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Evanston Community Foundation at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Community foundation

Evanston Community Foundation

The Evanston Community Foundation mobilizes community resources to drive systemic social change and build a thriving, resilient evanston.

$3.1M
Granted FY2024still arriving
104
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$300k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Public Safety & Disaster$3.9MEducation$3.7MHuman Services$1.3MHousing & Shelter$1.3MArts & Culture$689kYouth Development$605kEmployment$560kHealth$548kOther$0
02FY2024 · 104 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 104 grants below total $2,614,154, the rows itemized in this filing. The $3,056,210 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $442,056 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k25 grants · $157k
  • $10k–50k71 grants · $1.5M
  • $50k–250k7 grants · $697k
  • $250k+1 grant · $300k
$18,734
Median grant
1
States reached
$45M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
University of Chicago$300,000
Evanston Public Library$178,320
Evanston Township High School District 202$158,379
Evanston Community Foundation$94,830
Evergreen Climate Innovations$75,000
After School Matters$75,000
Books & Breakfast$65,000
Rebuilding Exchange$50,150
Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project$45,000
Individual grant recipient$45,000
FirstRepair$38,500
C&W Foundation$36,000
Evanston Latinos$35,000
Reparations Stakeholder Authority of Evanston (RSAE)$30,000
King Arts PTA$29,563
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY17–24, $1.4M) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%Children's Home & Aid: $20k → 14%Jewish Child and Family Services (JCFS): $6k → 14%Jewish Child & Family Services (JCFS): $6k → 14%Cradles to Crayons: $8k → 14%The Harbour Inc: $25k → 14%The Harbour Inc: $18k → 14%The Harbour: $16k → 14%Infant Welfare Society of Evanston: $191k → 14%Reba Early Learning Center: $85k → 14%Infant Welfare Society of Evanston: $78k → 14%Infant Welfare Society of Evanston: $69k → 14%Infant Welfare Society of Evanston: $30k → 14%Infant Welfare Society of Evanston: $25k → 14%The Aux: $25k → 14%Infant Welfare Society of Evanston: $13k → 14%Reba Early Learning Center: $10k → 14%Reba Early Learning Center: $10k → 14%Reba Early Learning Center: $10k → 14%Rainbows for All Children: $10k → 14%Children's Home & Aid Society of Illinois: $10k → 14%Infant Welfare Society of Evanston: $8k → 14%Metropolitan Family Services: $25k → 14%North Shore Senior Center: $10k → 14%North Shore Senior Center: $10k → 14%McGaw YMCA: $132k → 14%Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti: $100k → 14%Learning Bridge Early Childhood Education Center: $53k → 14%McGaw YMCA: $45k → 14%Family Focus: $41k → 14%C&W Foundation: $36k → 14%C&W Foundation: $36k → 14%McGaw YMCA: $35k → 14%Learning Bridge Early Childhood Education Center: $25k → 14%McGaw YMCA: $25k → 14%McGaw YMCA: $24k → 14%Center for Independent Futures: $23k → 14%C & W Foundation: $20k → 14%Center for Independent Futures: $20k → 14%Learning Bridge Early Education Center: $17k → 14%Center for Independent Futures: $17k → 14%Center for Independent Futures: $17k → 14%Metropolitan Family Services: $15k → 14%Learning Bridge Early Education Center: $14k → 14%Center for Independent Futures: $14k → 14%Center for Independent Futures: $10k → 14%McGaw YMCA: $10k → 14%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

ME
IL
NY
MA
OH
CA
TN
DC
AL
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

82%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$12M · 100 repeat orgs$2.7M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +43% since the first grant, against +29% for those funded once.

100 repeat relationships: 60 still active in FY2024, 40 since wound down; 31 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

100
47

Total granted

$12M
$1.9M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+43%
+29%

Still filing today

74%
53%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 65% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $864k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
EducationHuman ServicesArts & CultureHealthHousing & ShelterEnvironmentOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • CF
    CONNECTIONS FOR THE HOMELESS INC
    8× · 2017–2024 · $746k · revenue +370%
  • CN
    Childcare Network of Evanston
    7× · 2017–2024 · $675k · revenue +51%
  • FA
    FARMWORKER AND LANDSCAPER ADVOCACY PROJECT
    4× · 2020–2024 · $550k · revenue +321% · 26% of their budget

Funded once

  • CI
    Carter Investments dba Feast & Imbibe
    one grant, 2020 · $449k
  • T
    Teertsemasesottehg
    one grant, 2020 · $252k
  • GP
    Gyros Planet
    one grant, 2020 · $189k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
A Better Chicago

A better chicago is changing how chicago fights poverty by investing in bold ideas that create opportunity for our youth.

Human Services
2
Erie Neighborhood House

Erie neighborhood house provides the most comprehensive support to immigrant and low-income families in chicago. our mission is to empower our communitylatinx immigrants alongside individuals and families of all backgroundsthrough…

Human Services
3
Chicago United for Equity

Connecting and amplifying the power of individuals to build a just, equitable, and inclusive city.

Civil Rights
4
Kipp Chicago Schools

The team at kipp chicago schools is guided by a simple, yet powerful mission: to create a network of excellent schools in chicago that teach our students the character and academic skills necessary to succeed in college and beyond, and to…

Education
5
Chicago Public Education Fund

The chicago public education fund (the fund) is a nonprofit organization that improves public schools in chicago by investing in the talented educators who lead them.

Education
6
Chicago Votes

Chicago Votes is a non-partisan, non-profit organization building a more inclusive democracy by putting power in the hands of young Chicagoans. We're engaging and developing a new generation of leaders by opening the doors of government,…

Civil Rights
7
Alternatives Inc

Alternatives, inc.'s mission is to facilitate personal development,strengthen family relationships and enhance the community's well being. serving over 3,000 youth and families annually, the organization offers a range of counseling and…

Health
8
The Chicago High School for the Arts

The chicago high school for the arts (chiarts) develops the next generation of diverse, artistically promising scholar-artists through intensive pre-professional training in the arts, combined with a comprehensive college preparatory…

Education
9
The University of Chicago Charter School Corporation

To Prepare Students for Success in Four-Year Colleges.

Education
10
Executive Service Corps of Chicago

Executive Service Corps is the premier nonprofit consultancy that engages highly skilled professionals who use their experience and expertise to provide nonprofits with the consulting services they need to be successful. Our vision is to…

Community Improvement
11
Chicago Commons Association

Chicago Commons' mission is to empower individuals, families, and communities to overcome poverty, embrace opportunities, and thrive across generations. To fulfill that mission, we provide high quality early childhood education,…

Human Services
12
Thrive Chicago Nfp

Thrive chicago's mission is to prepare chicago's youth for a vibrant future by aligning efforts and outcomes from cradle to career.

Human Services
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Connections for the Homeless Inc; the most unlike its peers is The Host Foundation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

137 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 137 of the 184 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

10
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
44
Early backer (in before they grew)
131/137
Grantees still filing
98/137
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Childcare Network of Evanston: $674,625 · OtherChildcare Network of EvanstonCITY OF EVANSTON: $545,202 · OtherCITY OF EVANSTONC&W Market and Ice Cream Parlor: $502,663 · OtherC&W Market and Ice Cream ParlorCarter Investments dba Feast & Imbibe: $449,209 · OtherCarter Investments dba Feast & ImbibeYWCA EvanstonNorth Shore: $432,304 · OtherYOUTH JOB CENTER INC: $411,860 · OtherJAMES B MORAN CENTER FOR YOUTH ADVOCACY: $428,360 · Other+99 more: $4,798,390 · Other+99 moreEVANSTON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 202 ED FOUNDATION: $518,423 · EducationEVANSTON TOWNSHI…BOOKS AND BREAKFAST: $459,300 · EducationBOOKS AND BREAKF…University of Chicago: $300,000 · EducationUniversity of Ch…EVANSTON SCHOLARS: $167,000 · EducationEVANSTON SCHOLAR…LITERACY WORKS: $82,700 · EducationAFTER SCHOOL MATTERS INC: $75,000 · Education+17 more: $603,270 · Education+17 moreINFANT WELFARE SOCIETY OF EVANSTON INC: $439,995 · Human ServicesINFANT WELFA…Young Mens Christian Assoc McGaw Inc: $296,022 · Human ServicesYoung Mens C…CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT FUTURES: $115,925 · Human ServicesCENTER FOR I…Reba Early Learning Center: $115,000 · Human ServicesReba Early L…CHILD CARE CENTER OF EVANSTON INC: $109,420 · Human ServicesCHILD CARE C…Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti: $100,000 · Human ServicesHaitian Cong…C AND W MARKET FOUNDATION: $92,000 · Human ServicesC AND W MARK…THE HARBOUR INC: $59,000 · Human Services+15 more: $274,744 · Human Services+15 moreCONNECTIONS FOR THE HOMELESS INC: $745,570 · Housing & ShelterOPEN COMMUNITIES: $145,192 · Housing & ShelterALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS IN SUBURBAN COOK COUNTY: $41,600 · Housing & ShelterREBA PLACE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: $35,208 · Housing & Shelter+3 more: $78,000 · Housing & ShelterFARMWORKER AND LANDSCAPER ADVOCACY PROJECT: $550,000 · EmploymentCURT'S CAFE: $198,227 · EmploymentNORTHLIGHT THEATRE INC: $165,600 · Arts & CultureOPEN STUDIO PROJECT INC: $119,152 · Arts & CultureGICHIGAMIIN INDIGENOUS NATIONS MUSEUM INC: $87,691 · Arts & CultureMudlark Theater Company NFP: $81,200 · Arts & CultureEVANSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION: $71,523 · Arts & CulturePiven Theatre Workshop: $26,775 · Arts & CultureEvanston Aspa: $25,000 · Arts & CultureARTSIE INC: $25,000 · Arts & Culture+6 more: $68,700 · Arts & CulturePEER SERVICES INC: $176,000 · HealthErie Family Health Center Inc: $146,500 · HealthINSTITUTE FOR THERAPY THROUGH THE ARTS: $77,500 · HealthHOUSING OPTIONS FOR THE MENTALLY-ILL IN EVANSTON INC: $71,500 · HealthHEALTHCONNECT ONE: $30,000 · Health+4 more: $33,300 · Health
Other$8,242,613Education$2,205,693Human Services$1,602,106Housing & Shelter$1,045,570Employment$748,227Arts & Culture$670,641Health$534,800

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCONNECTIONS FOR THE HOMELESS INC: $745,570 over 8y, 6.6% of budgetChildcare Network of Evanston: $674,625 over 7y, 6.0% of budgetFARMWORKER AND LANDSCAPER ADVOCACY PROJECT: $550,000 over 4y, 26% of budgetEVANSTON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 202 ED FOUNDATION: $518,423 over 6y, 7.9% of budgetBOOKS AND BREAKFAST: $459,300 over 8y, 29% of budgetINFANT WELFARE SOCIETY OF EVANSTON INC: $439,995 over 7y, 6.7% of budgetYWCA EvanstonNorth Shore: $432,304 over 7y, 1.6% of budgetJAMES B MORAN CENTER FOR YOUTH ADVOCACY: $428,360 over 8y, 7.9% of budgetYOUTH JOB CENTER INC: $411,860 over 8y, 6.8% of budgetUniversity of Chicago: $300,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetYoung Mens Christian Assoc McGaw Inc: $296,022 over 7y, 1.0% of budgetEVANSTON REBUILDING WAREHOUSE: $235,368 over 6y, 6.4% of budgetCURT'S CAFE: $198,227 over 4y, 10% of budgetPEER SERVICES INC: $176,000 over 5y, 3.6% of budgetEVANSTON SCHOLARS: $167,000 over 7y, 3.1% of budgetNORTHLIGHT THEATRE INC: $165,600 over 8y, 0.9% of budgetYOUTH & OPPORTUNITY UNITED INC: $163,739 over 7y, 1.4% of budgetErie Family Health Center Inc: $146,500 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetOPEN COMMUNITIES: $145,192 over 5y, 10% of budgetEvanston Chamber of Commerce: $137,133 over 1y, 38% of budgetEVANSTON LATINOS NFP: $122,250 over 3y, 90% of budgetOPEN STUDIO PROJECT INC: $119,152 over 5y, 11% of budgetMEALS AT HOME: $117,200 over 3y, 8.0% of budgetEvanston Community Foundation: $117,030 over 3y, 1.3% of budgetCENTER FOR INDEPENDENT FUTURES: $115,925 over 7y, 1.6% of budgetCHILD CARE CENTER OF EVANSTON INC: $109,420 over 4y, 4.0% of budgetINTERFAITH ACTION OF EVANSTON: $98,770 over 6y, 7.2% of budgetC AND W MARKET FOUNDATION: $92,000 over 3y, 79% of budgetGICHIGAMIIN INDIGENOUS NATIONS MUSEUM INC: $87,691 over 4y, 7.7% of budgetLITERACY WORKS: $82,700 over 6y, 6.9% of budgetMudlark Theater Company NFP: $81,200 over 5y, 5.0% of budgetFAMILY PROMISE CHICAGO NORTH SHORE: $78,832 over 3y, 7.8% of budgetWARREN W CHERRY PRESCHOOL: $77,650 over 4y, 1.4% of budgetINSTITUTE FOR THERAPY THROUGH THE ARTS: $77,500 over 5y, 2.4% of budgetAFTER SCHOOL MATTERS INC: $75,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetEVERGREEN CLIMATE INNOVATIONS: $75,000 over 1y, 2.0% of budgetWASHINGTON SCHOOL PTA: $73,315 over 3y, 54% of budgetEVANSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION: $71,523 over 6y, 10.0% of budgetHOUSING OPTIONS FOR THE MENTALLY-ILL IN EVANSTON INC: $71,500 over 4y, 0.8% of budgetART ENCOUNTER: $68,000 over 3y, 6.5% of budgetMidtown-Metro Achievement Centers: $67,720 over 6y, 0.5% of budgetCOMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND FAMILY ISSUES: $67,500 over 4y, 1.0% of budgetYOUNG BLACK AND LIT: $65,000 over 3y, 18% of budgetNorthwestern University: $65,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTRILOGY INC: $64,200 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetTHE HARBOUR INC: $59,000 over 3y, 1.0% of budgetWILLARD SCHOOL PTA INC: $53,797 over 3y, 48% of budgetEVANSTON GROWS: $53,000 over 3y, 12% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

  • Who funds CONNECTIONS FOR THE HOMELESS INC ↗
  • Who funds Childcare Network of Evanston ↗
  • Who funds FARMWORKER AND LANDSCAPER ADVOCACY PROJECT ↗
  • Who funds EVANSTON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 202 ED FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds BOOKS AND BREAKFAST ↗
  • Who funds INFANT WELFARE SOCIETY OF EVANSTON INC ↗
  • Who funds YWCA EvanstonNorth Shore ↗
  • Who funds JAMES B MORAN CENTER FOR YOUTH ADVOCACY ↗
  • Who funds YOUTH JOB CENTER INC ↗
  • Who funds University of Chicago ↗
  • Who funds Young Mens Christian Assoc McGaw Inc ↗
  • Who funds EVANSTON REBUILDING WAREHOUSE ↗
  • Who funds CURT'S CAFE ↗
  • Who funds PEER SERVICES INC ↗
  • Who funds EVANSTON SCHOLARS ↗
  • Who funds NORTHLIGHT THEATRE INC ↗
  • Who funds YOUTH & OPPORTUNITY UNITED INC ↗
  • Who funds Erie Family Health Center Inc ↗
  • Who funds OPEN COMMUNITIES ↗
  • Who funds Evanston Chamber of Commerce ↗
  • Who funds EVANSTON LATINOS NFP ↗
  • Who funds OPEN STUDIO PROJECT INC ↗
  • Who funds MEALS AT HOME ↗
  • Who funds Evanston Community Foundation ↗
  • Who funds CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT FUTURES ↗
  • Who funds Reba Early Learning Center ↗
  • Who funds CHILD CARE CENTER OF EVANSTON INC ↗
  • Who funds Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti ↗

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Northwestern Universi…Lewis-Sebring Family …The Kellcie FundJohn D and Catherine …Elizabeth Beidler Tis…The Chicago Community…Circle of Service Fou…Frankel Family Founda…United Way of Metropo…Finnegan Family Found…Francis Beidler Found…Chicago Foundation fo…
Northwestern UniversityIL60.2× affinity30 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Northwestern University · Lewis-Sebring Family Foundation · The Kellcie Fund · John D and Catherine T Macarthur Foundation · Elizabeth Beidler Tisdahl Foundation · The Chicago Community Trust · Circle of Service Foundation · Frankel Family Foundation · United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Inc · Finnegan Family Foundation · Francis Beidler Foundation · Chicago Foundation for Women

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Evanston Community Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Evanston Community Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%19%38%56%75%share of the org’s income from government →median 1%
  • Cradles to Crayons Inc: 2% of income from government
  • United Way Suncoast Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Amherst College Trustees: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
37report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–75%
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 184 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Evanston’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home