Give the Gift of Independence!

Steans Family Foundation pledges to match your donations this summer

Would you feel independent if you lived on less than $1,000 a month? Would you feel like you live in the land of the free?

Could you even afford to celebrate a three-day weekend—on July 4 or Labor Day? Probably not.

For years, single working mothers in the U.S. have lost ground. Two-thirds of America's ten million single mothers work over forty hours a week. Yet, on average, these women earn only $19,000 a year—an almost inconceivably small income to pay rent, put food on the table, and pay for childcare, transportation, clothing and medicine for the children. Let alone have time to take an extra day off.

95% of these women receive no public benefits. No support that could help them advance at work and become self-sufficient. No career training. No opportunities for safe, reliable childcare. No guidance on affordable housing.

These women are the backbone of communities across America. They're the primary breadwinners for their children, and the primary caregivers as well. These women work daily to achieve the American dream of economic independence. But many are only one day's illness, one missed rental payment, one sick child away from economic disaster.

Promoting Economic Self-Sufficiency
At the Eleanor Foundation, we're working to change that. We're building a citywide network of services in Chicago—our Eleanor Network—to give single working women the tools they need to succeed. Through the Eleanor Network, we helped more than 1,900 working women and their families last year alone.

But raising a family on a limited income in today's fragile economy puts an even tighter financial squeeze on single working women. And the need is growing even faster. Since 2007, the number of single working mothers in Chicago has grown by 44%. Many of our network programs have waiting lists—especially for the career-education programs that we want to expand. This is why we need your support now.

Give Now—And See Your Gift Double or Even Triple
Donate to Eleanor Network this summer and the Steans Family Foundation will match your gift. One-time donations will be matched 1:1—doubling your support. And if you decide to make a monthly recurring donation, your gift will be matched 2:1—tripling the value of your support in 2010.

A monthly gift of $25 in July will mean a $450 donation to support programs that help stabilize working women's economic security by the end of this year! And because the Eleanor Foundation can cover all our own operating and fundraising costs, 100% of your gift and the match will go directly to programs for single working women.

So, if you make your donation before Labor Day—you will double or triple the value of your gift! That helps even more working women take steps toward their economic independence. Click here to make your recurring gift, or one-time donation, online. Make a recurring gift and you'll receive an email with a link to a secure site where you can manage your donation. At the end of the year, we'll send your tax receipt.