Chicago Public Education Fund

OVERVIEW: The Chicago Public Education Fund exclusively supports education in Chicago’s public schools with an emphasis on training and development for teachers and administrators.  

IP TAKE: This is a great funder for Chicago public schools and educators to get involved with. Pitch a new idea for teacher and principal improvement to get noticed.

PROFILE: In March 2000, a group of civic and corporate leaders met and developed a city-based philanthropic venture fund called the Chicago Public Education Fund (CPEF)– one of the first of its kind in the nation. With concerned principles and teachers at the heart of its philanthropic mission, the group is solely focused on public education in Chicago. Janet Knupp, a former special education teacher, was the founding president and served as CEO for the first 10 years. Heather Anichini, a former Chicago public school teacher, took over for Knupp when she resigned in 2011. The funder partners with Chicago Public Schools, the City of Chicago, the local philanthropic community and school leaders to “build and sustain a culture of strong leadership” as a means of improving educational outcomes for Chicago students.

CPEF posits principals and others in the educational leadership roles as central to its mission of improving the quality of education and educational outcomes in Chicago. The foundation’s grants fund both outsourced and in-house programs that develop and support strong leadership. It also funds programs for teachers and classroom based learning. One of its most successful programs is the Chicago Principals Fellowship, a unique 12-month program that serves 20 to 25 principals each year. This fellowship was a collaborative effort between CPEF, Northwestern University and the Crown Family Philanthropies. Another program provided new educational leaders with executive leadership training, coaching, and conference opportunities at Northwestern University in exchange for a three-year commitment to Chicago’s public schools. Other past grantees include APs Rising, South Side Educational Alliance and the University o Illinois at Chicago.

Fund commitments for each program tend to be between $100,000 and $1 million per year. Learn more about where the Chicago Public Education Fund’s money has been put to use by reviewing the Investments History page and the Investment Portfolio. Funding is restricted to the city of Chicago.

This funder does not accept unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits. Direct inquiries to the staff at info@thefundchicago.org. Keep up with recent events and press releases by checking the Media Center page or signing up for the fund’s newsletter.

PEOPLE:

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