The Illinois Department Of Veterans Affairs Announces Illinois Lottery Veterans' Cash Grants Recipients
The second-quarter FY2027 grants will support eight Illinois organizations providing services ranging from housing and meals to mental health and workforce development.
SPRINGFIELD – Today, the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA) announced nearly $500,000 for the second quarter of FY2027 in grants to support organizations providing vital services to veterans and their families across Illinois.
The grants are part of the Veterans’ Cash Grants program, which aims to address critical issues facing veterans, including homelessness, post-traumatic stress treatment, behavioral health treatment, and workforce development. The grants are funded through proceeds from the Illinois Lottery’s $5 7x Bingo Multiplier ticket. The Veterans Scratch-Off Lottery Ticket grant is a yearly competitive reimbursement grant offered quarterly to nonprofits, tax-exempt entities, and governmental organizations that assist veterans in need. Eligible organizations may apply for grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 annually. Each quarter, IDVA's committee reviews applications and awards grants to groups that have demonstrated proven need.
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“The recipients of this quarter’s veterans cash grants offer services that directly impact the well-being of veterans and their families,” said IDVA Director Terry Prince. “The continued partnership with the Illinois Lottery presents opportunities for veteran service organizations to expand their programs and extend their reach.”
“The Illinois Lottery is proud to see the meaningful work IDVA is doing to support our veterans,” said Illinois Lottery Director, Harold Mays. “We remain committed to doing what the Lottery does best, which is selling tickets responsibly to generate funds for organizations like these who making a real difference in Illinois.”
Voluntary Action Center of Northern Illinois: Sycamore: Malnutrition among older and disabled veterans in America is a pressing and worsening crisis. Meals on Wheels is a proven intervention, delivering meals directly to homes and combating food insecurity and malnutrition among homebound older adults and individuals with disabilities. This grant will serve 75 Illinois veterans residing in Bureau, DeKalb, LaSalle, and Putnam counties, providing and estimated 7,500 home-delivered meals during the grant period. By ensuring regular access to healthy meals, Meals on Wheels directly strengthens veterans' physical and mental well-being while supporting long-term independent community living.
Grant: $50,000
This Able Veteran: Carbondale: This grant allows Able Veteran to train six service dogs to recognize and respond to trauma symptoms before they escalate, providing vital support to veterans through anxiety alerts and nightmare interruption techniques.
Grant: $99,550
Central Illinois Veterans Commission: Lincoln: The Illinois Central Illinois Veterans Commission provides veterans with the tools and system to obtain permanent housing This grant provides funding for furnishings and equipment for two homes for veterans. The veterans will be selected from the veteran homeless community or other veterans with severely insecure housing but live in the Central Illinois region.
Grant: $100,000
Fishing for Freedom: Quincy: Fishing for Freedom - Quincy is a no entry fee bass, catfish, and crappie tournament that pairs active-duty military and veterans with professional anglers, avid tournament fishermen, fishing guides, and local outdoorsmen for a day of fishing on local fisheries. Veterans enjoy a weekend of entertainment and enjoyment of the great outdoors at no cost. This event includes a social hour, tournament for Veterans’ Home residents, a Heroes Banquet, and tournament fishing on the Mighty Mississippi River or Mark Twain Lake.
Grant: $50,000
Leave No Veteran Behind: Chicago: Leave No Veteran Behind (LNVB) operates the Veteran Business and Wellness Corridor, a comprehensive resource center, located on the southeast side of Chicago, that improves the economic stability, health, and overall well-being of veterans, service members, and their families. The Corridor provides workforce development, career coaching, small business support, benefits navigation, financial education, peer support groups, wellness programming, and connections to mental health services in one accessible location. Through partnerships with veteran-serving organizations, employers, and wellness providers, participants will receive coordinated services, direct employment opportunities, and individualized support that promote long-term self-sufficiency and economic mobility.
Grant: $100,000
Friends of Fisher House: Chicago: Friends of Fisher House operates a humanitarian program which supports families during medical crises, including operation and maintenance of Hines VA Fisher House and Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center Fisher House. These Fisher Houses provide a home for families of military and veteran patients receiving medical care at these hospitals.
Grant: $65,000
Schuler County Mental Health Association: Rushville: This grant supports the Schuyler County Mental Health Association Rural Veteran Housing Stabilization Initiative to provide safe, stable, and supportive housing opportunities for veterans experiencing housing instability, homelessness risk, financial hardship, transportation barriers, and challenges maintaining independent living in rural West Central Illinois. This project will expand supportive tiny home and transitional housing opportunities while connecting veterans to transportation assistance, case management, community resources, and supportive services that promote long-term stability and independence.
Grant: $25,000
The Crossroads Veteran Employment and Professional Development Program: Chicago: The Crossroads Veteran Employment and Professional Development Program is a cohort-based workforce development initiative that prepares transitioning service members, veterans, military spouses, and military dependents for long-term career success through professional instruction, cohort mentoring, networking, employer engagement, and hybrid learning opportunities. Developed in response to the discontinuation of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Off-Base Transition Training (OBTT) program, Crossroads builds on proven workforce development practices while expanding support through Roll Call Chicagoland’s regional partnerships and veteran-led mentorship model.
Grant: $45,000
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