DuPage County opened applications for a $2 million grant program aimed at food pantries and food-security organizations across the county, according to Patch.
The deadline to apply is Dec. 18.
The Food Insecurity Challenge Grant works as a matching-fund program. Applicants must request at least $250,000 in county funding, and that amount cannot exceed 50 percent of the total project cost, according to the county's program page. Projects must produce measurable improvement to food assistance infrastructure and benefit multiple pantries or organizations.
Winners must secure full project funding by the end of 2027.
DuPage County Board Chair Deborah Conroy said in a statement that the grant will allow groups to leverage county dollars to attract additional funding from local partners. Conroy said the program aims to bring together government, nonprofits and philanthropic partners to improve food procurement and distribution.
Applicants who advance past the first round will be notified on or before Jan. 8 and will present to the county's Human Services Committee on Jan. 19, 2027, according to the county. Funding awards are expected to be approved by the County Board no later than Feb. 23, 2027.
The grant arrives as Wheaton-area food pantries report rising demand. The People's Resource Center, which has locations in Wheaton and Westmont, cut the ribbon in 2025 on an 11,000-square-foot facility at 211 Naperville Road in Wheaton, Shaw Local reported. That reported $8 million project combined two buildings to provide more space, parking and accessibility.
PRC CEO Jenifer Fabian called the expanded Wheaton campus "a bold step forward for PRC's impact" in an organization news release, according to Shaw Local.
The Wheaton Lions Club's 2026 food drive, which collected 9,696 pounds of food and more than $1,300 over six days at Jewel Food Stores locations, sent all donations to PRC's food pantry, according to the club's website. PRC distributed more than 53,000 shopping carts of food to local families in 2023, the club said.
No Wheaton or Warrenville food pantry has publicly announced plans to apply for the challenge grant. Organizations interested in applying can find the application on the DuPage County website through Dec. 18.
