We mobilize community resources to drive systemic social change and build a thriving and resilient Evanston.
Evanston Community Foundation’s grantmaking is built around Evanston-specific systems change, with unrestricted Community-Led Grants, cohort-based capacity building, and rapid-response support for community crises. Recent grants show a recurring emphasis on racial equity and on organizations serving Evanston residents through early childhood, youth development, housing, and basic needs work. The foundation also uses donor-advised funding and agency fund distributions alongside its own programmatic grantmaking, which gives it a mixed profile as a community foundation. Among the clearest signals in the grant list is support for local institutions and grassroots groups at multiple sizes and purposes. Evanston Public Library received both a $179,260 community-development grant in 2024 and a $178,320 agency fund distribution in 2025, while Evanston Township High School District 202 received a $158,379 agency fund distribution in 2025. Smaller but still consequential awards include $45,000 to Padres Empoderados for grassroots/emerging nonprofit work and $38,500 to FirstRepair for systems change distribution. The foundation’s active programs indicate a deliberate mix of general support, cohort learning, and targeted responses to inequity in Evanston.
Racial equity appears across several grant types, from unrestricted Community-Led Grants to E-Town Innovation Grants. A $45,000 grant to Padres Empoderados supported grassroots/emerging nonprofit work, while a $35,000 grant to Evanston Latinos also fell in that category. Early childhood and youth development are another clear lane. Books & Breakfast received $64,500 for early childhood in 2024 and $65,000 for nonprofit growth and sustainability in 2025. The Evanston Early Childhood Council was awarded $46,000 for early childhood, and YOU (Youth & Opportunity United) received $45,000 for youth and education. The foundation also backs arts and community institutions. Open Studio Project received $46,350 for arts and humanities, and Northlight Theatre received $45,000 for the same area. In housing and basic needs, the Community Coalition to End Homelessness in Evansto received $40,000 for housing.
Typical grant sizes cluster in the mid-five-figure range: p25 is $12,566, median is $20,500, and p75 is $25,700. The recent grant list also shows several larger awards, including donor-advised and agency fund distributions that sit above that core range. The foundation’s structure is that of a public charity and mixed community foundation, and the active program list shows both unsolicited cycles and invitation-only opportunities. Root2fruit Bootcamp, Community-Led Grants, E-Town Innovation Grants, Resilience Grants, and the Now Fund accept unsolicited funding requests, while Building the Future, Catalyst Grants, and Partners for the Future do not. Recipients also appear across multiple years, including Evanston Public Library, Books & Breakfast, and C&W Foundation.
$2.6M
$44.7M
$7.6M
$5.4M
Most grants fall between $13K and $26K, with a median of $21K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$21K
75th Percentile
$26K
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Grantmaking is overwhelmingly local: 95% of grants go to recipients in Illinois, and the recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based. Evanston is the main city visible in the recent grants list, with awards to Evanston Public Library, Evanston Township High School District 202, Books & Breakfast, Evanston Early Childhood Council, and YOU (Youth & Opportunity United). Chicago also appears repeatedly through University of Chicago, Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project, and Literacy Works. Other Illinois locations include Skokie through Northlight Theatre.
The grant list and active programs show support for nonprofits, grassroots community groups, businesses with a charitable purpose, and local institutions. Recipients include Evanston Public Library, Books & Breakfast, Padres Empoderados, FirstRepair, and Evanston Latinos, with funding tied to community development, early childhood, equity and access, and systems change.
Yes. Community-Led Grants are described as unrestricted, flexible general operating grants for work addressing systemic inequities in Evanston. The active programs also include the Now Fund for operating support and general organizational sustainability.
The grant-size distribution centers in the low tens of thousands: p25 is $12,566, median is $20,500, and p75 is $25,700. The recent grants list includes some larger awards as well, such as $300,000 to University of Chicago and $179,260 to Evanston Public Library.
Yes. The active program list says E-Town Innovation Grants, Community-Led Grants, root2fruit, Resilience Grants, and the Now Fund accept unsolicited requests. Other cohort and matching programs, including Building the Future and Partners for the Future, do not.
It is highly local. The geographic scope is listed as local, 95% of grants go to recipients in Illinois, and the recent grants list is dominated by Evanston organizations, with additional Illinois recipients in Chicago and Skokie.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Evanston Community Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Open to local nonprofits and community organizations described on the grants page; selection is made by ECF's community-led committees.
Deadline: 2026 Fall Cycle.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | $300,000 | 2025 | Donor Advised |
| Evanston Public Library | — | $178,320 | 2025 | Agency Fund distribution |
| Evanston Township High School District 202 | — | $158,379 | 2025 | Agency Fund distribution |
| Evanston Community Foundation | — | $94,830 | 2025 | Donor Advised |
| Evergreen Climate Innovations | — | $75,000 | 2025 | Donor Advised |
| After School Matters | — | $75,000 | 2025 | Donor Advised |
| Books & Breakfast | — | $65,000 | 2025 | Nonprofit Growth & Sustainability |
| Rebuilding Exchange | — | $50,150 | 2025 | Donor Advised |
| PADRES EMPODERADOS | — | $45,000 | 2025 | Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits |
| Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project | — | $45,000 | 2025 | Nonprofit Growth & Sustainability |
| FirstRepair | — | $38,500 | 2025 | EC2C Systems Change Distribution |
| C&W Foundation | Evanston, IL | $36,000 | 2025 | Donor Advised |
| Evanston Latinos | — | $35,000 | 2025 | Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits |
| Reparations Stakeholder Authority of Evanston (RSAE) | — | $30,000 | 2025 | ECRRF Collective & Enduring Grants |
| King Arts PTA | — | $29,563 | 2025 | Special Project |
| James B Moran Center for Youth Advocacy | — | $29,450 | 2025 | Nonprofit Growth & Sustainability |
| Connections for the Homeless | — | $28,050 | 2025 | ECRRF Collective & Enduring Grants |
| YWCA EvanstonNorth Shore | — | $27,900 | 2025 | EC2C Systems Change Distribution |
| Oakton School PTA | — | $27,748 | 2025 | Special Project |
| Washington School PTA | — | $27,489 | 2025 | Special Project |
| Open Studio Project | — | $27,320 | 2025 | Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits |
| Oscar M Chute Middle School PTA | — | $25,846 | 2025 | Special Project |
| Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum | — | $25,500 | 2025 | Nonprofit Growth & Sustainability |
| McGaw YMCA | — | $25,500 | 2025 | Nonprofit Growth & Sustainability |
| Kuumba Evanston | — | $25,500 | 2025 | Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits |
| Infant Welfare Society of Evanston | — | $25,250 | 2025 | Nonprofit Growth & Sustainability |
| ARTSIE INC | — | $25,000 | 2025 | Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits |
| Youth Technology Corps NFP Inc | — | $25,000 | 2025 | Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits |
| Young Black & Lit | — | $25,000 | 2025 | Nonprofit Growth & Sustainability |
| Evanston ASPA | — | $25,000 | 2025 | Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits |
| Latinos en Evanston Northshore | — | $25,000 | 2025 | Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits |
| Family Promise Chicago North Shore | — | $25,000 | 2025 | Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits |
| Erie Family Health Centers | — | $25,000 | 2025 | Nonprofit Growth & Sustainability |
| WINGS Program Inc | — | $25,000 | 2025 | Donor Advised |
| David E Walker School PTA | — | $24,264 | 2025 | Special Project |
| Lincoln Elementary School PTA | — | $23,033 | 2025 | Special Project |
| Bessie Rhodes PTA | — | $22,494 | 2025 | Special Project |
| Tech All Stars Program | — | $22,400 | 2025 | Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits |
| Nichols Middle School PTA | — | $21,729 | 2025 | Special Project |
| Dawes School PTA | — | $21,587 | 2025 | Special Project |
| Willard School PTA | — | $20,545 | 2025 | Special Project |
| Kingsley PTA | — | $20,540 | 2025 | Special Project |
| Haven Middle School PTA | — | $20,196 | 2025 | Special Project |
| Evanston Health Dept | — | $20,000 | 2025 | E-Town Innovation |
| Evanston Collective | — | $20,000 | 2025 | EC2C Systems Change Distribution |
| PEER Services Inc | — | $20,000 | 2025 | E-Town Innovation |
| Boys HopeGirls Hope of Illinois (BHGH) | — | $20,000 | 2025 | E-Town Innovation |
| Wraparound Evanston | — | $20,000 | 2025 | EC2C Systems Change Distribution |
| Purple Line Adventure Play | — | $19,243 | 2025 | Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits |
| Evanston Roundtable Media | — | $19,000 | 2025 | Donor Advised |
Evanston Public Library
$178,320Agency Fund distribution
Evanston Township High School District 202
$158,379Agency Fund distribution
Donor Advised
PADRES EMPODERADOS
$45,000Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits
C&W Foundation
$36,000Donor Advised
Evanston Latinos
$35,000Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits
Reparations Stakeholder Authority of Evanston (RSAE)
$30,000ECRRF Collective & Enduring Grants
King Arts PTA
$29,563Special Project
Oakton School PTA
$27,748Special Project
Washington School PTA
$27,489Special Project
Open Studio Project
$27,320Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits
Oscar M Chute Middle School PTA
$25,846Special Project
Kuumba Evanston
$25,500Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits
ARTSIE INC
$25,000Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits
Youth Technology Corps NFP Inc
$25,000Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits
Young Black & Lit
$25,000Nonprofit Growth & Sustainability
Evanston ASPA
$25,000Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits
Latinos en Evanston Northshore
$25,000Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits
Family Promise Chicago North Shore
$25,000Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits
David E Walker School PTA
$24,264Special Project
Lincoln Elementary School PTA
$23,033Special Project
Bessie Rhodes PTA
$22,494Special Project
Tech All Stars Program
$22,400Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits
Nichols Middle School PTA
$21,729Special Project
Dawes School PTA
$21,587Special Project
Willard School PTA
$20,545Special Project
Kingsley PTA
$20,540Special Project
Haven Middle School PTA
$20,196Special Project
Evanston Health Dept
$20,000E-Town Innovation
PEER Services Inc
$20,000E-Town Innovation
Purple Line Adventure Play
$19,243Grassroots/Emerging Nonprofits
Evanston Roundtable Media
$19,000Donor Advised