NEWS // PRESS RELEASES

News & Press

The latest updates, announcements, and media coverage from Kernovate.

Press Releases

May 11, 2026OPERATIONS

Kernovate Signs Commercial Service Agreement with Five Star American Services

Kernovate has signed a commercial service contract with Five Star American Services for the 2026 season, marking the organization's first major corporate vendor partnership. The agreement covers the recycling of an estimated 3,500 mattresses across multiple projects throughout the summer — a significant milestone in Kernovate's mission to scale mattress diversion operations across the region. The Five Star partnership represents a major step in Kernovate's earned income strategy, demonstrating that sustainable nonprofit operations can be built on real commercial demand.

PARTNERSHIP
May 2026FUNDING

Kernovate Awarded $1,000 Grant from Illinois Prairie Community Foundation

Kernovate has received a $1,000 grant from the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation (IPCF) — the organization's first external grant award. The funding supports the BEDS Emergency Delivery Service, which connects donated mattresses with families in crisis across McLean County. The award reflects growing community recognition of Kernovate's model: diverting mattresses from landfill while delivering critical household goods to households in need.

GRANT AWARD
November 19, 2025ANNOUNCEMENT

Kernovate Officially Launches as McLean County's First Dedicated Mattress Recycling Nonprofit

Kernovate Inc. officially launched on November 19, 2025 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Bloomington, Illinois. Kernovate operates a circular mattress recycling and social services program through three integrated programs that simultaneously address solid waste diversion, housing instability, and workforce barriers. SPRINGS diverts mattresses and box springs from McLean County landfills through deconstruction and material recovery, generating the operational revenue that funds the other programs.

LAUNCH

In The News

June 29, 2026WGLT — NPR Illinois

Why mattress trash is this Bloomington nonprofit's treasure

WGLT reporter Dana Cronin profiles Kernovate, exploring how the Bloomington nonprofit turns discarded mattresses into an engine for housing support and workforce reintegration across McLean County.

Read original article at WGLT — NPR Illinois (opens in a new tab)
IN THE NEWS