As Evanston celebrates its 150th birthday, the ECF reminds us that it is not just the bustling downtown or proximity to the lake that makes the city great.
Truly, it is the people who live there.
Established in 1986, the Evanston Community Foundation prides itself on its work with local nonprofits to benefit the entire Evanston community, whether it is providing grants toward worthy projects or partnering with organizations to address a pressing issue.
“We’re all about growing opportunities for Evanston nonprofits, and we strive to make our foundation resources better,” says Sara Schastok, PhD, president and CEO of the ECF.
“Our programs are wide-ranging and far-reaching,” adds Rebecca Cacayuran, program officer for the ECF. “Our grant-making reaches every corner of Evanston, though recently we’ve invested heavily in early childhood development.”
Education is a priority
Early childhood development, particularly in low-income neighborhoods, is one of the biggest issues that the ECF is currently tackling. In these impoverished conditions, many children are rarely exposed to books or positive role models, so they enter preschool and kindergarten with little educational preparation.
In collaboration with the Evanston Public Library and the Youth Job Center, the ECF has set up theABC Boosters program to enhance early literacy to make sure every child is ready for kindergarten. The program partners local teens with pre-K students to work on skills like reading and letter recognition during the summer preceding kindergarten.
“We want children to start off in school both socially and emotionally healthy,” Schastok says. “The return on investment of early childhood education is great, and we are looking at the whole continuum for every student, from the time they start kindergarten to the time they begin to work.”
Learning for the whole family
One of the ways the ECF is making a difference is providing families with opportunities to learn from each other. The ECF partners with the Infant Welfare Society of Evanston and other organizations to provide “home visitors” who help kids build early literacy skills to help prepare for school. With this home visiting program in place since 2007, ECF is looking to further invest in these families.
“We are now involved in a two-generation initiative, a partnering of early childhood education and career training for parents of young children,” Schastok says. “Our mission is for parents to also become part of the learning process. We want to increase economic status, so families can become sustainable and become learning role models for their kids. Parents are doing constructive training, and they are models to their kids. It’s great because often we hear that kids want to do their parents’ school work!”
A community effort
The work done by the ECF not only benefits many individuals and needy families all across Evanston, but it also strengthens the community as a whole.
“Some people ask, ‘Why should I give to [the ECF], instead of some of the organizations you help directly?’ The difference is that we help many nonprofits and bring them together so that they can work collaboratively,” Schastok says. “We understand that the sum is greater than the individual, and we group people together to meet community needs.”
Evanston Community Foundation by the numbers
- ECF’s support of its home visiting and family support grants has increased 33 percent since 2007.
- More than $580,000 awarded in competitive and strategic grants to community organizations by the ECF in 2013
- $4.83 million: total competitive and strategic grants awarded between 1987 and 2013
- 28 percent increase in the number of grant proposals received this year over last
- ECF’s growth over last decade: $16.4 million dollar endowment
- Compared with the state average of 7.1 percent, when all funding sources are added up, 50 percent of such Evanston families are engaged in home visiting. ECF funds 50 at a given time.
Upcoming events
- Celebrate! Evanston 2013, Saturday, Oct. 26, 6:30-11 p.m., Levy Center, 300 Dodge Ave., Evanston
Join the Evanston Community Foundation in celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of Evanston with cocktails, a sit-down dinner and entertainment by professional actors. In addition, there will be a cake design competition featuring some of Evanston’s best bakeries, including Tag’s Bakery and Pastry Shop, Bennison’s Bakery and Bistro Bordeaux.
Photo: An Evanston teen teaches a preschooler during the ABC Boosters summer program, a unique collaboration among Youth Job Center, Evanston Public Library, District 65 and Evanston Community Foundation.
