Giving Councils + Giving Circles
Collective Giving = Collective Power
Give To What Matters To You
Chicago Foundation for Women has a long history of hosting Giving Circles and Councils (GCCs). Since 2004, the vibrant GCC member communities at CFW have granted over $2 million to more than 160 community-based organizations. Giving Council and Circle members link grassroots organizations to funding and the Foundation to new issues, leaders, and ideas.
Through its Giving Councils and Circles, Chicago Foundation for Women aims to:
- Exercise the power of giving individually and collectively to create an understanding of philanthropy within different cultures;
- Establish unique funds to provide additional support to the communities represented by the GCCs;
- Educate the public and take action on unique issues facing diverse communities in the Foundation’s areas of interest;
- Increase awareness about the Foundation’s work within diverse communities;
- Provide leadership opportunities and;
- Amplify the voice of underrepresented women and gender expansive individuals as philanthropists through democratic philanthropy.
Giving Councils
LBTQ Giving Council
We mobilize resources and support for, and invest in, community-based organizations that are advancing the gender, racial, and economic equity of LGBTQIA+ girls, womxn, and gender non-binary people in the Chicago region. Through its Lavender Fund, the LBTQ Giving Council was the first grantmaking entity in the city of Chicago to provide grants exclusively to lesbian communities. Learn More
Young Women’s Giving Council
The Young Women’s Giving Council powers transformational change towards an equitable and just society by investing in community-based organizations that center the experiences of BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) girls, young women, and trans and gender non-binary young people in the Chicago region through a community-led approach. Learn More
Giving Circles
North Chicagoland Giving Circle
The North Chicagoland Giving Circle of Chicago Foundation for Women mobilizes philanthropic resources of women and gender expansive individuals primarily living or working in Chicago’s Northern Suburbs to invest in the economic, social, and collective power of women, girls, and gender expansive individuals in those communities of metropolitan Chicago. Learn More
South Side Giving Circle
The South Side Giving Circle of Chicago Foundation for Women mobilizes philanthropic resources of women and gender non-binary people who have a meaningful connection to Chicago’s South Side and/or the South Suburbs to invest in the economic, social, and political power of Black women and girls in those communities of metropolitan Chicago. Learn More
West Side Giving Circle
The West Side Giving Circle envisions a Chicago where all Black women and girls, trans, gender nonconforming, and non-binary (TGNCNB) individuals and their families can thrive. The Circle seeks to support the development and well-being of Black women, girls, and TGNCNB individuals who live in West Side communities, helping them to build collective power and achieve excellence. Learn More
Western Suburbs Giving Circle
The Western Suburbs Giving Circle of Chicago Foundation for Women consists of members who combine our funds to leverage the power of collective gifts to nonprofits primarily residing in Chicago’s Western Suburbs which invest in the economic, social, and political power of women and girls in those communities of metropolitan Chicago. Learn More