Chicago Commons
EIN: 36-2169136
Mission
Chicago Commons’ mission is to empower individuals, families, and communities to overcome poverty and systemic barriers, embrace opportunities, and thrive across generations. To fulfill that mission, we provide high quality early childhood education, family-centered adult education, and senior services to more than 3,500 individuals annually. We envision a future where all children, families, and seniors have equitable opportunities for success, generation after generation.
Ruling year
1985
President & Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Edgar Ramirez
Main address
515 E. 50th Street
Chicago, IL 60615 USA
EIN
36-2169136
Human services
Population served
Children and youth
Infants and toddlers
Adults
Seniors
People with disabilities
NTEE code
Neighborhood Center, Settlement House (P28)
Neighborhood Center, Settlement House (P28)
Human Services - Multipurpose and Other N.E.C. (P99)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reports Download other documentsWhat we aim to solve
Chicago Commons recognizes that every generation faces unique challenges. Empowering communities requires recognizing and responding to these generational struggles. Research shows that high-quality birth-to-five education leads to greater earnings, higher educational attainment, and better health later in life. Chicago Commons helps ensure our children have access to high-quality educational opportunities regardless of family income. For families with young children, research indicates that integrating services serves a child’s long-term wellbeing better than serving parents or children in isolation. Through our Family Hub, parents of children enrolled at our early childhood centers access meaningful supports that are responsive to their goals and needs. Finally, the number of people in metro Chicago between age 65 and 84 will double by 2040. Our services for seniors provide vital services for families with an aging loved one by relieving some of the heavy burden of caregiving.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Early Childhood Education
As the second largest provider of Head Start and Early Head Start in Chicago, Chicago Commons strives to ensure that its children start kindergarten ready to succeed by providing best-in-class early education programming for children from six weeks to five years old. Our programs include four directly operated early education family centers, six Community Partner Programs, and four subrecipient agencies with a total of 25 sites. Commons’ directly operated centers utilize the Reggio Emilia approach, a pedagogy in which children are empowered to author their own learning processes through self-directed, experiential learning.
Our centers are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, recognizing our high-quality learning environments, program administration, and teacher qualifications. Chicago Commons’ children consistently perform above city and national averages in the areas of math, literacy, social-emotional learning, and cognitive abilities.
Family Hub
Family Hub, our family-centered adult education program, positions our early education centers to meet the needs of the whole family. Family Hub provides workshops and one-on-one couching to parents on a variety of subjects including financial management, physical and mental health and well-being, employment and job-readiness skills, digital literacy, and advocating for themselves and their communities. Family Hub’s holistic, multigenerational approach improves economic mobility and family well-being by empowering participants with the tools to realize their ambitions.
Family Hub’s Pathways for Parents program provides the stepping stones for a career in early childhood education. This cohort-based program offers fully subsidized college courses located at one of our early education centers, guidance to become qualified as a teacher’s assistant, and help with transportation, meals, and childcare.
Senior Services
Chicago Commons’ Senior Services help seniors and adults with disabilities maintain their independence and quality of life. Commons offers both Adult Day Services (ADS) and Home Care to individuals across Chicagoland.
ADS is a professional care setting in which clients are transported to our center to receive individualized care in a community-based environment. Services include transportation in wheelchair accessible vehicles, nutritious meals, personal care, physical exercise, social activities, and health monitoring. The ADS center has the capacity to serve 80 seniors and disabled adults and operates with a fully trained staff and registered nurse on duty.
Home Care provides services to almost 1,300 individuals throughout the Chicago metropolitan area, empowering seniors and adults with disabilities to stay in their homes. A caregiver visits daily or weekly to assist with activities including light housekeeping, personal care, medication reminders, and meal preparation.
Where we work
Awards
Strengthening Families Award 2008
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Humboldt Park Community Heroes 2009
LISC
Citi Foundation Community Progress Maker 2018
Citi
Project Innovation Grant Challenge Winner 2022
Comcast NBCUniversal
Affiliations & memberships
United Neighborhood Centers of America 1900
Next Steps for Rigorous Research on Two-Generation Approaches 2021
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of children served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Low-income people, Working poor, Children, Infants and toddlers
Related Program
Early Childhood Education
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of families served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Economically disadvantaged people, Families, Parents, Caregivers
Related Program
Family Hub
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of seniors and adults with disabilities served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Older adults, Seniors, Economically disadvantaged people, People with disabilities
Related Program
Senior Services
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Chicago Commons’ three core activity areas – early childhood education, family-centered adult services, and senior services – create opportunities and move families toward educational success, economic security, and health and well-being.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
For 128 years, Chicago Commons has maintained the values of the historic settlement house movement by continually engaging in dialogue with community residents. We base our strategic direction on listening to the people we serve, understanding how the neighborhoods around us are changing, and seeking innovative ways to respond.
Today, Chicago Commons’ multigenerational approach supports low-income families in achieving their goals. For seniors and adults with disabilities, our services help people maintain their independence and quality of life. For families with young children, we provide a supportive environment, resources, and holistic approach to enable success.
Chicago Commons provides services for children, families, and seniors, including:
• Comprehensive early education for ages birth to age five at four directly operated early education family centers, as well as an after school and summer Youth Program for ages 5-12 at our Pilsen location.
• Program oversight to four subgrantee early education agencies and six Community Partners Program sites.
• Family Hub wraparound services to engage the whole family, delivering financial, employment, and health workshops and coaching.
• Adult Day Services and Home Care services throughout the Chicago Metropolitan Area, helping seniors and adults with disabilities maintain their quality of life.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Chicago Commons is a leading provider of high-quality services to children, families, and seniors in Chicago and beyond.
Chicago Commons is a recognized leader in early childhood education.
• Commons’ early education centers were among the first Head Start-funded programs in the nation to systematically implement the principles of the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy, earning us national attention. Through Reggio Emilia, children engage in student-driven investigations, hands-on activities, and questioning that develops higher-order thinking. Private preschools in Chicago using Reggio Emilia have tuitions approaching $25,000. By bringing this high-quality learning approach to low-income families, Chicago Commons is helping to dismantle educational inequity.
• Chicago Commons’ early childhood education programs have been recognized by ExceleRate Illinois as GOLD Circle of Quality programs for meeting the highest quality standards in learning environment and teaching quality, administrative standards, and teacher training. Our centers are also accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children for meeting high standards.
Chicago Commons’ Family Hub is an innovative model that provides over 550 parents with a full range of wraparound support to meet the needs of the whole family. In 2022:
• Family Hub’s Pathways for Parents program received Comcast NBCUniversal’s Project Innovation award.
• 70% of those participating in employment coaching completed a milestone and increased job-readiness.
• 77% of participants in our Pathways for Parents program complete their first two semesters of college coursework.
• 80% of participants in Wellness Wednesdays workshops reported that they used health strategies that they learned in the workshops, such as self-care and stress management skills.
Our senior care programs rank highly in terms of client satisfaction, and we are proud to bring the highest quality home care and adult day service to low-income clients across the city.
• Our programs support 1,100 seniors and adults with disabilities in 2022, providing them with a life of independence, dignity, and respect.
• Commons’ Adult Day Service (ADS) center has operated in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood since 2012. Participants at our center receive individualized therapy, socialize with others, and eat a nutritious meal. ADS also provides a Caregiver Support group for family members.
• Home Care Aides are available 24 hours a day to help homebound seniors with daily activities, provide personal care, or simply offer a friendly ear.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Chicago Commons began in 1894 as a settlement home for immigrants on the near Northwest side looking to build a life for their families. Over the years, Chicago Commons has evolved alongside the communities we serve as their needs have changed. Today, Chicago Commons is a cornerstone in some of the city’s most under-resourced neighborhoods, providing innovative Early Childhood Education, Family Hub services, and Senior Services. Our directly operated centers serve families with a median household annual income of $15,050, mainly in Humboldt Park, Pilsen, Bronzeville, and Back of the Yards. In collaboration with our subgrantee centers, Commons’ programs reach nearly 1,750 children , 556 parents, and 1,100 seniors.
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2021 info
1.92
Months of cash in 2021 info
1.3
Fringe rate in 2021 info
14%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Chicago Commons
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
Chicago Commons
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
This snapshot of Chicago Commons’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | -$43,836 | $139,808 | $292,968 | $1,021,370 | $568,689 |
| As % of expenses | -0.2% | 0.5% | 1.1% | 3.6% | 1.7% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | -$416,035 | -$250,934 | -$70,227 | $690,724 | $212,727 |
| As % of expenses | -1.5% | -0.9% | -0.3% | 2.4% | 0.6% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $26,537,233 | $27,621,577 | $27,236,700 | $29,739,272 | $34,368,248 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | -7.5% | 4.1% | -1.4% | 9.2% | 15.6% |
| Program services revenue | 95.8% | 94.3% | 97.0% | 95.7% | 95.6% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.8% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| All other grants and contributions | 3.3% | 5.1% | 2.8% | 4.2% | 3.6% |
| Other revenue | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $26,757,229 | $27,156,861 | $27,240,349 | $28,723,262 | $33,733,739 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | -2.9% | 1.5% | 0.3% | 5.4% | 17.4% |
| Personnel | 72.3% | 68.7% | 67.9% | 67.0% | 68.1% |
| Professional fees | 11.1% | 12.0% | 17.8% | 17.2% | 17.3% |
| Occupancy | 6.7% | 9.0% | 7.0% | 6.7% | 5.5% |
| Interest | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| All other expenses | 9.4% | 9.8% | 6.8% | 8.6% | 8.6% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $27,129,428 | $27,547,603 | $27,603,544 | $29,053,908 | $34,089,701 |
| One month of savings | $2,229,769 | $2,263,072 | $2,270,029 | $2,393,605 | $2,811,145 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $73,614 | $76,076 | $0 | $44,143 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $612,522 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $29,359,197 | $29,884,289 | $29,949,649 | $32,060,035 | $36,944,989 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 1.3 |
| Months of cash and investments | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 1.3 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.6 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $45,870 | $1,033,916 | $2,715,615 | $4,734,043 | $3,599,640 |
| Investments | $84,981 | $84,531 | $91,169 | $99,338 | $98,919 |
| Receivables | $9,229,108 | $8,273,959 | $6,283,352 | $5,158,359 | $6,390,370 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $6,738,720 | $6,763,459 | $6,889,044 | $7,501,566 | $7,774,212 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 34.7% | 40.4% | 44.9% | 45.7% | 48.6% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 31.8% | 29.7% | 29.6% | 30.7% | 27.9% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $7,828,586 | $7,577,652 | $7,507,425 | $8,198,149 | $8,410,876 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $480,301 | $802,648 | $511,117 | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $3,353,550 | $3,558,471 | $3,579,992 | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $3,833,851 | $4,361,119 | $4,091,109 | $4,041,333 | $5,121,181 |
| Total net assets | $11,662,437 | $11,938,771 | $11,598,534 | $12,239,482 | $13,532,057 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
President & Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Edgar Ramirez
Edgar Ramirez joined Chicago Commons in 2010 as Associate Executive Director. As a community organizer, he worked on issues such as leadership development, green space improvement, and anti-violence campaigns. Edgar was instrumental in organizing issues such as childcare income eligibility, comprehensive immigration reform, and youth job development. He earned a master’s degree from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago in Policy Analysis and Community Organizing and a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University. Currently, Edgar serves on Toni Preckwinkle’s Latino Advisory Committee, the Board of Directors at the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, the Illinois Association of Community Care Homecare Providers, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. He is a Leadership Greater Chicago fellow (2016), a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, and has been given the role of Employer Trustee with the SEIU Healthcare IL Home Care & Child Care Fund.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Chicago Commons
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Chicago Commons
Highest paid employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Chicago Commons
Board of directorsas of 01/25/2023
Board of directors data
Mr. Steven Sparks
Mary E. Timmons
Northern Trust
James Hill, III
ICL, LLC
Holly M. Baumgart
Sargento Foods Inc.
Ann Beran Jones
Retired Educatior
Robert E. Smietana
HSA Commercial Real Estate
Caroline Harney
University of Chicago Service League
Torrence L. Hinton
Peoples Gas and Northshore Gas
Ronald G. Kaminski
HBK Engineering, LLC
Philip B. Kenny
Construction Practice, Marsh USA Inc.
David R. Perez
ComEd
Daniel Chavez
PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP
Brian Marquez
Tampico Beverages, Inc.
Amit Mehta
Paul Hastings LLP
Ofelia M. Potter
Northern Trust
Leslia Roman
Parent Representative
John Yeager
Whitehorse Capital
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Contractors
Fiscal year endingGuideStar Pro Reports
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