Chicago Foundation for Women
/OVERVIEW: The Chicago Foundation for Women supports economic opportunity, access to healthcare and domestic violence interventions that directly impact women and girls in the Chicago metropolitan area.
IP TAKE: A grantseeker’s best bet with this funder is a direct service economic opportunity grant, but CFW will consider a variety of causes as long as they directly benefit Chicago-area women and girls – including education and the arts. This funder accepts unsolicited grant proposals.
PROFILE: Iris J. Krieg, Lucia Woods Lindley, Sunny Fischer and Marjorie Craig Benton are the creators of the Chicago Foundation for Women, which got its start in the mid-1980s. They recognized that women’s issues such as economic opportunity, access to healthcare and domestic violence prevention were underrepresented in Chicago’s philanthropy scene, and they set out to do something about it. The foundation made its first grants in 1986, totaling $50,000. Today the foundation aims to invest “in women and girls as catalysts, building strong communities for all,” and its areas of interest are work and economic security, freedom from violence and access to health.
CFW makes grants through three vehicles: the Polk Brothers Fund for Emerging Organizations, the Enterprise Fund and its in-house Giving Councils. The Polk Fund gives to “promising small initiatives,” while the Enterprise Fund focuses on supporting organizations that address specific social, economic and educational challenges. The aim of CFW’s Giving Councils is to support women’s organizations in Chicago’s underserved communities. Through all three funding programs, the foundation has invested in women’s economic security, health and violence prevnetion.
Grant amounts typically range from $15,000 to $150,000. Grantseekers can view a list of past grants on the funder’s website. Chicago metro area nonprofits in Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane, McHenry, and Will counties are eligible for grants. The foundation has traditionally supported a range of organization sizes, from groups with annual budgets under $500,000 to ones that have budgets of over $5 million. While direct service providers make up the bulk of this foundation’s grantmaking, some advocacy and training programs have also been funded.
The Chicago Foundation for Women accepts unsolicited grant proposals. There are two grantmaking cycles, with violence and health funding addressed in the spring and economic security in the fall. CFW considers both new and renewal applicants for multi-year grants that relate to advocacy opportunities. The first step in applying for a grant is to take an eligibility quiz. Direct questions about the grantmaking process to Program Officer Lora York at lyork@cfw.org or (312) 577-2814. Direct general inquiries to the staff at 312-577-2801 or info@cfw.org.
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