4th Annual Philanthropy Awards: GiGi's Playhouse

Walking into GiGi’s Playhouse you are immediately met with a wave of smiles, giggles and most of all, an exuberant energy. Such a spirited atmosphere, however, stands in stark contrast to the sterile room Nancy Gianni first attended following her daughter’s Down syndrome diagnosis. “There were great support groups but they always took place in […]

4th Annual Philanthropy Awards: Snow City Arts

Most recently updated: December 2020 It all starts with a knock on the door and brief question, “Do you want to make art today?” At Snow City Arts (SCA), teaching artists aim to educate and inspire children and youth in hospitals through one-on-one instruction in the visual arts, creative writing, music and film making. To the […]

4th Annual Philanthropy Awards: Academy for Global Citizenship

The Academy for Global Citizenship is a jewel nestled amid urban blight. A nonprofit Chicago public charter school, the Academy for Global Citizenship is making waves in elementary education, working to create a class of scholars that care about their community as much as their grades. Founded in 2008 by Sarah Elizabeth Ippel, a Cambridge graduate and […]

4th Annual Philanthropy Awards: James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy

Founded more than 30 years ago, the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy (once the Evanston Community Defender) works to provide low-income Evanston youth and their families with integrated legal and social work services. The school-to-prison pipeline is the biggest worry of those who work at the Center for Youth Advocacy, 4th Annual Philanthropy Awards […]

2015 Philanthropy Awards Winners Get a Surprise

On Nov. 16, Make It Better staffers surprised six nonprofits to tell them that they won the 2015 Make It Better Foundation Philanthropy Awards. Each year, the Make It Better Philanthropy Awards honor outstanding nonprofits in and around Chicago. The grand prize for each nonprofit is a professionally produced, TV-quality video about their organization, plus significant […]

Make It Better Foundation Names the 2015 Philanthropy Awards Winners

The Make It Better Foundation is proud to announce the six nonprofit winners of its annual Philanthropy Awards, presented in conjunction with National Philanthropy Day. The winners are: Snow City Arts of Chicago for the Arts Award sponsored by Susan and Richard Kiphart Academy for Global Citizenship of Chicago for the Education Award sponsored by […]

Make It Better Philanthropy Awards 2015

In honor of National Philanthropy Day on Nov. 15, we will be announcing the winners of our annual Philanthropy Awards on Nov. 16. Follow along as we live tweet throughout the day. #MIBPhilanthropyAwards Tweets #NationalPhilanthropyDay Tweets

Our 4th Annual Philanthropy Award Nominations Are Open

At Make It Better, we take our mission to amplify best philanthropic practices very seriously. That’s why we launched our Philanthropy Awards four years ago. In that time, our Philanthropy Awards have recognized 25 outstanding nonprofits in education, athletics, social service, health and more. This year, we will recognize philanthropic excellence in six award categories: […]

2013 Philanthropy Awards

We founded Make It Better Media to connect and help our North Shore audience amplify their philanthropic efforts. We found that doing this leads to more—more connections and ideas, better community, more money raised by good people, better business for all. To amplify this happy effect, we established our annual Philanthropy Awards. An impressive group of judges – all thoughtful, strategic philanthropists […]