumpkin Family Foundation’s funding patterns has been provided below:

• 209 grants were provided across 7 programs, with awards ranging from $50 to $630,000

• Across all programs, $10,000 grants were most commonly provided

• Typical LHC-C grants ranged from $10,000 to $30,000

Please note that LHC-C only provides funding to 501c3 nonprofit charities or fiscally sponsored projects with programs that complement LHC-C funding priorities and display clear community leadership. The Lumpkin Family Foundation does not fund general operations grants for organizations with an operating budget higher than $1 million, and will not support individuals nor sponsor events. 

Application Process

Grantees are encouraged to apply using The Lumpkin Family Foundation’s grant management system. To apply, grantees must submit an LOI (Letter of Inquiry) for review. The Lumpkin Family Foundation encourages grantees to review the LOI submission template before applying. After appraisal of all LOIs, select grantees will be invited to submit a full application for consideration. To prepare for the full application, grantees are encouraged to review sample application questions before submission. Important dates and deadlines are outlined below:

• August 17th: LOI submissions open

• September 18th: LOI submissions close

• October 2nd: Application invitations sent

• October 30th: Applications due

• November 26th: Grants awarded

For more information regarding the application process, contact Program Director Emily Wisniewski via email or phone.

Commonalities between Culture Canvas Cafe and LHC-C

Culture Canvas Cafe and LHC-C both operate at the intersection of youth development and health-mindedness. Culture Canvas Cafe’s history of hosting monthly health fairs through the Thrive360 program aligns with LHC-C’s core belief that a community deserves equitable and accessible health services. Culture Canvas Cafe also demonstrates a passion for food resources through its community garden and cafe build-out initiative, which fits into LHC-C’s pursuit of programs working to create community food systems. Because of a strong congruence between LHC-C and Culture Canvas Cafe’s missions, The Lumpkin Family Foundation is a promising funder for the Culture Canvas Cafe.