Each year around the giving season, Make It Better Foundation and its partner nonprofits host a drive to supply new coats and warm outerwear to those in need. With a pandemic looming over us, the MIB Foundation will not be accepting physical items like the previous years. Instead, they are asking for cash donations to […]
Giving Circles are as old as humanity — and more popular than ever. People pool their donations, expertise, or otherwise work together to make their philanthropic efforts go further. Our $1,000 Better Giving Circle is a supercharged version of pooled philanthropy and impact; it uses the internet’s power to connect and amplify and expands your […]
Play is essential for children. Unstructured, imaginative play is key to so many aspects of a child’s cognitive growth, including language development, the nuances of socialization and creative problem solving. The research on the neurological effects of play is clear: “Play is not frivolous: it enhances brain structure and function and promotes executive function, which […]
As 2020 comes to a close, we are reflecting on the meaning of resilience and togetherness. Comer Education Campus remains committed to advancing our mission through new initiatives that combat learning loss, the digital divide and food insecurity. Our community continues to experience disproportionate effects of the pandemic and civil unrest. Yet, we also have […]
The multi-pronged aid offered by Metropolitan Family Services (MFS) is near and dear to Ric Estrada. Since March 2011, CEO has preceded Estrada’s name, but his roots are not unlike those of the 93,000 Chicagoans served by MFS, most of whom are working poor or lower-middle class. Estrada, a Mexican-American immigrant, grew up in a […]
Sometimes it takes someone from outside the bubble to see the big picture. When Monique Jones first interviewed for the leadership position at the Evanston Community Foundation (ECF) back in 2015, she thought it was a place-based philanthropy all about Evanston. “I’ve since found out that the foundation is part of the fabric of Evanston, […]
Many of us may have been distracted from philanthropy in the pandemic-bred chaos of 2020. Yet far from taking a holiday, need is greater than ever, with organizations from food banks to disaster recovery efforts to bail funds seeing greater demand for their services. As the year draws to a close, it’s time to take […]
Many of us may have been distracted from philanthropy in the pandemic-bred chaos of 2020. Yet far from taking a holiday, need is greater than ever, with organizations from food banks to disaster recovery efforts to bail funds seeing greater demand for their services. As the year draws to a close, it’s time to take […]
On December 1 this year, Giving Tuesday will kickstart the giving season. Just over a year into this pandemic, the effects of Covid-19 can be seen across the country. Essential and important organizations had to put their mission on pause as we all dealt and are dealing with uncertainty and change. This Giving Tuesday, let’s […]
There are many ways to define “genius,” but each October, Chicago’s MacArthur Foundation chooses around two dozen to honor. Among the diverse array of this year’s MacArthur fellows are a quantum physicist demystifying the habits of subatomic particles and a sociologist illuminating the way certain kinds of policing turn out to undermine public safety. In […]
