Dear Friends of Evanston Community Foundation,
We are proud to share our 2025 Annual Report: A Year of Challenge, A Year of Action.
2025 has tested our community in new ways. From federal budget cuts to growing needs, many of Evanston’s nonprofits are facing some of the most difficult challenges in their history.
But when our community is in need, Evanstonians step up. With your help, the Evanston Community Foundation met the moment with adaptable grantmaking, deeper collaboration, and bold investments in local leader and organizations.
Specifically, we launched Resilience Grants to help nonprofits weather sudden federal and state funding loss. Shifted all community-led grants to unrestricted support- instead of dictating how organizations spend their grant dollars- reflecting our trust in local organizations to decide what their communities need most.
Through the Ubuntu Leadership Institute Initiative, we launched Board Leadership Training in partnership with the Eight Effect in an effort to prepare historically underrepresented voice for service on boards, taskforces, and commissions. In continued efforts to empower leaders in Evanston, we host quarterly Leadership Circles meetings for local leaders to connect and collaborate.
In 2025, we also doubled down on our efforts to advance justice in Evanston with prioritized funding to BIPOC-led organizations; and continued long-term support of reparative initiatives that address systemic harm.
Together, we’re doing more than just reacting. We’re building a stronger, more just Evanston. One that will be resilient in the face of life’s challenges.
In Ubuntu,
Sol Anderson, CEO & President
Our Mission is to mobilize community resources to drive systemic social change and build a thriving and resilient Evanston. We do this by:
Despite federal budget cuts and growing needs, our community continues to rise to the occasion. With your support, we met the challenges of a trying year with innovative grantmaking, powerful collaboration, and bold investments in the local leaders and organizations moving Evanston forward.
See how ECF met the moment when Evanston needed it most. Discover how fast action helped our nonprofits stay strong.
"I believe in ECF's mission. In this era of diminishing governmental support of charitable efforts it is very importnant for individuals to step up and fill the gap as best they can... I love that ECF partners with local groipls to help local people in need.."
"The Eight Effect is grateful for ECF's investment community leadership. Board Bootcamp started out as a labor of love for us at the Eight Effect so, having the support of the foundation through their Ubuntu Leadership Institute Board Leadership Training has been a great example of partnership."
ECF launched Resilience Grants in 2025 to support nonprofits experiencing unexpected financial hardship due to federal, state, and local funding loss. (*Note: This was a special one-time grant offering. ECF has since re-calibrated our investment strategy to provide long-term sustainable support).
These grants are selected by ECF's community-led committees to provide unrestricted funding to local nonprofits.
Collective & Enduring Grants support long-term solutions through collaboration and multi-year investments. These grants fund partnerships between nonprofits and community stakeholder working together to tackle complex challenges and drive lasting, systemic change in Evanston.
Catalyst Grants are small but powerful seed investments that help bold ideas take root. These grants often support new or under-resourced efforts that, with the right spark, can grow into lasting community impact.
