Main Menu

Women’s Leadership Development Initiative

Better outcomes depend on better leaders. Yet skill-building, coaching, and mentoring are rarely on the agenda for those at the top, particularly at resource-strapped organizations. With major funding from the Polk Bros. Foundation and additional support from other valued partners, the Women’s Leadership Development Initiative at CFW is developing a new generation of nonprofit leaders. And by bringing those leaders together, the initiative also makes possible the kind of long-term partnerships and collective engagements that produce successful advocacy and social change.

Board Member Boot Camp

Increases the number and effectiveness of women serving on nonprofit boards throughout the Chicago area. Participants include board members of CFW grantee organizations and community members who have less than five years’ experience serving on boards; intensive sessions are offered on-site at corporations. The Boot Camp also includes a networking opportunity with local nonprofits in search of board members. Learn More

Core Concepts Coaching

Provides individualized instruction to grow the core concepts necessary for every nonprofit to master in order to sustain and grow: financial management, board development, communications, and fundraising. Each year, CFW creates a learning community of 15 agencies who are provided with personal coaches and consultants who works directly with each organization’s staff to build new skills, talent, and knowledge.

CULTIVATE: Women of Color Leadership Initiative

builds and sustains a cadre of energized women leaders of color who are well connected across movements. Developed in partnership with the Crossroads Fund, the Woods Fund of Chicago, and the Chicago Community Trust, the collaborative aims to strengthen the sustainability of women-of-color-led organizations and to encourage new models of leadership development and community organizing. Applications are now open for the 2020 – 2021 cohort. Learn More

The Breathing Room

The Breathing Room is a peer support program for leaders at CFW grantee organizations. Grounded in the belief that strong, supported leaders build strong organizations, the program invests in leadership development as a pathway to long-term sustainability and a more impactful nonprofit ecosystem across the Chicago region.

Willie’s Warriors Leadership Initiative

Elevates the leadership of Black women across the Chicago region, creating a pipeline and network of Black women leaders committed to equity and justice in Chicago. Warriors will gain a better sense of themselves as leaders and develop skills related to systems change, economic empowerment, communications, and strategic alliances while building a network among Black women leaders from diverse sectors and industries. Willie’s Warriors will honor and continue the legacy of the late Reverend Willie Taplin Barrow, with support from Rev. Barrow’s estate in partnership with African American Legacy (AAL) at the Chicago Community Trust. Learn More