"I have been so lucky to be a part of this program, and I actually wouldn’t have been offered my new job if it weren’t for this program. Switching to this major turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made!"
About the Center
Since the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies was created in 2010, our students have worked with communities and organizations to improve lives across northern Illinois. The nonprofit workforce is the third-largest employer in the United States with significant growth opportunities. The Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies is the only undergraduate program of its kind at a public university in the state of Illinois. We not only have an excellent program but we are also equipping our students with specific skills to enter the workforce or prepare them for graduate school.
We take their education from the classroom and into neighborhoods and organizations through volun
teer opportunities, class projects, internships, field trips, research projects, study abroad, and student consulting with 40TUDE Nonprofit. Beginning in fall 2021, students can live in the Community Engagement House, a designated floor in Grant Hall established to connect students to the community. These hands-on experiences set our students apart and put them on a solid career path.
Engagement outside of the classroom supports student learning and helps our communities. About 70% of our majors do at least one nonprofit internship. While we know the importance of these opportunities, not all students have access to these out-of-classroom experiences due to cost or lost wages. This is especially true for our under-represented and lower-income students.
We want to improve equity for under-represented students through financial support, mentoring, and access to experiences. This support allows students to build their resumes and complete their degrees on time.
Your gift matters
- $10 gift: supports student's transportation costs to get to their internship each week
- $40 gift: covers the student fee for honor society applications
- $100 gift: funds a mini-grant for one student to launch their own community engagement project
- $300 gift: pays for one student to participate in an alternative spring break project
- $500 gift: funds bus transportation for students to do volunteer service and community field trips
- $1,000 gift: underwrites a grant to one student each semester to come up with a new idea, test it, and launch it to address a social issue
- $1,500 gift: fully funds a 120 hour paid nonprofit internship for one semester
- $2,000 gift: funds one student to launch a summer student engagement project
- $5,000 gift: supports the cost of a student facilitator for the Community Engagement House in Grant Hall
