Chicago Tribune Charities
Chicago, Illinois
Application and information:
Applications are available by invitation only. Please contact the following program staff for further information.
For Employment, contact Amanda Cage -- (312) 445-5026
For Hunger or Literacy, contact David Pesqueira -- (312) 445-5052
For Housing, contact Bill Koll -- (312) 445-5049
Family Strengthening, contact Molly Baltman -- (312) 445-5022
Giving Philosophy
The Chicago Tribune's giving philosophy is in keeping with the company's mission: to help people engage their world.
Chicago Tribune Charities, a fund of the McCormick Foundation, improves
the lives of disadvantaged children, adults, and families by funding programs that support basic needs such as hunger and housing, promote family development, improve
the employment prospects of individuals, and develop reading and literacy skills.
Chicago Tribune Charities has two primary giving areas: Special Initiatives and the Chicago Tribune Holiday Campaign.
Special Initiatives
Special Initiatives is a flexible giving area designed to support nonprofit
agencies or programs that do not fit the criteria of the Chicago Tribune Holiday
Giving campaign. Organizations may submit applications by invitation only. Grants include general operations, program or emergency support.
Chicago Tribune Holiday Campaign
Family Strengthening – supports positive parenting, child abuse and domestic violence prevention programs through child counseling, family support
and home-visiting services. The category also supports advocacy and technical assistance
programs that enhance services to families.
Housing – helps families and youth who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless through the support of prevention services, emergency, transitional, and
interim shelters, and transitional and supportive housing programs. The category
also supports endeavors to alleviate homelessness through advocacy and technical
assistance.
Hunger – supports the broad-and community-based efforts of various hunger-relief organizations.
Eligible programs include food banks and community networks. Advocacy
and training programs build the capacity of hunger programs, or create systemic
change in the field.
Literacy – supports established literacy programs for adults, children,
and families. Eligible adult programs include Adult Basic Education (ABE), English as a Second Language (ESL) and General Equivalency Diploma (GED) preparation. Eligible
programs for children include in- and after-school programs operated by nonprofit agencies for school age students who are at risk of illiteracy or reading at below
grade levels. Book purchases are supported only in the context of established literacy
programs. Family literacy programs promote the role of parents as first teacher
to their children. Advocacy and training programs build the capacity of literacy
programs, or create systemic change in the field.
Workforce Development – supports community-based vocational and employment programs for people in poverty. The category also supports advocacy and technical
assistance endeavors which promote improvement in the workforce development system,
increase resources available to disadvantaged job seekers, and enhance the quality
of service delivery.
Capacity Building - Capacity Building grants support enhancements to a
nonprofit’s management and operations functions, and can be used in such areas as
agency governance, fund raising, strategic planning, staff/program development,
fiscal management and technology. Grant requests must fit within the guideline areas
established within the Chicago Tribune Charities Holiday Campaign, are limited to
current or recent Tribune Charities grantees, and are accepted by invitation only.
The McCormick Foundation does not make grants to programs that would financially benefit Tribune Company or any of its subsidiaries.