EQuality Downers Grove will use a $1,000 grant to upgrade its technology platforms after the DuPage Foundation awarded more than $115,000 to 11 county nonprofits through its Capacity Building grant program.

The grant will help the Downers Grove-based volunteer organization accommodate rapid growth, improve communication and simplify access to program information and services for the LGBTQ community, according to the DuPage Foundation's announcement. The foundation did not specify which platforms EQDG plans to upgrade.

EQDG's $1,000 award was the smallest of the 11 grants. Serenity House Counseling Services received the largest at $20,000 for a technology platform to streamline scheduling and client access to treatment services. Bridge Communities received $16,500, and DuPagePads got $15,000.

The grants mark the third cycle of the foundation's Capacity Building program, which has now distributed more than $325,000 total. Barb Szczepaniak, vice president for programs at the DuPage Foundation, said the program's growth "translates to stronger foundations for our county's nonprofit sector."

New this year, the foundation's Community Impact Circle provided funding to the program. The circle brings together leaders from local businesses, private foundations and the broader community. Inaugural members include Busey Bank, Comcast, Grow Wellness Group, Northern Trust, Wheaton Bank & Trust and Wight & Co.

EQDG sponsors Downers Grove's annual PrideFest, which drew more than 1,000 attendees in 2026, according to Blueprint. The group is volunteer-run. It also operates a youth drop-in center, a Story Walk in Constitution Park with the Downers Grove Public Library and Park District, and the One Book, One Town communitywide reading initiative.

In Blueprint's October coverage, board chair Enrique Reyes, a Downers Grove resident, called One Book, One Town "a great opportunity for people in Downers Grove who are not part of the LGBTQ community to join us in reading a book and learn a bit about the community."

Other grant recipients include BrightSide Theatre ($13,000 for a website rebuild), Elmhurst Choral Union ($13,000), Naperville Heritage Society ($12,000), West Suburban Humane Society ($10,000), Senior Home Sharing ($7,218), CASA of DuPage County ($6,000) and Child's Voice ($4,088).

Residents interested in EQDG can visit eqdg.org.