The Dragonfly Foundation — Chicago
Urgent Requests · About this organization
What you get
Gas or Uber cards, groceries, bedside or home meals, household necessities, medical devices and prescriptions you would otherwise pay for.
How to start
Your social worker sends the referral.
Good to know
- The spending limit isn't published. Ask your hospital contact.
The details, as published
Front-line hospital staff assess and submit practical needs such as gas or Uber cards, grocery cards, bedside or home meals, household necessities, out-of-pocket medical devices, and prescriptions. This is staff-mediated support, not a public cash-grant application.
What help you may get
Household Bills And Cash Assistance
Urgent Requests — household bills and cash assistance
Front-line hospital staff assess and submit practical needs such as gas or Uber cards, grocery cards, bedside or home meals, household necessities, out-of-pocket medical devices, and prescriptions. This is staff-mediated support, not a public cash-grant application.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Gas and Uber cards
- Gas cards
- Grocery gift cards
- Grocery gift cards and meals
- Household necessities
- Meals at bedside or at home
- Out-of-pocket medical devices
- Prescriptions
- Uber cards
- The official material does not publish a dollar amount or ceiling.
- No repeat-award rule is published.
Meals And Food
Urgent Requests — meals and food
Front-line hospital staff assess and submit practical needs such as gas or Uber cards, grocery cards, bedside or home meals, household necessities, out-of-pocket medical devices, and prescriptions. This is staff-mediated support, not a public cash-grant application.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Gas and Uber cards
- Gas cards
- Grocery gift cards
- Grocery gift cards and meals
- Household necessities
- Meals at bedside or at home
- Out-of-pocket medical devices
- Prescriptions
- Uber cards
- The official material does not publish a dollar amount or ceiling.
- No repeat-award rule is published.
Medical And Insurance Costs
Urgent Requests — medical and insurance costs
Front-line hospital staff assess and submit practical needs such as gas or Uber cards, grocery cards, bedside or home meals, household necessities, out-of-pocket medical devices, and prescriptions. This is staff-mediated support, not a public cash-grant application.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Gas and Uber cards
- Gas cards
- Grocery gift cards
- Grocery gift cards and meals
- Household necessities
- Meals at bedside or at home
- Out-of-pocket medical devices
- Prescriptions
- Uber cards
- The official material does not publish a dollar amount or ceiling.
- No repeat-award rule is published.
Practical Items And Home Help
Urgent Requests — practical items and home help
Front-line hospital staff assess and submit practical needs such as gas or Uber cards, grocery cards, bedside or home meals, household necessities, out-of-pocket medical devices, and prescriptions. This is staff-mediated support, not a public cash-grant application.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Gas and Uber cards
- Gas cards
- Grocery gift cards
- Grocery gift cards and meals
- Household necessities
- Meals at bedside or at home
- Out-of-pocket medical devices
- Prescriptions
- Uber cards
- The official material does not publish a dollar amount or ceiling.
- No repeat-award rule is published.
Travel And Transportation
Urgent Requests — travel and transportation
Front-line hospital staff assess and submit practical needs such as gas or Uber cards, grocery cards, bedside or home meals, household necessities, out-of-pocket medical devices, and prescriptions. This is staff-mediated support, not a public cash-grant application.
Amount not published
Can cover
- Gas and Uber cards
- Gas cards
- Grocery gift cards
- Grocery gift cards and meals
- Household necessities
- Meals at bedside or at home
- Out-of-pocket medical devices
- Prescriptions
- Uber cards
- The official material does not publish a dollar amount or ceiling.
- No repeat-award rule is published.
Why this may help
Medical And Insurance Costs: Hospital staff can request help with medical devices or prescriptions you have to pay for yourself.
Check the main eligibility rules
Diagnosis
B-ALL is in scope. B-ALL is within pediatric cancer, subject to current partner-hospital registration.
Age
The program does not publish an age limit.
- The official material uses child, pediatric, or young-patient wording without a numeric age limit.
Treatment status
Active Treatment, Survivorship
- A provider must verify the patient or diagnosis.
- Front-line partner-hospital staff assess and identify urgent needs.
Financial need is required.
- No numeric income limit is published in the reviewed official material.
Where you live and where your child is treated
Where your family lives
Residence coverage is not published clearly; confirm with the program.
Where your child is treated
Treatment must be through: The young cancer patient must be served at a Dragonfly Chicago partner hospital..
- The young cancer patient must be served at a Dragonfly Chicago partner hospital.
Where the service, camp, stay, or experience happens
- Illinois — Illinois — Illinois
- Eight Chicago-area partner hospitals — Eight Chicago-area partner hospitals
How to get started
Does a social worker or care team need to start it? Yes. Ask your child’s social worker or care team to begin the request.
Who can start: Healthcare Team, Social Worker
- Ask the treating hospital social worker for the Dragonfly application.
- Ask the treating hospital social worker whether the hospital is a current Dragonfly partner.
- Dragonfly determines what support can be fulfilled.
- Front-line staff assess and submit urgent daily-needs requests.
- Hospital staff assess and submit a specific urgent request.
- The social worker supplies the registration application.
Ways to apply or ask
- Hospital Workflow · Open form or page · chicago@dragonfly.org — Ask the partner-hospital social worker for an application to become a Dragonfly family.
- Online Portal · Open form or page
Documents to prepare
The program does not publish a document checklist. Ask before gathering paperwork.
- Gift cards and in-kind items are supplied through the partner-hospital workflow; other payment mechanics are not published.
Availability and timing
| Program | Active |
|---|---|
| Applications | Open |
| Funding or space | Not Published |
| Application window | Rolling |
| Last checked | Aug 24, 2026 |
- Applications or requests are accepted on an ongoing basis, subject to program capacity.
Limitations and things to confirm
- No dollar caps, repeat limits, response time, documentation, prioritization, or payment method is published.
- Only patients at current Chicago partner hospitals are served.
- The public text does not name all eight partner hospitals or publish award limits.
- Partner-staff request facts, verification, caps, turnaround time, delivery method, and current hospital network.
Official sources
Program details were last verified Aug 24, 2026. Availability can change, so check the official program before applying.
- Who We Are — Dragonfly Chicago · checked Aug 23, 2026
- Become a Dragonfly — Chicago · checked Aug 23, 2026
- Programs — Dragonfly Chicago · checked Aug 23, 2026
- The Dragonfly Family · checked Aug 24, 2026
- Abby's Activities · checked Aug 24, 2026