ABOUT ECF

The Evanston Community Foundation is helping to build a just and inclusive community that is as extraordinary as the people who live here.

Peaple sitting at a picnic table in a park laughing

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to mobilize community resources to drive systemic social change and build a thriving and resilient Evanston. We achieve this by:

Investing in the community with a sustainable and long-term perspective
Empowering leaders to foster innovation and collaboration
Prioritizing community voice and choice

OUR VISION

We envision a vibrant, just and equitable Evanston, where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging.

OUR HISTORY

Our roots:

Founded in 1986, the Evanston Community Foundation has been a hub for community connection and support. We collaborate with donors, fund advisors, social movements, and the broader community to dismantle structural barriers, advance racial equity, and improve socioeconomic outcomes for everyone in Evanston.

Our future:

Inclusion, opportunity, and a commitment to justice are always present in our vision of the Evanston we are building.

OUR STRATEGIC PLAN

UBUNTU IN ACTION

In late 2021, the ECF Board of Directors approved a bold new strategic plan with one central goal: to promote and advocate for systemic racial justice.

To achieve this, the Community Foundation is committed to uniting partners from philanthropy, nonprofits, businesses and government to permanently strengthen our community.

The development of an equitable community in Evanston depends on the elevation of leaders and voices from across the community. ECF must be equitable and inclusive in our programming and grantmaking, and expand our leadership, outreach, advocacy, and educational offerings, especially to communities that have been historically excluded. This is how we will do it:
- Raise underrepresented voices in community listening, program development, advocacy, and grantmaking.
- Expand our signature program, Leadership Evanston, to a Leadership Institute, with a focus on new models of community leadership, previously underserved audiences, including youth and people of color, preparing the next generation of active, informed and concerned citizen leadership within Evanston.
- Prioritize addressing barriers to equity and justice in our grantmaking.
- Support community advocacy efforts and collective impact initiatives.
Nonprofit organizations are the heart and soul of Evanston. A strong, vibrant, and collaborative nonprofit sector is absolutely crucial to building an equitable, healthy community and maintaining a strong quality of life. Here's what we'll do to help achieve this:
- Spearhead opportunities for shared operations and efficiencies among Evanston nonprofits, empowering organizations to more strongly fulfill their missions.
- Expand ECF's nonprofit learning series to better meet current and future needs, including managing through transition, stabilizing the nonprofit workforce, and building a just and equitable nonprofit sector.
- Support nonprofit organizations in building capacity to effectively serve the Evanston community.
The pandemic highlighted the huge disparities in resources and opportunities that exist in Evanston. And while the initial crisis has in some ways passed, we know that many of these disparities have existed for generations and many Evanston families continue to struggle. We need to strengthen everyone in our community to face whatever challenges the future brings. Here's how we'll take it one step further:
- Build and collaborate on programs that will specifically improve family economic stability in communities of color, including supporting and expanding reparations work in Evanston.
- Play a leadership role in creating and funding a permanent guaranteed basic income program in Evanston.
- Relocate ECF offices to a community where we can serve as an economic anchor, including partnering with local businesses owned by women and people of color.
- Play a leadership role in the Savings for Success early childhood education savings program.
Using the principles of Ubuntu, we commit to continuing to build a connected and equitable organization by implementing the lessons learned from our past.