Grants
Grants from the Chicago Coalition for Family Building are open to eligible individuals and couples to help defray the financial challenges of infertility treatment, adoption, or third party reproduction. Grants are awarded on an annual basis and the number of grants available is dependent upon annual fundraising efforts. There are several different types of grants.
When is the Next Application Window?
Our general grant application window is now open through May 31 at 12 p.m. CST. We encourage you to read the page below, which includes eligibility information and eligible expenses.
Open Year-Round: Magnolia Tree Foundation Grant
For those seeking a grant due to BRCA1 or BRCA1 mutations who need to undergo medical fertility preservation or IVF-PGT-M for BRCA, our grant in partnership with The Magnolia Tree Foundation is open year-round.
Financial Assistance Grants
Grants up to $10,000 will be awarded to individuals who need financial assistance to aid with services such as third party reproduction, adoption or medication costs associated with IVF. This is best for those that are planning to adopt or for those that have insurance coverage for IVF but need additional financial help. Please note that Financial Assistance Grants can only be used with medical providers or other service providers who are located in the state of Illinois.
This grant cycle opens each year in April.
In 2025, we are proud to offer three additional Financial Assistance Grants, with deep appreciation to:
The Allstate Team: Jen "Bibbs" Bibbiano Memorial Grant
Shellé Jewelers: Lillian C. Millman Grant
The Willow Grant
IVF Cycle Grants
This is a donated IVF cycle from one of our partner practices. We have a partnership with over 75% of IVF centers in the Chicagoland area. This grant is best for those that need to pursue IVF and do not have any insurance coverage for IVF. Due to limited availability of grants, applicants may be awarded an IVF grant at a different center from where you are currently in treatment. We do our best to place patients at a practice with geographic proximity, but are not always able to do so. Patients who receive this grant agree to undergo single embryo transfer, unless otherwise recommended by the treating physician.
This grant cycle opens each year in April.
Kevin J. Lederer Memorial Grant
This is a donated IVF cycle from Fertility Centers of Illinois (FCI) to an existing patient in memory of Dr. Kevin J. Lederer, who joined joined FCI in 1995 and served as the President and Managing Partner of FCI until he passed away in January 2013 at age 55.
JUF Path to Parenthood Grants
The Jewish United Fund (JUF) has partnered with the Chicago Coalition for Family Building to provide two types of grants.
- Financial services grant (up to $10,000 to assist with the cost of fertility treatment)
- Adoption grant (up to $10,000 to assist with the costs of adoption)
JUF Path to Parenthood Grants are available to those who reside in Illinois, in the counties of Cook, Lake, DuPage, Will, McHenry or Kane, and who receive treatment in Illinois. Recipients must have at least one partner who identifies as a member of the Jewish community.
This grant cycle is offered twice per year, in April and December.
Magnolia Tree Grant
The Magnolia Tree Grant, donated by the Magnolia Tree Foundation, provides up to $5,000 of financial assistance to those who wish to undergo IVF-PGT (in vitro fertilization with pre-implantation genetic testing for BRCA) or freeze eggs for medical fertility preservation.
Eligible individuals must be a carrier of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation and reside in Illinois and receive treatment in Illinois.
Applications are open year round and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis by the Chicago Coalition for Family Building's Medical Advisory Board and Executive Board. All grants are to be used only towards future cost/services and cannot be used retroactively.
Willow Grant
This is a NEW partnership, beginning in 2025 with the Carlos Rodón Foundation, a foundation started by Yankees player Carlos Rodón and wife Ashley Rodón.
- Open during Spring 2025 CCFB Family Building Grant Cycle
- This is a financial grant for couples who have experienced miscarriage and who need financial assistance for fertility treatment to build their family.
- Eligible individuals can reside and receive treatment in IL, IN or WI.
Eligibility Requirements
- Applicants for Financial Assistance, donated IVF Cycle Grants or JUF Path to Parenthood grants must receive treatment in Illinois unless otherwise stated by the individual grant
- Eligible applicants can have 0 or 1 healthy living children. Applicants with 2 or more healthy living children are not eligible for a grant
- Financial grants will only be awarded to patients who are treated at SART member clinics. To check if your clinic reports to SART, please go to SART.org.
- Applicants for JUF Path to Parenthood Grants must reside in Illinois in the counties of Cook, Lake, DuPage, Will, McHenry or Kane and receive treatment in Illinois.
- Applicants for the Magnolia Tree Grant must reside in Illinois and receive treatment in Illinois and be a carrier of the BRCA1 of BRCA2 genetic mutation.
- Applicants must have a diagnosis of infertility certified by a medical provider, with the exception of same sex couples who require medical assistance to conceive, individuals who carry a genetic disease and require PGT-M to prevent disease transmission, those who require the use of a gestational carrier due to medical necessity or individuals with the medical need for fertility preservation due to cancer or other disease states that threaten fertility.
- For requests for infertility treatment, applicants MUST have completed all required medical testing within 12 months. Applicants who do not have up to date testing will not be considered
- If you are applying for a grant to do IUI, IVF or gestational carrier with your own eggs, or for egg freezing for medical indications, you MUST meet ALL of the following criteria:
1) be 41 years or younger by January 1 of the subsequent year
2) have a body mass index (BMI) < 40
3) have a FSH level of < 15
4) have an AMH level of > 0.8
Note: If you are using oocytes or embryos that were frozen when you were at a younger age, the age you were at freezing is used.
- If you are over 41 but are applying for a grant for IUI, IVF or FET (utilizing donor eggs), you should have a body mass index less than 40. Please note, the reason for the BMI cut-off is because many IVF centers do not perform oocyte retrievals on patients with BMI>40. We understand that there may be special circumstances where patients with BMI>40 may still be eligible for a grant. Please email the grants team at grants@fambuilding.wpenginepowered.com if you think your circumstances warrant further consideration.
- Elective egg or embryo cryopreservation cycles (in the absence of medical disease or infertility) are not eligible for a grant.
- You can only apply for one type of grant. If our medical team deems it appropriate, we may allocate you to another type of grant
- Applicants who do not meet age or medical criteria will not have their applications reviewed.
- Grants are scored using a prognosis based scoring calculator. Fifty five points are awarded based on medical criteria and 45 points are awarded based on personal characteristics and patient essays. Learn more about the validation of prognosis-based in vitro fertilization grant selection criteria.
- You are not eligible for a grant for additional embryo banking if you already have 3 or more euploid embryos.
- Treatments that are deemed not medically necessary by our Medical Advisory Board will not be considered eligible for payment. This includes but is not limited to: acupuncture, ERA testing, endometrial biopsy, Zymot, growth hormone, diagnostic hysteroscopy, mock embryo transfer cycles.
Eligible Expenses
- Medical care to treat infertility
- Medications
- Embryo cryopreservation (embryo freezing)
- Embryo donation
- Pre-implantation genetic testing for aneuploidy, structural re-arrangement or monogenic disease (PGT-A, -SR or -M)
- Egg freezing due to cancer, medical diseases that impair infertility
- Vasectomy reversal
- TESE
- Adoption fees from any licensed adoption agency
- Attorney fees for adoption or third party reproductive cases
- All treatments must be initiated within 6 months of receiving the grant
- Initiation of grant use must occur within 6 months of receiving the grant. The grant expires 12 months after issuance and unused funds will be rolled into future grant cycles for other recipients.
Note: Grants will be paid directly to the service provider—not the patient—for future costs/services. Past procedures and expenses are not eligible for grants. Recipients agree to participate in promotional activities related to this grant administered by the Chicago Coalition for Family Building.