Keith was a mentor to many young people, and he was known as someone who believed in transformation, making lemons into lemonade, as they say. He cared about people who were working to make a better life for themselves.
In this spirit, the Keith Cooper Fund has been established to give monetary awards of $500 to promising young people between the ages 16 to 26 who do not want to pursue a four-year college degree, but who want to find meaningful ways to support themselves, raise a family and build a good life. This effort will award grants to help young people counter the economic or social barriers they may face as they launch themselves in life.
Grants of $500 will be made to young people to use to:
- seek training in a vocational trade or certificate or licensing program through a community college;
- seek training through a trade school
- grow a startup business;
- or launch a career in performing or fine arts.
Eligibility, Nominations and Applications
Any young person between the ages of 16 and 26 who lives in the City of Chicago is invited to apply themselves or be nominated by others.
You can apply for a grant using this ONLINE APPLICATION.
To make a nomination, send a brief letter of recommendation to keithcooperfund@gmail.com, outlining who the young person is and why they would make a good candidate for this grant. Feel free to reference the application above for further prompts.
Both applications and nominations are open and will be received on a rolling basis.
Augustana Lutheran Church of Hyde Park 