Chicago Foundation for Women

CFW’s current strategic plan, Developing Leaders, Leading Change, is a road map for expanded impact via growth in CFW’s leadership development efforts and catalyzing the work of others in support of our mission. Now entering the fifth year of the plan, CFW continues to maintain its focus on supporting economic security, access to health care, and freedom from violence for women and girls, while undertaking a significant initiative to build and lead a growing Equity Network to move our region toward CFW’s vision to achieve gender equity for Chicago’s women and girls within a generation. It is an ambitious goal, but one we believe is possible through smart, targeted investments and collective buy-in. The specific goals outlined in the strategic plan are: 1) CFW leverages our impact by developing women leaders and expanding the capacity of organizations that directly advance our mission; 2) CFW leads, connects and supports individuals and institutions working to achieve gender equity in the Chicago region by 2030; and 3) CFW expands our capacity for impact through sustained and substantial growth of our asset base. Through collective impact, CFW seeks to achieve large-scale system change.

CFW takes a three-pronged approach to achieve its mission: 1) advocating for underserved women and girls; 2) providing grant support to both emerging and established organizations; and 3) offering an innovative array of leadership development and capacity building programming. Serving as a backbone organization, CFW convenes and coordinates the efforts of diverse groups and organizations working to better the lives of women and girls. Through collective impact, CFW seeks to achieve large-scale system change.

With deep roots in the community, CFW remains at the forefront of identifying the next challenges for women and girls. In 2019, working with nearly 3,000 donors and local partners on the front lines, CFW provided 166 grants that went toward advancing the health, economic security and safety of Chicago-area women and girls. Fiscal Year 2019 marked CFW’s highest annual grantmaking with $2,842,050 granted. CFW supports organizations serving the needs of women and girls throughout the Chicago region (Cook, Lake, DuPage, Will, McHenry and Kane counties). Your support will enable CFW to continue to build the effectiveness and sustainability of those community groups which hold the greatest promise to positively impact women and girls.

CFW aims to create a Chicago in which all women have access to comprehensive health services; where women and girls thrive from violence; where all women receive equal pay for equal work, and where women have the resources to invest in their futures, their families and their communities. To address these key issues, CFW uses an integrated approach serving as a convener, grantmaker and developer of diverse leaders.

Since its inception in 1985, CFW has been a leading voice in the effort to achieve basic rights and equal opportunities for women and girls. Today - 35 years later - CFW has grown significantly to be a critical partner in the global women’s funding movement. CFW recognizes that few community problems can be resolved without programs and strategies that intentionally address the needs of women and girls. To date, the Foundation has awarded nearly 4,000 grants to hundreds of organizations totaling nearly $39 million. In addition, CFW’s investments in coalitions and advocacy, as well as our own work building the leadership of advocates have helped to support the passage of 31 pieces of pro-women-and-girls legislation over the past four years. This has included the Equal Rights Amendment in Illinois, the No Salary History law that strengthens the Illinois Equal Pay Act, the Illinois Reproductive Health Act and a statewide sexual harassment law. Thanks to the past, sustained support of these movements and their infrastructure, even in times of more intense political opposition, CFW and our partners have been able to harness the opportunity of the current political climate to drive progressive change. As a result, Illinois is increasingly becoming a bastion for women’s rights in a nationally polarizing and oppressive sociopolitical context.

However, a great deal of work still needs to be done to address continuing gender inequalities. COVID-19 has made plain the preexisting, structural gender inequities facing our region and our country. For 35 years, CFW has been at the frontlines alongside our grantee partners, fighting against this inequity that is now top of mind for our society. As this virus rages on, women are disproportionately represented on the front lines of this fight and in industries crippled by the economic fallout – leaving them, many of whom are the primary breadwinner for their families, with reduced or no income and oftentimes, no health, sick leave or childcare benefits at all. It is the unfortunate reality that women, particularly Women of Color, are quite literally carrying the burden of this pandemic on their backs. Women are also losing their jobs at a higher rate than men. A recent report released by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research highlights just how deep these disparities run. Since February, 701,000 jobs have been lost across the U.S., the majority—nearly 60 percent—by women. These numbers are likely outdated as more people are losing their jobs daily.