In 2008, the Chicago Dental Society (CDS) donated a total of $1.7 million to foundations, clinics, students, and a local college to support efforts to improve dental health for all Illinois residents, according to the organization.
The lion's share of this total, $1.5 million, was earmarked for the new Chicago Dental Society Foundation, which is charged with providing a stable source of income to dental education programs and dental clinics through private and corporate fundraising.
Grant recipients also include programs serving families and the disabled, as well as training programs for dental hygienists and scholarships to students at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Southern Illinois University, the state's two remaining dental schools.
Since establishing a grant program in 2001, the CDS Board of Directors has authorized 79 grants, totaling more than $4.6 million, and 837 scholarships, totaling more than $460,000. Beginning in 2009, the Chicago Dental Society Foundation will take over the grant program for the society.
