Community Solutions Incubator

The Community Solutions Incubator believes in the power of social innovation and creativity to address our community’s most significant challenges. And we believe that local community members are best able to identify our unique problems and offer effective solutions.

At the Community Solutions Incubator, emerging and young nonprofit entrepreneurs are able to pilot their ideas and create supporting structures alongside other social innovators in a well-resourced co-working space, receiving hands-on mentorship and guidance from some of the area’s most successful community leaders in a variety of fields and disciplines. The Community Solutions Incubator fosters a generative and innovative environment in which the next generation of community leaders and organizations will emerge, not only strengthening our local community but potentially producing replicable programs across the nation

About

Recognizing the importance of nonprofit organizations in enhancing the community’s quality of life, the Community Foundation launched the Community Solutions Incubator in 2017 to help strengthen and grow these important social change agents. Incubator members benefit from networking opportunities, workshops, and seminars — along with limited access to financial support.

Program benefits include:

5 educational sessions to learn how to start and sustain a nonprofit
Hands-on mentorship and feedback from experienced nonprofit professionals
Social networking opportunities
Additional free training and resources through CFECI’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence
Access to a well-resourced co-working space at CFECI’s office location
Connections through our growing incubator alumni group
Microgrant upon successful completion of the incubator program (pending funding availability)

2023 Program dates:

Incubator members will have in-person monthly meeting expectations for 10 months, February-November 2023 in this order:

STAGE 1: Five Educational Sessions at CFECI – Feb-Apr 2023
- Community Needs & Visioning – Tues. Feb. 7, 8:30-10:00 a.m.
- Basics of Running a Nonprofit – Tues. Feb. 21, 8:30-10:00 a.m.
- Developing a Business Plan- Tues. Mar. 7, 8:30-10:00 a.m.
- Marketing & Storytelling – Tues. Mar. 21, 8:30-10:00 a.m.
- Financial Management – Tues. Apr. 4, 8:30-10:00 a.m.
STAGE 2: Mentoring & Feedback – May-Nov 2023
- Spring Social Event
- Monthly 1:1 Mentoring with an Experienced Nonprofit professional (schedule to be coordinated between mentor/mentee at a mutually agreeable time)
- Group Mentoring & Feedback Sessions

Incubator members leave our program with:

Understanding of the nuts and bolts of running a nonprofit organization
Technical skills for building organizational infrastructure
Understanding how to efficiently run a nonprofit
Skills to form and run your board ethically and effectively
Understanding how to market the impact of your work and gain supporters
A network of nonprofit founders and service providers to support you while you grow

The application to join the 2023 cohort of the Community Solutions Incubator closed on January 15, 2023. We anticipate our next application cycle will open in December 2023.

Advisory Group

Genevieve Kirk, Incubator Manager
Center for Nonprofit Excellence Director | Community Foundation of East Central Illinois

Genevieve Kirk is the Center for Nonprofit Excellence Director at the Community Foundation of East Central Illinois, and manages the Community Solutions Incubator. With 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and public sectors, her goal is to build, nurture and promote a strong community through effective nonprofit management. Most recently, she was the Executive Director at the Champaign Center Partnership and an adjunct instructor in the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois where she has taught courses in Social Entrepreneurship and Social Change, and Nonprofit Sector and Society.

Center for Nonprofit Excellence Advisory Group

Wynne Korr – Chair, Dean Emerita of the School of Social Work at UIUC
Marc Changnon – CobraVenture at Parkland College Entrepreneurship Facilitator
Tracy Dace – Founder and CEO, DREAAM
Genevieve Kirk – Director, Center for Nonprofit Excellence at the Community Foundation of East Central IL
Benjamin Lough – Dean of School of Social Work UIUC, Director of Social Innovation at Gies College of Business
Angie Hatfield Marker – President and CEO, Community Foundation of East Central Illinois
Rebecca McBride – Founder and Executive Director, 4 Osprey
Mike Royse – Trustee, Community Foundation of East Central Illinois
Valeri Werpetinski – Social Entrepreneurship Educator & Consultant
Madeleine Wolske – Director, Small Business Development Center

Our Founding Partners

The Incubator’s Founding Partners are area companies and organizations who have generously offered their skills and knowledge to Incubator members as needed. From marketing to finance to governance to human resources, these organizations represent a diverse and impressive cohort of professionals who will mentor incubator members through one-on-one mentoring, workshop presentations, and networking.

[CO][LAB]

4 Osprey | Ecofluent

Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership

Current Incubator Members

BuyBlack Chambana

Empowers and creates space for all people to celebrate and honor Black culture, support Black businesses and uplift the community through events, workshops, partnership and networking functions.

The Family Room
Serves families with foster children and provides children in transitional or temporary home situations with care packs, clean clothing, and other necessities.

Haley’s Harvest Farm

Provides educational opportunities in horticulture and livestock to community members and supplies local food backs with fresh produce.

HeartStrong Meals

Provides low-income families with high-quality foods to promote health and wellness in the form of heart-healthy Mediterranean diet-informed meal kits.

Joy Environmentals

Transforms vacant lots into green spaces in low-income communities, empowering community members with education about green incentives and ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

The PerryAyz Foundation

Supports low-income individuals and parents seeking to return to the workforce or school; promotes children’s optimal development through early intervention.

Prairie Dragon Paddlers

Inspires hope and contributes to the health and well-being of breast cancer survivors through the sport of dragon boating.

Women on the Move Network Global

Provides women of all ages and ethnicities, and former foster youth attending 4-year institutions in Illinois, will resources to realize their full potential and pursue their passions with confidence.

Incubator Alumni

Business Elevator CU
Helps aspiring entrepreneurs get access to information and mentorship, giving established small business owners the help they need to grow.

Champaign County Environmental Stewards

Supports efforts to provide Champaign County area citizens with safe and convenient collection options for potentially problematic household materials.

DREAAM
Reaches, teaches and empowers boys and young men ages 5–24 years old to reach excellence in achievement, engagement, and behavioral health.

Four Osprey
Focuses on initiatives at the intersection of social justice and sustainability including creating a strong local and healthy food system through CU City Farms / Mobile Market.

Luella’s Lodge
Provides support groups and non-traditional holistic therapies for families grieving the death of a child at a beautiful log cabin retreat on 10 acres in Oakwood, IL.

MakerGirl
Inspires young girls to pursue STEM fields through 3D printing sessions.

WIN Recovery
Provides housing, access to comprehensive community-based support services, and trauma-informed, gender-responsive programming to formerly incarcerated women in recovery.