Powered by Our Partners

These organizations don't just sponsor an event, they invest in the next generation of defenders. Thanks to their support, BSides Peoria provides hands-on training, expert speakers, and scholarship opportunities to students and professionals across Central Illinois.

Join the Heartland Defense Consortium

We are building the region's first dedicated civilian cyber defense center. We invite industry leaders to move beyond simple sponsorship and become founding partners in this critical infrastructure.

The Founding Circle

For organizations that want to shape the strategic direction of regional defense.

  • Quarterly Leader Roundtables: Join virtual or in-person cybersecurity leadership meetings to discuss current threats, share challenges, and coordinate regional defense strategies.
  • Steering Committee Seat: Advise ILCF Directors on current business risks and threat focus.
  • VIP Access: Priority introductions and panel positioning at BSides Peoria.
  • Permanent Recognition: "Founding Partner" status on all platforms.
See how this powers regional governance
Request Clearance

Group 1818 Alliance

Fund the hardware, sensors, and what powers our research.

  • Alliance Showcase at BSides: Dedicated booth space or demo area at BSides Peoria to display Alliance-sponsored research hardware and connect with the technical community.
  • Beta Intelligence: Early access to Group 1818 threat feeds and reports.
  • Lab Sponsorship: Your brand powering our physical hardware and RF research.
  • Research Credits: Citations in public advisories and whitepapers.
See how this powers emerging tech research
Join the Alliance

Workforce Partner

Solve your talent gap by building a pipeline directly from our community.

  • Expert Hiring Guidance: We'll help you evaluate candidates and understand what skills and certifications actually mean for your organization.
  • Resume Database: Priority access to opt-in candidate lists.
  • Meetup Positioning: Sponsor or host local "Hack & Hang" meetups.
  • Job Board: Featured listings in our community channels.
See how this powers workforce development
Build Your Defense Team

Every dollar goes directly to education, research equipment, and BSides Peoria. We're a small, grassroots operation. And that's our strength.

The Strategic Impact

Beyond individual benefits, your partnership strengthens three critical pillars of regional cyber resilience. Here's the bigger picture of what we're building together.

Regional Defense Governance

When local businesses guide ILCF's strategy, training stays relevant to real-world threats. Your challenges become our research focus. Your skill gaps shape our curriculum. The result: a talent pipeline solving problems you actually face, not generic certifications disconnected from regional needs.

Emerging Technology Research

Group 1818 explores new and emerging technologies: from AI security to RF research, IoT vulnerabilities to physical security systems, and critical infrastructure analysis. Alliance Partners get early access to our research findings, technical write-ups, and proof-of-concept implementations. Collaborative exploration means the entire region stays ahead of the curve, not just reacting to yesterday's problems.

Sustainable Talent Pipeline

Every student scholarship becomes a potential hire. Every meetup builds relationships with local professionals. The more you invest in the community, the stronger your regional talent pool becomes. This isn't recruitment. It's sustainable workforce development that keeps defenders local instead of losing them to Chicago or the coasts.

Ready to Power the Defense Grid?

Local businesses are the backbone of ILCF's mission. Let's build a partnership that strengthens both your organization and the Heartland's cyber resilience.

Start the Conversation

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Where Your Funds Go

We treat every contribution as a trust. Your funds are immediately deployed to remove financial barriers, providing the critical hardware, software, training environments, and research tools that make cybersecurity education accessible.

Student Scholarship Fund

Funds travel grants and scholarships for local students to attend BSides and other industry workshops.

Hands-On Learning Equipment

Funds the equipment behind every village and workshop. From servers and software licenses to lockpicks, RF gear, and whatever specialized tools our community dreams up next

BSides Peoria Operations

Subsidizes venue costs, meals, A/V production, and keynote travel to keep our flagship conference affordable for the community.

Public Research Support

Covers the costs associated with vulnerability coordination, legal review, and the free distribution of our research findings.

Need an Invoice?

For corporate giving or structured grants, we can provide formal invoices and W-9s.

Contact our Treasurer →