We expand access to opportunity by helping individuals prepare for meaningful careers, connect to life-changing services, and navigate a path to lasting employment while stewarding public and philanthropic funds to strengthen the regional workforce.
Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership stands out for channeling large-scale public workforce funding into a tightly defined local system: its recent grants include an $18,427,130 award to EdAssist in Chicago for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and Other Grant Activities. The partnership’s portfolio centers on job training, employment services, and workforce program administration, with repeated support for American Job Centers, delegate agencies, and sector-based initiatives that move jobseekers into work. Several of its highest awards go to organizations that operate core workforce infrastructure, including Employment & Employer Services, National Able Network, and Business and Career Services. The foundation’s grantmaking also shows a strong implementation role. Rather than funding individuals, it supports organizations that deliver services to jobseekers, youth, dislocated workers, and low-income workers. Recent program areas include youth employment, reentry navigation, contact tracing, public health workforce development, and clean energy workforce work under CEJA. Its active programs show a recurring preference for competitive RFPs and delegate-agency models that fund service delivery across Chicago and Cook County.
One major thread is system operations for the workforce network. Through its One-Stop Operator RFP, Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership sought a neutral operator to coordinate WIOA partner services across American Job Centers in LWIA 7, linking services across the City of Chicago and Cook County. Youth workforce services are another recurring area. The WIOA Youth Delegate Agencies RFP funded workforce development for young adults ages 16–24 in Chicago and Cook County, with a focus on career readiness and training. The partnership also funds transitional employment and reentry support. Its Reentry Navigation Initiative — The Road Home is an 18-month demonstration project for people returning from incarceration, combining navigation services with paid work experiences and supportive services such as housing, legal, and mental health support. Public health workforce efforts appear in the Chicago Community Health Response Corps and Chicago COVID-19 Contact Tracing Corps RFPs, which used community-based employers to build local hiring capacity during COVID-19 response work.
$66.9M
$23.4M
$77.7M
$79.9M
Most grants fall between $130K and $686K, with a median of $280K.
25th Percentile
$130K
Median
$280K
75th Percentile
$686K
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Typical grant size is substantial: the 25th percentile is $130,209, the median is $279,599, and the 75th percentile is $685,527. The grant list also shows a clear mix of large system grants and smaller operating awards across Chicago workforce providers. Funding is not one-off in structure; several recipients appear in more than one year, often with renewed awards at similar program lines. Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership is a regular funder rather than a DAF or program-related-investment vehicle, and it does not fund individuals.
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly local and concentrated in Illinois, with 96% of grants going to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. The clearest center of activity is Chicago, where many awards go to providers such as EdAssist, Employment & Employer Services, National Able Network, Greater West Town Project, and Safer Foundation. Cook County also appears repeatedly in active RFPs and program geography, including American Job Center operations and youth services. Outside Illinois, a few grants in the recent list go to organizations in Louisville, Kentucky; Fulton, Maryland; and Cambridge, Massachusetts.
It funds organizations that deliver workforce services, including delegate agencies, American Job Center operators, and community-based employers. Recent awards support job training and placement, youth workforce services, reentry navigation, public health workforce work, and sector-based initiatives in Chicago and Cook County.
Typical awards are mid-sized to large: the 25th percentile is $130,209, the median is $279,599, and the 75th percentile is $685,527. Recent grants also range much higher for systemwide workforce administration and service delivery.
Its giving is local, and 96% of grants go to recipients in Illinois. The recent grant list is entirely U.S.-based, with some recipients outside Illinois in Louisville, Kentucky; Fulton, Maryland; and Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The foundation supports workforce development, job training and placement, youth employment services, reentry and justice-involved employment, public health workforce programs, one-stop and American Job Center operations, and clean energy workforce work under CEJA.
The pattern suggests recurring support for operating partners and workforce vendors. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including EdAssist, Employment & Employer Services, National Able Network, Business and Career Services, and Safer Foundation, often with awards in both 2023 and 2024.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Organizations capable of operating a Specialized American Job Center and providing workforce skills training and coaching in accordance with WIOA and local plan requirements.
Deadline: Proposals due by 4:00 PM (CT) on Friday, July 31, 2026.
Who can apply: Residents of suburban Cook County with disabilities and other special populations served through the program network.
Who can apply: Participants seeking construction careers and network organizations delivering ConstructionWorks services.
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Create a free accountDeadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISTS | Nashville, TN | $9,614,828 | 2026 | — |
| EdAssist | Chicago, IL | $7,067,642 | 2026 | — |
| Employment & Employer Services | Chicago, IL | $5,498,967 | 2026 | — |
| National Able Network | Chicago, IL | $4,219,724 | 2026 | — |
| Central State Ser | Chicago, IL | $2,857,894 | 2026 | — |
| Business and Career Services | Arlington Heights, IL | $2,411,615 | 2026 | — |
| Equus | Louisville, KY | $2,056,727 | 2026 | — |
| Calumet Area Industrial Commission | Chicago, IL | $1,833,749 | 2026 | — |
| Greater West Town Project | Chicago, IL | $1,551,105 | 2026 | — |
| YWCA Metropolitan Chicago | Chicago, IL | $1,203,670 | 2026 | — |
| OAI | Chicago, IL | $1,199,388 | 2026 | — |
| KRA Corporation | Chicago, IL | $1,112,797 | 2026 | — |
| Pyramid partnership | Chicago, IL | $1,061,001 | 2026 | — |
| Phalanx | Chicago, IL | $1,051,737 | 2026 | — |
| Chicago Federation of Labor Workers | Chicago, IL | $1,011,010 | 2026 | — |
| Moraine Valley Community College | Palos Hills, IL | $901,587 | 2026 | — |
| Scaleit | Chicago, IL | $879,219 | 2026 | — |
| Metropolitan Family Services | Chicago, IL | $816,093 | 2026 | — |
| Serco Inc - Cicero | North Riverside, IL | $812,144 | 2026 | — |
| Alternative School Network | Chicago, IL | $798,227 | 2026 | — |
| Bethel Community Facility | Chicago Heights, IL | $721,998 | 2026 | — |
| Food Hero | Chicago, IL | $715,570 | 2026 | — |
| Jane Addams Resource Center | Chicago, IL | $680,534 | 2026 | — |
| Health & Medicine Research | Chicago, IL | $631,834 | 2026 | — |
| SGA | Chicago, IL | $560,300 | 2026 | — |
| U-Can | Chicago, IL | $542,792 | 2026 | — |
| NIMS | Farifax, VA | $532,640 | 2026 | — |
| South Suburban College | South Holland, IL | $523,011 | 2026 | — |
| Dynamic Educational Systems Inc | Chicago, IL | $512,568 | 2026 | — |
| Discovery Partner Institute | Chicago, IL | $487,834 | 2026 | — |
| Safer Foundation | Chicago, IL | $471,032 | 2026 | — |
| Lawrence Hall | Chicago, IL | $448,149 | 2026 | — |
| Association House | Chicago, IL | $403,493 | 2026 | — |
| North Lawndale Employement Network | Chicago, IL | $380,536 | 2026 | — |
| Youth Job Center of Evanston | Evanston, IL | $379,519 | 2026 | — |
| Praire State College | Chicago, IL | $377,041 | 2026 | — |
| Marriott Foundation | Chicago, IL | $362,010 | 2026 | — |
| Olive Harvey | Chicago, IL | $341,874 | 2026 | — |
| Elgin Community College | Elgin, IL | $339,340 | 2026 | — |
| Polish American Association | Chicago, IL | $330,981 | 2026 | — |
| Catholic Bishop of Chicago - St Sabina | Chicago, IL | $329,942 | 2026 | — |
| Youth Guidance | Chicago, IL | $329,646 | 2026 | — |
| Maine Township 207 | Park Ridge, IL | $329,058 | 2026 | — |
| Habilitative Systems Inc | Chicago, IL | $325,497 | 2026 | — |
| Symbol Training Institute | Skokie, IL | $319,434 | 2026 | — |
| Youth Connection Charter School | Chicago, IL | $318,127 | 2026 | — |
| Boys and Girls Club of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $316,465 | 2026 | — |
| LaGrange Area Department of Special Education | LaGrange, IL | $313,549 | 2026 | — |
| New Moms | Chicago, IL | $310,474 | 2026 | — |
| AAR Aircraft Services | Wood Dale, IL | $309,638 | 2026 | — |
ISTS
$9,614,828EdAssist
$7,067,642Employment & Employer Services
$5,498,967Central State Ser
$2,857,894Business and Career Services
$2,411,615Equus
$2,056,727Calumet Area Industrial Commission
KRA Corporation
$1,112,797Pyramid partnership
$1,061,001Chicago Federation of Labor Workers
$1,011,010Moraine Valley Community College
$901,587Scaleit
$879,219Serco Inc - Cicero
$812,144Alternative School Network
$798,227Bethel Community Facility
$721,998Food Hero
$715,570NIMS
$532,640Dynamic Educational Systems Inc
$512,568Discovery Partner Institute
$487,834Safer Foundation
$471,032Praire State College
$377,041Olive Harvey
$341,874Elgin Community College
$339,340Catholic Bishop of Chicago - St Sabina
$329,942Maine Township 207
$329,058Habilitative Systems Inc
$325,497Symbol Training Institute
$319,434Youth Connection Charter School
$318,127Boys and Girls Club of Chicago
$316,465LaGrange Area Department of Special Education
$313,549AAR Aircraft Services
$309,638