HIGHLAND PARK COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

We strive to support the agencies and organizations in our community that meet the unmet needs of the people who reside in Highland Park and Highwood. We also aim to expand opportunities for all Highland Park and Highwood residents.

We have an annual grant program whereby we accept funding applications from organizations and agencies that provide educational, child care, cultural/arts, senior service, social service, and enrichment programs. We have an investment committee that meets regularly to monitor our investment policies and endowment, and recommends the amount of grant funding to provide each year. We also have a grants committee that evaluates the funding applications and allocates the grant funds based on the number and quality of the applications that are submitted and the amount of available funds. Beyond this, our Board and Executive Director are actively engaged in fundraising to increase our endowment so we can provide more grant funding to expand opportunities and address the ever-growing needs in our community.

In 2016, the Board created a multi-year strategic plan that we are in the process of implementing to ensure our continued growth in board and leadership development, fundraising, our grant program, communications, and overall operations. We are also embarking upon the creation of a multi-year fundraising plan, with the goal of doubling our endowment in the next 3-5 years. We have a very engaged Board and also recently hired a part-time Executive Director to help guide and move us forward.

We have identified a new committee structure and new committee members to implement our strategic plan; we have retained the services of a consultant to help us develop a fundraising plan; we have added new members to our Board; we have a leadership succession plan in place to ensure continuity in leadership for the next 4-8 years; and, we have hired a part-time Executive Director and Administrative Assistant. We have also increased our grant allocations each year for the past decade as well as the number and variety of agencies and organizations we fund. We have further continuously evaluated our investment strategies and policies. What's next is to reach out to residents, businesses, and foundations to increase our funding base and endowment, and to network with other community foundations to learn and implement best practices.