Quick Stats
- Annual Giving: $1,400,000 (2023)
- Geographic Focus: Illinois, Wisconsin, and Colorado
- Application Method: Annual cycle administered through Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation
- Eligibility: 501(c)(3) public charities or organisations with 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor
Contact Details
Address: 1049 Lake Street, Suite 204, Oak Park, IL 60301
Phone: 708-848-1560
Email: echadri@oprfcf.org (Elizabeth Chadri, programme contact)
Website: kotttrust.org
Administered by Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation (oprfcf.org)
Overview
The Russell and Josephine Kott Memorial Charitable Trust was established through the bequest of Russell and Josephine Kott. The Trust provides annual grant funding to charitable organisations that improve the livelihood of individuals, especially through education or medical services, with an emphasis on such services for older adults.
Since 2011, the Trust has been administered by the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation. The Trust focuses on opportunities to provide grants that enhance services for seniors through educational internships, quality programmes, and capacity building for agencies serving seniors.
Funding Priorities
Grant Programmes
Kott Gerontology Scholars Programme Since 2004, the Trust has provided internship scholarships to advanced graduate students interested in the ageing field who are attending Chicago-area universities. Interns complete 600 hours of on-site participation over an academic year at host agencies serving older adults. Scholars receive a $10,000 scholarship for a complete academic year. Applications are accepted January through May for the following academic year.
Organisational Grants The Trust awards grants to charitable organisations providing services to older adults, with a focus on health and wellness, provision of basic needs, community outreach and engagement, professional advocacy, and training for professionals serving seniors.
What They Fund
Grant-making focuses on organisations that improve the livelihood of individuals through education or medical services, with an emphasis on services for older adults. Funding priorities include:
- Health and wellness programmes for seniors
- Provision of basic needs for older adults
- Community outreach and engagement initiatives
- Educational internships and academic programmes that enhance caregiver and nursing student education, training, and research
- Professional advocacy, including legal services for seniors
- Capacity building and training for non-profit professionals who advise seniors on health care options
- Programmes addressing social isolation for older adults, particularly those with dementia
- Activities for seniors with disabilities
Application Process
How to Apply
The annual grant cycle is administered through the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation. Applications are submitted through an online portal. Detailed grant guidelines are available on the Foundation's website.
For questions about the Kott programme, contact Elizabeth Chadri at echadri@oprfcf.org or 708-848-1560.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants must be 501(c)(3) public charities or operate under a fiscal agent that is a 501(c)(3). Past grantees must be in good standing with the Trust.
Geographic eligibility is limited to organisations serving communities in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Colorado.
Key Takeaways
- The Trust specifically prioritises services and programmes benefiting older adults, with particular emphasis on gerontology
- Both direct service organisations and educational/training programmes serving the ageing field are eligible
- Geographic focus is concentrated in three states: Illinois, Wisconsin, and Colorado
- The Trust maintains both an organisational grants programme and a dedicated internship scholarship programme for graduate students
- Applications are managed through the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation's online portal
References
- Russell and Josephine Kott Memorial Charitable Trust website: https://kotttrust.org/
- Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation grant opportunities: https://oprfcf.org/grants-scholarships/grant-opportunities
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/597229565
🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.
Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.
Data privacy and security by default
Your organisation's past successful grants and experience
AI analysis of what reviewers want to see
A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours