Rev. Bennie E. Whiten, Jr. firmly believed that we are all children of God. Because of this belief, he was a steadfast supporter of racial equality. In line with his values, his bequest to Pilgrim Congregational Church in Oak Park, IL., was used to establish the Bennie E. Whiten, Jr. Memorial Fund For Racial Justice and Healing. Grants from this Fund will be distributed to support local organizations dedicated to promoting racial justice and healing. We invite you to join us in making a difference, one step at a time, as we work toward building a more just world.

Pilgrim Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, in Oak Park, IL., is a diverse community of Christians strongly committed to joining faith and action.

Through God’s call, we center in the Gospel, care for each other, and foster social justice.

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With approval and support of the Church Council, five members serve as the Fund Management team. They are responsible for creating and administering the Fund, selecting and monitoring the grantees, and reporting results to the Church Council and congregation.

Bennie E. Whiten, Jr. was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1933 and spent the early part of his life in predominantly Black environments. After Shreveport, he initially lived in the East Texas Piney Woods and later moved to Dallas, where he graduated as valedictorian from a ‘separate but equal’ high school. He attended a Historically Black University, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a major in mathematics. Bennie’s first significant experience in a majority White setting came when he was drafted into the Korean War and served at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. There, his mathematical skills gave him some responsibility and authority —and there, he heard the call to ministry over late-night beers and conversations with the chaplain and others in the unit. When he left the service, he enrolled at Howard School of Divinity.

In what would be a hallmark of his ministerial and professional career, Bennie was first called to help bridge the divide between White and Black communities. He served as associate pastor in a formerly German-speaking church that sought to reach out to its rapidly changing neighborhood.

He left this church to take jobs of increasing responsibility, in mainly white settings, jobs focused on developing cross-denominational and interfaith cooperation to address urban social justice issues. His final permanent call was to serve as Conference Minister and President of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ.

Bennie always saw his role as caring for and tending to the needs of the marginalized while simultaneously working to change the systems that caused harm. In his own words, he saw his role as “calling the whole human family to live in ways that embody our concerns for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation.”

Rev. Bennie E. Whiten, Jr., dedicated his life to racial equality, social justice, and healing until his death from complications of Alzheimer's at age 89. He empowered communities through faith-based action. His vision will live on in the work of the Bennie E. Whiten, Jr. Memorial Fund grant recipients.

To learn more about Rev. Whiten, Jr., click here

We are looking for organizations and groups that have identified the needs or systemic barriers faced by people of color and are intentionally designing programs or activities to address them.

Your plans may be for projects, programs, strategies, or actions you believe will help bridge life between diverse communities. For example, you might implement restorative justice practices, foster empowerment, expand cross-ethnic education, facilitate understanding through dialogue, or build financial equity for minority communities in or around you.

You are eligible if …

• Your work is located within Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane, McHenry, or Will counties of Illinois.

• Your organization is a 501(c)(3) or has a fiscal agent who is a 501(c)(3).

• Your efforts will have a long-term impact.

• Your approach demonstrates feasibility and cost-effectiveness.

If you have determined that you are eligible, welcome!

Additional Information

• You may allocate up to 10% of your grant to general operating expenses.

• Organizations may receive only one grant. Applicants not granted in 2025 may reapply in 2026 if funds are available.

• You may choose to mail in your application, but the deadline is still the same. It must be in our hands by April 15.

• If you are a successful grantee, you will have to submit a timely report within two months of the end of the funding period. For multiyear grantees, reports are required every year.

• For questions or form support, please email the Fund at bewhitenjrfund@gmail.com

To Apply, please fill out the application linked below