Our Approach

The Eleanor Foundation is a catalyst—serving as Chicago's only public grant-making fund focused exclusively on helping working women achieve sustained economic independence. We take a social venture approach to philanthropy:

Research-Driven Programs
We commission research that informs our investments and those of others—raising the profile of working women as valuable community assets. Our most recent research, "The Future Depends Upon Single Moms" published in May 2009, provides a national review of the impact that long-standing trends and public policies have had on single working women. These findings inform our work to continue building the Eleanor Network, launched in 2006 through our three-year Self- Sufficiency Initiative, and inspire community groups and a host of new partners to invest in and to serve working women.

Engaged Investor and Fellow Problem-Solver
We recognize that those in the community and other sectors have valuable insights into what works and what doesn't. As a result, we stress engagement and mutual problem-solving with our grantee partners, with the goal of building and tracking the type of integrated programming that working women need to be successful. This is reflected in our requests for proposals which help us create programs together rather than making straight up-or-down funding decisions.

Comprehensive, Integrated Services: Our Eleanor Network
Our research and experience taught us that working women are stretched thin by their dual responsibilities as breadwinner and caretaker. As a result, they have no time to chase services and programs all over the city.

Our grants are designed to provide women the services they need through single-points-of-access, or "hubs." There, women can access the help they told us they need:

• Career-planning and education that leads to employment that pays a livable wage
• Safe, affordable and decent permanent housing
• Reliable, quality childcare
• Access to affordable credit

Through our "resource" grants, working women also have access to specialized services—most recently vocational skills-training programs that meet the needs of both employers and single working women.

Rigorous Evaluation
It's critical to the success of our model and the women who are being served. By consulting with our grantee partners and others, we developed a performance measurement tool that we use to evaluate the effectiveness of our grants program and the individual projects we fund.