Evanston Community Foundation Event Sponsorship

Sponsorship Opportunities:

We sponsor community events that align with our work to advance justice, empower leaders, and invest in Evanston. Applicants may request up to $1,000 in sponsorship funds.

*Please note: we are not able to fund all requests received through this sponsorship opportunity and cannot guarantee funding to any applicant. In some cases, applicants may be awarded partial funding for sponsorships.

About

The Evanston Community Foundation (ECF) offers event sponsorship opportunities to support community events and gatherings. These events are Evanston-serving and align with ECF’s mission, vision, and values. Events sponsored by the Evanston Community Foundation aim to bring the community together across differences in identities and lived experience to foster meaningful relationship building. These events celebrate Evanston as a community where all are welcomed and feel a sense of belonging.

Timeline

ECF collects sponsorship requests on a rolling basis. Applicants will receive a decision regarding their sponsorship request 3-4 weeks from the date of application submission. There are no reporting requirements for sponsorships.

Request Requirements

Sponsorship requests must be submitted through the Evanston Community Foundation's online grants management system between 2 to 6 months before the expected event date.
All sponsorship applicants must complete and pass an eligibility quiz prior to submitting a sponsorship application for consideration of support.
The lead applicant organization for the event sponsorship request must be Evanston-based and Evanston-serving.
The lead applicant organization be in existence and operating for at least 1-year.
The lead applicant organization must be a nonprofit organization with an active 501c3 tax exempt status.

Evaluation Criteria

Sponsorship applications are reviewed by ECF staff and evaluated based on the following four core criteria:

Mission and Strategic Priorities Alignment - Requests should align with ECF’s mission and strategic priorities.
Evanston and Community Impact - Requests should be Evanston-serving.
Accessibility - Requests should demonstrate a strong commitment to accessibility offering considerations for language, cognitive, auditory, visual, physical, and/or technology accommodations for event attendees.
Community Connection - Requests should intentionally aim to create the conditions for meaningful relationship building and connection between community members.

Past ECF Sponsorship Recipients

Shorefront Legacy Center - 2025 Unlocking Doors to the Past, Opening Doors for a Better Future
YWCA Evanston/North Shore - 2025 Ricky Byrdsong Memorial Race Against Hate
Evanston ASPA  - 2025 Umbrella Arts Festival
Open Studio Project - 2025 YEA! Fest
Family Focus - 2025 Annual Dinner
City of Evanston - 2025 Ancestor Dinner
EC2C - 2025 State of the Early Childhood Address
Evanston Chamber of Commerce - 2025 Mash Up Event
First Repair - 2025 Bus Tour at National Symposium for State and Local Reparations
Evanston Pride - 2025 Evanston Pride
Evanston Own It - 2025 Evanston Own It Anniversary Banquet
Open Communities  - 2025 Walk the Redline
Evanston Symphony Orchestra - 2025 A Very Special Special Needs Concert
Evanston Latinos - 2025 Evanston Latinos Annual Gala
2024 Evanston Chamber of Commerce Mash Up
2024 Interfaith Family Pride Festival
2024 National Symposium for State and Local Reparations Community Bus Tours
2024 Walk/Roll the Redline
2024 Ricky Byrdsong Memorial Race Against Hate
2023 Family Fun Fest
2023 Aging Well Conference
2023 Evanston Chamber of Commerce Mash Up
2023 Latinx Heritage Month
2023 Juneteenth Parade
2023 National Symposium for State and Local Reparations Community Bus Tours
2023 Umbrella Arts Festival
2023 PEP Fest
2023 Ricky Byrdsong Memorial Race Against Hate