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Kids & Family

Images from Evanston Community Foundation's Grant Awards Celebration on May 29

The Evanston Community Foundation (ECF) awarded $258,330 on Thursday, May 29, in response to community needs and opportunities at the 2014 Grant Awards Celebration. This special evening celebrated the missions and accomplishments of Evanston’s non-profit community. Responsive grants awarded at the reception represent 33% of the total funding of $790,050 that the Foundation expects to distribute throughout 2014 through its competitive and strategic grants which include Communityworks, root2fruit, and community catalyst grant programs. The event was held at One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman Ave, in the third floor auditorium.  For more information call 847-494-0990 or visit www.evanstonforever.org.


“Tonight’s awards demonstrate the depth of commitment the Foundation has to the Evanston community,” said ECF President and CEO Sara Schastok. “The 28 grantees were selected from a strong pool of 73 proposals requesting $805,709. If we had the resources, we would have awarded at least an additional 24 grants, and more than twice the dollars. Continuing growth of our endowment will let us say ‘yes!’ to more work that will benefit Evanston residents.”

 

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The grants include a $15,000 special initiative grant to the Midwest Child-Parent Centers Expansion to enhance achievement for PreK to third graders by investing in one cohort of low-income families through strategies of parental support and engagement in their children’s education. This grant is the third installment of five ECF grants to this collaboratively funded project at the D65 Family Center, Childcare Center of Evanston, and the four Title I elementary schools of D65. Evanston foundations have contributed $460,000 toward this federally funded project.


Mike Brody, Chair of the Foundation’s grants committee and Vice-Chair of the Board said, “The grants committee, comprised of Board members, community representatives and the Northwestern University Dance Marathon executive co-chairs, believes that this slate of grantee recipients demonstrates the broad range of creative and productive thinking on how we can all make Evanston a more vibrant, just and inclusive community.”

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2014 Grant Award Recipients include:

Caring Outreach by Parents in Evanston,  - Center for Economic Progress,

Center for Independent Futures,  - Warren W. Cherry Preschool,  - Ciencia para Todos,

CJE Senior Life, -  Community Partners for Affordable Housing,

Connections for the Homeless, Inc.,  - Edible Evanston,  - Erie Family Health Center,

Erika's Lighthouse: A Beacon of Hope For Adolescent Depression,  - Evanston Art Center, Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse,  - Evanston Scholars, -  Evanston Swims!,

Evanston Symphony Orchestra Association,  - Family Focus,

Frances Willard Historical Association,  - The Harbour, Inc.,  - Literature for All of Us,

McGaw YMCA,  - James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy,  

Mudlark Theater Company,  - Next Theatre Co.,  - Northlight Theatre,

Y.O.U. (Youth Organizations Umbrella),  - Youth Job Center of Evanston, Inc.,

and the YWCA Evanston/North Shore.


The Responsive Grants awarded tonight are funded by several sources including the Fund for Evanston, the Foundation’s unrestricted endowment. Draws from endowed Field of Interest funds will fund 12 grants in the following program areas: affordable housing, arts, arts education, boys, environment, workforce development, women and girls, and youth. Outside sources such as Northwestern University Dance Marathon and family foundations are significant contributors to ECF grants, making up the other two-thirds of the responsive grants pool.


The Evanston Community Foundation held its Grant Awards Celebration tonight, Thursday, May 29 at at One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman Ave. For more information about Evanston Community Foundation or the 2014 Grant Awards Celebration, visit www.evanstonforever.org  or call 847-492-0990.

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The  EVANSTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, founded in 1986 with current assets of more than $19 million, helps Evanston thrive now and forever as a vibrant, inclusive, and just community. It builds, connects, and distributes resources and knowledge through local organizations for the common good. The Foundation builds endowments for current and future opportunities, fosters private philanthropy, focuses the impact of collective giving, finds solutions to community challenges, allocates grants, and provides leadership training. For more information about the Evanston Community Foundation, visit www.evanstonforever.org.


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