Sarah Wills

📣 As the Flinn Foundation launches our 2025 grantmaking cycle, we do so with a clear mission and a deep commitment to mental health solutions in Southeast Michigan. Earlier this year, we conducted a stakeholder survey to better understand what mental health providers are facing and how to be effective partners. That insight directly shaped the focus areas of this year’s Requests for Proposals. Our 2025 grants will fund evidence-based programs, capacity-building and community-driven awareness and education efforts — all with a strong focus on equity, access and impact. In a time when sweeping political shifts threaten to dismantle and defund critical public health and education supports, we remain steadfast. Learn more about our priorities and how to prepare: https://lnkd.in/g8wqHsk3

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Just announced! GreenLight Fund Chicago announces its second portfolio organization investment, bringing SIRUM (Supporting Initiatives to Redistribute Unused Medicine) to Chicago in response to rising prescription costs and the need for affordable healthcare access. SIRUM partners with pharmacies, health facilities, and community organizations to redirect donated, unused medicine to those who need it most, including through its nonprofit pharmacy, Good Pill. In Chicago, SIRUM aims to serve 60,000 patients over the next four years, saving individuals and families an estimated $8 million while working with local hospitals, clinics, and health centers to expand access across the city. Read the full press release: https://lnkd.in/gUjDYGHT

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The African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission is holding a public hearing next month to discuss "repairing yesterday" and "restoring equity." But I have a question for the taxpayers and the general public of this state: Where are our reparations for the fraud and theft actively being committed by the State of Illinois? Right now, an entrenched administrative syndicate at the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) is running a massive "ghost payroll" operation, draining federal grant funds to use as their own entitled, illegal slush fund. When my wife, Gina Rodriguez, an active IDHS timekeeper, blew the whistle on a $141,000 theft, the State didn't offer "equity." They offered destruction. On December 1, 2025, management issued a retaliatory order forcing Gina into a known toxic, hazardous facility. The engineered stress and environmental exposure caused her to suffer a massive stroke and hypertensive crisis. The State physically broke a female whistleblower to protect their theft. And now, the architects of this heist are actively covering it up—going so far as to weaponize a deceased administrator's (Stephanie Almond) IT credentials to retroactively scrub the digital audit logs. If we want to talk about "repairing harm," we need to start with the harm the State of Illinois is inflicting on its own public servants today. We are heading into an April 3rd Emergency Hearing fighting this corrupt machine entirely alone because they are trying to deny her medical care for the stroke they caused. We are publishing the forensic "Ghost Logs" on Substack today. (Link in the comments). It's time to demand accountability for the theft happening right now under our noses. Justice for Gina Rodriguez. Justice for the people of Illinois.

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𝗔𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 "𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀.®" We’re proud to support the Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI) — a mission-driven organization committed to collaborating to advance health justice through equitable policy, systems, and institutional change. The 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 & 𝗖𝗜𝗘 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 will support a Community Information Exchange (CIE), a network of health and social service organizations and agencies that support the health-related social needs of community members who face multiple, often related, challenges (e.g., food insecurity, unstable housing, and access to health care). This position will ensure that CIE technology works smoothly across different vendors and partners. This includes managing timelines, testing, and problem-solving for system launches, while also serving as the point person for updates and improvements to the platform. Working closely with the Solution Architect, technology team, Privacy/Security, and Data Steward, the position makes sure data flows correctly, securely, and in a way that supports coordinated care.  𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘁? Learn more and share here: https://lnkd.in/eRUu-_hW

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ICYMI Our Funding Catalyst team has released its annual Top Trends in Grant Funding blog... and an area of focus for governments in 2026 continues to be Clean Tech. Hear from Funding Strategist Erin Creegan-Dougherty on the options in this sector for grants. https://hubs.li/Q045sH5m0

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