CHILDREN FIRST FUND: THE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION

Children First Fund is aiming to promote the growth and success of Chicago Public Schools through philanthropy and Partnerships. We serve as a knowledge hub and liaison between CPS and its community of partners, including businesses, foundations, hospitals, higher education and cultural institutions. By matching resources provided by external donors and partners with the students, schools, and staff that need them most, CFF maximizes the impact of CPS’ partnerships, aligning Chicago’s generosity to furthering the CPS Vision and advancing equity.

CFF will work with partners to identify mutual areas of interest, engaging primarily in supporting the following initiatives:
(1) CPS Vision Priorities: CFF welcomes philanthropic engagement in systems-level change at CPS as outlined in the CPS Five-Year Vision. District strategic priorities in this space include the Chicago Roadmap, Healing Centered Project, Civics, Financial Education, Computer Science, Early Childhood, Scholarships, Teacher pipelines, Anti-violence efforts, and much more.
(2) Signature Sponsorship Campaigns: Through seasonal campaigns and annual funds, CFF proactively seeks corporate employee giving and sponsorship for Back to School, Teacher Appreciation Month and Scholarships.
(3) Featured Giving Campaigns: CFF raises funds for specific need-based giving campaigns throughout the year, such as the Multicultural Literature campaign.
(4) Direct School Giving: CFF matches partners with schools of greatest need for philanthropic support, capital improvements, resources, and student experiences.
(5) CFF Compassion Fund: The Compassion Fund provides critical support to schools, students, and families facing adverse circumstances, and to promote a safe, supportive, and equitable learning environment. The Compassion Fund allows us to act immediately when CPS families need help most, including the ongoing response to the global pandemic and other crises. Among the resources CFF was entrusted with distributing, the organization provided financial assistance to families to cover basic needs. Working closely with principals and network chiefs, these monetary gifts assisted families facing a variety of crises, like home fires, family deaths or illness, unemployment or lost wages, many of which have been caused or were exacerbated by the pandemic.

As the philanthropic arm of the district, CFF is directly aligned to district priorities and strategic goals and is able to:
(1) Build confidence in CPS through more sophisticated development and partnerships operation
(2) Organize the city’s vast financial, human capital and in-kind resources against the CPS’ vision
(3) Increase support for CPS by being a public-facing and proactive organization that simplifies the engagement process and improves partner benefits

Secured approximately $45 million in federal, state, city, and philanthropic funding in FY2021.
-Beginning in March 2020, CFF raised more than $11 million for the district’s COVID-19 response, plus in-kind support valued at $4 million.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CFF mobilized the Compassion Fund to direct resources to help CPS communities and families, bringing practical support and encouragement to thousands of students and families across Chicago. These resources included:
-12,000+ devices to support students as they learned from home.
-Literacy resources, including 6,500+ early reading kits for CPS’ youngest learners and 130,000 culturally-relevant books for older readers.
-Direct relief of financial gifts averaging $130 for 4,500+ families, with allocated aid totaling over $650,000.
-350 microgrants for graduating seniors to ease the post-secondary transition.
-7+ million face coverings and hundreds of thousands of units of hand sanitizer.
-A district-wide social and emotional learning (SEL) program to help students process trauma and grief.
-Fundraising, connecting with community-based organizations (CBOs), and supporting community outreach for the groundbreaking Chicago Connected initiative, in addition to serving as the fiscal agent for the program.
-Receiving and distributing more end-of-year online donors than ever before.

Partnered with City Hall and the district’s Office of Safety and Security to fund the Choose to Change (C2C) program, which offers youth a unique combination of individualized services, including intensive mentoring with group-based, and trauma-informed therapy.

Launched a multi-year fundraising campaign to establish and resource the Chicago Roadmap, a landmark collaboration between CPS and City Colleges of Chicago (CCC). CFF introduced this thoughtfully-researched effort to the Chicago community and also to nationwide philanthropic and education advocacy stakeholders.

Please follow @chifirstfund on all forms of social media and/or visit our new website (www.childrenfirstfund.org) to learn more about what we’re working on and how you can support!