Ten nonprofit and community organizations will receive funds from the village of Gurnee thanks to the Village Board’s decision Monday to approve $248,000 in grant funding.
The organizations will be funded through the Gurnee Cares initiative, through which eligible nonprofit and community organizations were able to apply for grants of up to $30,000 each.
The grant funding is to support programs in several need areas, including food security, utility and financial aid, housing and homelessness prevention, mental health and substance use, transportation, senior support, and child and family support.
To support the initiative, Gurnee had allocated $250,000 in its 2026 fiscal year budget, as well as $250,000 from its 2027 fiscal year budget, which was approved at the last Village Board meeting.
Organizations had to submit a letter of intent, describing how they would benefit Gurnee citizens through the grant, and 36 nonprofits and community organizations applied for the money.
“I’m very happy that all of the applications were very Gurnee-specific,” village Trustee Quin O’Brien said.
All of the proposed grants were unanimously approved by the board except for Trustee Jeanne Balmes, who abstained in all 10 cases. Prior to the vote, Balmes spoke out against approving the grants, saying that using the funds is setting a precedent that is not part of Gurnee’s responsibility.
“I certainly appreciate the efforts that have been put in by the commission, but I also think that it’s starting a precedent that should not be part of the village’s responsibility,” he said. “The responsibility of the village is to take care of the village’s property, to help all of the citizens, and to create a qualified community.
“I truly believe that this money is designated for the village proper, and should only be used for the streets, public works and various parts of the community,” Balmes said.
The Gurnee Cares Commission was created in 2025, and is led by village Trustee Kevin Woodside, along with 12 other members. According to Gurnee’s Community Engagement Coordinator Matt Trujillo, the goal of the commission is to “strengthen the support network within our community,” and improve the services and range of services offered to Gurnee residents through the organizations that receive grants.
“This board has the opportunity to lead in a way that there is tragically little precedent for,” Woodside said.
The organizations selected to receive grants include the Mothers Trust Foundation, which will spend its grant on clothing and shoes, extracurricular activities and summer camps, and housing and utility assistance for low-income children; and Prairie State Legal, which will provide legal services for 20 village residents.
During the meeting, Woodside spoke about the Village Board’s history of being conservative with the funding it receives, and using that money for the village by not levying a municipal property or utility tax for nearly three decades.
“Gurnee has been extraordinarily careful with the public’s money, and extraordinarily generous with what that caution has made possible,” Woodside said. “What’s happening tonight can build on that, and represent something that we have not done before.”
He also addressed criticism that the grants will not help all Gurnee residents, as they are only dispersed to organizations that help the village’s more vulnerable residents.
“There are Gurnee residents who will never benefit from a property tax exemption, because they do not own property,” Woodside said. “They will never apply for a business grant, because they are not in a position to build a business. Nonetheless, they live here and belong here, but often go unseen. For too long, the local government has looked past them.”
Trustee Karen Thorstenson agreed and said that it’s good that Gurnee will be known for funding organizations that are helping out the village’s “most vulnerable residents.”
“Wouldn’t Gurnee want to be known for leading with compassion and humanity and helping some charities that have reached out to help our most vulnerable residents,” Thorstenson said.
