( July 17, 2017 ) Chicago Foundation for Women has received a $1 million, four-year grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to advance basic rights and equal opportunities for women and girls through leadership development, capacity building and community education.
"This grant is an investment in the future of CFW," President and CEO K. Sujata said. "The challenges facing women and girls will not be solved overnight. These additional resources will strengthen CFW's capacity and help us continue to fight for generations of girls to come. We are grateful to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for its confidence in CFW's vision and continued leadership in the movement for gender equity."
The majority of the grant funds will support CFW's endowment, ensuring the foundation's long-term sustainability and capacity to remain a frontline funder and advocate addressing the most pressing issues affecting women and girls. The funds will also support CFW's continued efforts to build a growing network of individuals and institutions to achieve gender equity in the Chicago region by 2030.
"MacArthur is committed to Chicago's diverse neighborhoods and its people, as we have been for decades," MacArthur President Julia Stasch said. "We want our hometown to be a city where opportunity is equitable and justice can thrive. To make that aspiration a reality we are investing in the strength and growth of nonprofit organizations that focus on justice, provide critical services, build communities, look at persistent problems in new ways, and support a new generation of leaders."
Chicago Foundation for Women was one of ten Chicago organizations to receive a MacArthur Foundation grant. The $1 million grant will be paid out over four years.