ECF funds

Following is a complete list of all ECF funds.

ECF offers a full range of funds to meet the needs of our community and to support the philanthropic goals of our donors. To learn more about our different types of funds, please refer to Ways to Give.The funds are listed by fund family. Each list is in alphabetical order by last name for funds in an individual's or family's name.

funds support ECF’s work across Evanston

Now! Fund • The Now! Fund empowers ECF to serve our community now, enabling us to address Evanston’s challenges with innovative grantmaking and collaborations among community partners. Your gift will bring new ideas to fruition, and mobilize money, people, ideas, and talent.

forever!funds

ECF’s unrestricted endowment funds – our Forever! Funds – provide resources for the present and build assets to address Evanston’s unforeseeable future needs.  We invest your gift to grow in perpetuity, and because we pool many gifts, you participate in big projects that will have an impact for years, even if your own contribution is modest. 

Foundation Fund • The Foundation Fund supports ECF's staff and operations in our work across Evanston for a more vibrant, inclusive and equitable Evanston. The Foundation Fund includes several subsidiary funds honoring former ECF board and staff, Jim Kogen Foundation Spirit Fund • Established to honor the memory of Board member Jim Kogen. Gene Lavengood Fund • Established as a memorial fund to honor former board member Gene Lavengood and is a component of the Foundation Fund.

  • JLF Fund for Foundation Sustainability • Honors the work of Jan Fischer, the Foundation’s retired CFO, over a seventeen year period of continuous growth and expansion.
  • Marybeth Schroeder Enrichment Fund for ECF • Honors Marybeth Schroeder upon her retirement after more than 20 years leading ECF programs, including Leadership Evanston and community grantmaking.
  • Sara Schastok Fund • This Fund honors retired ECF President and CEO, Sara Schastok, in recognition of her leadership over an accomplished and dynamic fifteen year period. 

Fund for Evanston • The Fund for Evanston is the Foundation's original, unrestricted endowment, established to provide for Evanston's vitality for years to come by supporting grantmaking, initiatives and programs. The Fund for Evanston includes several subsidiary funds

  • Mr. and Mrs. Carlyle Anderson Fund
  • Natasha S. Deutsch Fund
  • Evanston Realtors Fund and its subsidiary fund, the George Cyrus Memorial Fund
  • Evanston United Way Fund
  • Martha and Don Farley Fund
  • Rees-Servillo/Jan Heffernan Memorial Dinner Fund
  • Jeffrey M. Schoenberg Honorary Fund

donor advised funds

ABS Fund

B & J Fund

Bradley Family Fund

Brewer Family Foundation Fund

Aaron William Davidson Fund

Easter Family Foundation Fund

Patricia P. and Jerome E. Fuller Charitable Fund

Goldstein/Marshall Family Fund

Goodman/Weinberger Fund

Gratch Family Fund

Hagerty Altenbernd Fund for Evanston

Kaput D'Angelo Family Fund

Lytle Family Fund

MALTAP Fund

Joe "Butch" Martin Fund

Murdoch Walker Family Fund

P & K Fund

Partners for the Future Fund

Pendleton Fund

Plumtree Fund

Red Bud Fund

Rees/Servillo Family Fund

Rosenbaum Witt Family Fund

Sachs Family Fund

Ticus Family Fund

Un-Anonymous Athlete Fund

Charlie Vernon Performance Fund

Waskow Slater Family Fund

Weisblat Family Fund

donor advised special interest funds

Friends of the Arts Fund • Supports public art in Evanston

Jon Kimmel Memorial Fund • Honoring the memory of Jon Kimmel, the fund supports arts education projects benefiting youth.

Avi Kurganoff Memorial Fund • This fund, established to honor the memory of Avi Kurganoff, supports experiential outdoor programs for youth.

David Mulder Mental Health Fund • Established in memory of David Mulder to support programs promoting mental health for teens and young adults.

Hazel E. Smart Memorial Fund • Provides access to quality early childhood education or early childhood programming for families whose children may not otherwise be able to attend.

Samuel Isaac Wiener Memorial Fund • Fund honoring the memory of Samuel Wiener will support programming for children through young adults who might not otherwise have access to tennis instruction or other athletic endeavors. 

donor designated funds

Virginia L. and William K. Beatty MLA Volunteer Service Award • Recognizes a medical librarian who has demonstrated service to the Medical Library Association and the health sciences library profession.

William K. Beatty Medical History Prize • Honors outstanding research in the field of medical history and provides medical history materials to Northwestern University's Galter Health Sciences Library.

Evanston Men Promise Award Fund for Evanston Scholars • Provides one or more annual awards to honor high achieving participants in the Evanston Scholars program.

Foster Reading Center Fund • Supports programs at McGaw YMCA and Learning Bridge Early Learning Center to increase reading skills and provide access to reading materials.

Fund for Curt’s Café • Supports the work of Curt's Cafe, as it applies the principles of restorative justice to develop work and life skills in young ex-offenders.

Grandmother Park Fund • For maintenance and upkeep of Grandmother Park, a playlot for toddlers, their families and caregivers located at 1125 Dewey Avenue.

Susan Willis Heiberger Memorial Garden Fund • Maintains the Heiberger Memorial Garden at ETHS, honoring the membory of Susan Willis Heiberger.

Bruce E. Mitchell Short Story Fund • Provides annual awards recognizing outstanding short stories written by ETHS juniors.

Chuck Remen Memorial Fund • Benefits youth activities at the McGaw YMCA.

YWCA Evanston/North Shore Education Fund • Provides annual awards to Evanston girls and young women, consistent with the mission of the YWCA.

Scholarship Funds

Beatty Family Scholarship Fund • Provides awards to three college-bound ETHS graduates with interest and achievement in the areas of foreign language, journalism or writing, and science, honoring the children of Virginia L. and William K. Beatty: Carol, Margaret and William B.K. Beatty.

Chicago Urban Youth Scholarship Fund • Fund established by Northwestern University Dance Marathon to benefit its 2002 beneficiary, Midtown Educational Foundation, Chicago.

Norman W. Thomas Jr. Scholarship Fund • Provides college or technical school scholarship to a graduating ETHS senior.

Rose and Andy Thomas Educational Fund • Supports a scholarship assistance to a graduating ETHS senior who is a first or second-generation resident of the USA and/or has a focused interest in international travel and studies. The fund also supports early childhood education and anti-hunger initiatives. 

field of interest funds

Acorn Fund Encourages projects and initiatiaves to explore new ideas of value to our community.

Shawn Patrick Afryl #56 Shoe Fund • Provides funding to high school athletic programs for the purchase of shoes and equipment for student athletes who might otherwise be unable to participate.

All Our Sons • Supports programs and initiatives for boys and young men, providing them opportunities to develop, flourish and become engaged, responsible members of our community.

Arts in Community Fund • Supports grants to strengthen and support a vibrant arts community in Evanston.

Balkcom Family Fund for Literacy and Affordable Housing • Established by the Balkcom Family to promote and support literacy and affordable housing in Evanston.

Communityworks Fund • The single largest endowed fund of the Foundation supports grants for programming and strategic initiatives in early childhood, youth, land use and the environment, and the range of activities necessary to develop and sustain a strong, local workforce .

Cultural Diversity Initiative • Promotes harmony and understanding among racial and ethnic groups with special consideration for projects in the area of early childhood education.

EDN Fund for Early Childhood • Supports early childhood development and high quality education  for children aged 0 to 5.

Leonard Fisher Fund for Nursing Education • Funds continuing education for ICU nurses at Highland Park and Lake Forest Hospitals. 

Fund for Women & Girls • Supports grants and community education to empower women and girls.

Green Communities Fund • Funds initiatives to focus attention on environmental protection, reduction of greenhouse gases, resource conservation, and energy efficiency.

Leadership Endowment • Supports ECF’s Leadership Evanston and other community programs.  Includes the Marybeth Schroeder Fund for Leadership.

Lydia Martin Memorial Fund for Children and the Arts • Honors the memory of Lydia Martin with annual distributions support grants for hands-on arts education programs benefitting disadvantaged children and youth.

Lorraine Hairston Morton Fund for Youth • Supports grants to organizations and projects with the objective of increasing employment and educational opportunities for Evanston youth.

Sara Schastok Fund for Communityworks  Honors Sara Schastok, ECF president and CEO, upon her retirement in 2015 and supports ECF’s Communityworks initiatives.

Sweers' Fund for an Equitable and Resilient Evanston • Supports Evanston's most vulnerable community members. Grants address inequities in our community's systems that have adversely affected our black, brown, and economically disadvantaged community members.

Faith Vilas Fund for Youth • Provides for programs serving youth.

YEA! Harvey Pranian Legacy Fund for the Arts • Preserves the legacy of YEA! (Young Evanston Artists) and honors Founder and Project Director, Harvey Pranian. Grants from the Fund support the annual YEA event and/or projects and opportunities to advance the development of Evanston children and youth through the arts.

organization endowments

Bethel AME Church Evanston Endowment Fund

Center for Women's History and Leadership Endowment

Warren 'Billy' Cherry Scholarship Fund

Chessmen Club Scholarship Fund - William & Marcia Logan Family Scholarship Fund

Chessmen Legacy Fund

Chicago Zen Center Fund

Eisner Endowment for Roycemore School

ETHS Educational Foundation Fund   Includes the component funds:

  • Winifred Guthrie Anderson Early Childhood Education Award
  • Oliver Baty Cunningham Memorial Prize Fund
  • David B. Fodor Musician Residency Program Fund
  • Richard A. Giesen Memorial Scholarship Fund
  • Margaret Gunn Scholarship Endowment
  • William and Stella (Levas) Ketter Scholarship Fund
  • Jannette E. Lee Memorial Award Fund
  • Joseph and Linnie Lee Moragne Memorial Scholarship Fund
  • Lenora Moragne Scholarship Fund
  • Sydney M. Pond Vocational Education Fund for ETHS
  • Jack Rakove Award Fund
  • Ron Sellke Mathematics and Citizenship Lecture Series Fund
  • Unterman Fund for ETHS
  • Barry Zwick Football Scholarship Fund

Evanston Environmental Association Fund

Evanston Environmental Education Fund

Evanston Fourth of July Association Fund

Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Endowment

Evanston Public Library Endowment Fund

Evanston Symphony Orchestra Association Fund

Five Pearl Foundation Fund

Grady Bird Sanctuary Fund for the Evanston Environmental Association

Ann Jennett Fund for Youth Job Center

North End Mothers' Club Fund

North Shore Village Fund

Open Communities Organization Fund

Organizational Endowment for the Center for Independent Futures

Rotary Club of Evanston  Educational Fund Supports the Rotary's Club charitable initiatives.

Second Baptist Church Ione S. Brown Scholarship Fund

Shorefront Legacy Fund 

Joan Barr Smith Endowment for Women's History

special / strategic project funds

Climate Action Fund • Climate Action Fund funds grants for greenhouse gas emission-reduction projects to help Evanston meet the goals of its Climate Action Plan.

Evanston Gun Buyback Fund • Supports initiatives by the City of Evanston to remove unwanted guns from circulation.

Evanston Reparations Community Fund • The Fund will benefit Evanston’s Black community, to heal racism and address harm caused by discriminatory practices. It will be administered by the Reparations Stakeholders Authority, as it raises funds, develops grant processes, and administers grants to advance Evanston Reparations. A key objective is to ensure funding is available for reparations when the City of Evanston's tax revenues, held in a separate fund administered by the City, are no longer available.

Fund for Evanston Trees • Supports the care and treatment of Evanston’s elm trees in parkways, parks and public areas, as well as broader efforts to care for and maintain trees and green spaces throughout Evanston. Environmental justice for underserved neighborhoods and alignment with CARP will guide decisions on spending from the Fund.

Leadership Evanston Program Fund • Supports scholarships and receives tuition payments for ECF’s Leadership Evanston Program.

PTA Equity Project Fund  To ensure all students in Evanston/Skokie District 65 have equitable access to the important supports and enrichments many PTAs provide, D65 PTAs are now collectively pooling all funds raised throughout the district to be equitably distributed to all schools each year. D65 PTAs have joined forces to create the One Fund Initiative to capitalize on the potential of our broader community and collectively meet the needs of all our schools together.