Focusing on the issues facing our women

The Key to Economic Independence


Our supporters know that the Eleanor Foundation seeks to help female heads-of-households with in­comes between $10,000 and $40,000. But you may not know how the Foundation arrived at the $40,000 figure.

Read more at the TheEleanorBlog.

Annual Reports




Gaining Ground—By Growing At Work
2010 Annual Report

In 2010, the Eleanor Foundation focused on job skills training to help lower-income working female heads-of-households achieve sustained economic independence. We gave grants to eleven local nonprofits that are advancing the economic security of these women and their families in Chicago.

Learn about our successes with Eleanor Network programs—including our training partnership with the Kinzie Industrial Development Corp. and Superior Ambulance.

Read a summary of our research study that highlights important demographic changes as well as other significant shifts in our target population of women.



2009 Annual Report: Collaborating. Working. Succeeding.

In the midst of the recession, the Eleanor Foundation and its 2009 donors increased support to advance single working women's economic independence. This annual report features collaborations that help single working women succeed, including:

  • A summary of how the Eleanor Foundation assisted Heartland Human Care Services (HHCS) in creating employer partnerships and the impact the program has had on meeting the challenges single working women face.
  • A feature on the work of the Christian Community Health Center, the recipient of a three-year Eleanor Foundation grant.
  • A feature about the Eleanor Foundation and the Steans Family Foundation's collaborative funding initiative. The organizations co-invested in career education with a focus on engaging a community-based employer in collaborative workforce development.
  • A detailed description of the Eleanor Foundation's grantees—eight local nonprofits that are advancing the economic security of Chicago's single working women and their families.

This annual report detailed our 2009 grants, and included a list of donors to the Foundation, financials, and a list of its Board of Directors.



Report on Activities, 2007 - 2008

This summary of the past two years of activities by the Eleanor Foundation was introduced by Scott C. Swanson, Chair of the Eleanor Foundation's Board of Directors, and Rosanna A. Márquez, its President. It featured:

  • A summary report on the work fostered by the Foundation's three-year Self-Sufficiency grants program, including details on grantees and a map of the network we are building to assist working women throughout Chicago.
  • A feature on the three Eleanor Foundation grantee partners involved in our new partnership: Mujer Avanzando (Advancing Woman), including a profile of program participant Irisbel Ramirez.
  • A feature on the Foundation's partnership with the Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund that seeks to stabilize housing arrangements for working women in Chicago.

As in previous years, this report included a list of donors to the Foundation, along with detailed financials, and a list of its Board of Directors.



Report on Activities 2005 - 2006

This summary of the Foundation's ongoing programs and activities from 2005 and 2006 was introduced by Stephen V. King, Board Chair, and Rosanna A. Márquez. The Report featured:

  • A profile of the Foundation's activities, including research and grant programs, that outlines the four core needs of women in our target population.
  • A portrait of the working women we seek to serve, including demographic information based on our funded research, along with additional key findings on their education, housing situations, employment, and access to public services, from our policy forum in late 2005.
  • A spotlight on a housing program, Choose to Own, supported by the Foundation.

This biennial report detailed our 2005 and 2006 grants, and included a list of donors to the Foundation, financials, and a list of its Board of Directors.

Report on Activities 2003 - 2004

This summary of the Foundation's ongoing programs and activities from 2005 and 2006 was introduced by Carol A. Maier, Chair of the Foundation's Board, and Rosanna A. Márquez. This Report featured:

  • Detail on the economic situation faced by single working mothers and other working women in the greater Chicago area, including key statistics on the costs and challenges they face.
  • A summary of the Foundation's focus on four key barriers to women's economic success
  • A feature on a childcare assistance network supported by the Foundation: the Austin Childcare Providers Network, which helps women in this west-side Chicago neighborhood to access safe, affordable childcare.

This biennial report included details on our 2003 and 2004 grants, a list of donors to the Foundation, financials, and a list of its Board of Directors

Learn Kamilyn's Story


Unemployed and living in a shelter with her three children, Kamilyn asked for help. She found it at The Cara Program, an Eleanor Network partner. Now, Kamilyn works full-time, raises her family in a four-bedroom apartment, and goes to college. "You have to set an example for your kids. You're their Spiderman and their Superman. So if they see you defeated, they'll think they can't do anything themselves."

Read more of Kamilyn's story