A $50 million funding campaign to power progress in Chicago’s public schools by investing in the talented educators who lead them.
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The future of schools is evolving.
The time for bold leadership is now.
We envision a public school system where all of Chicago’s students have access to strong, stable school leadership. Today, achieving that vision is more important than ever before.
Our approach of continuously improving schools one leader at a time is based on decades of research from the University of Chicago, Stanford University, and the Wallace Foundation.
From now through 2030, the Chicago Leads campaign will enable our team to invest $50 million in Chicago’s strongest aspiring, developing, and veteran principals. Our support will foster innovative leadership in more than 600 school communities and contribute to an enduring culture of excellence citywide.
Our Goals
In partnership with educators and Chicago Public Schools, we are advancing big ideas as a part of Chicago Leads.
Now through 2030, we will:
Strengthen school leadership through innovative programs and policy conditions.
We aim to increase school leader satisfaction to 75%, keep retention at or above 85%, and increase the number of school leaders served by our programs to over 400 per year.
Diversify and strengthen the principal leadership pipeline.
We aim to increase the number of Black male and Latino school leaders to (at least) 185.
Promote long-term stability for school communities that are achieving great things despite challenges like chronically high student absenteeism and high student mobility due to housing insecurity.
We aim to increase the average principal tenure in these schools from 5.2 to 6.8 years.
How We Will Accomplish Them
We will build on our history.
For nearly 25 years, we have supported Chicago’s public schools by investing in the talented educators who serve and lead in them. From National Board Certification for teachers to principal pipeline programs to personalized learning, we have developed a track record of identifying challenges and supporting new solutions. Through Chicago Leads, we will build on a quarter century of learning and results.
We will leverage our strengths.
Our program, policy, and partnership efforts are designed to meet leaders where they are, to accelerate their growth, and to enable their retention. Through Chicago Leads, we will directly serve more than 300 educators a year and invest in policy changes that improve conditions for school leadership citywide.
We will launch bold ideas.
Every day, the talented principals we serve innovate and discover new ways to advance educational opportunities for their students. Through Chicago Leads, we will amplify their voices and harness their talent to reimagine public education in Chicago.
We will lead with our values.
The Fund is committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in all our work. We are a trusted partner of Chicago’s district, charter, philanthropic, and civic communities. Through Chicago Leads, we will raise dollars efficiently and invest resources strategically and transparently.
Get Involved
We envision a public school system where all of Chicago’s students have access to strong, stable school leadership. Making this vision a reality requires all of us working together.
The Fund’s independent Board of Directors and nimble investment model allow us to positively influence educator quality citywide. More than 80% of our funding is general operating, meaning funders give dollars to be used where they are needed most. In turn, The Fund is transparent about where those dollars go and the impact they have.
Your support — alongside investment from philanthropic, civic, and corporate communities — will ensure more schools are led by strong, diverse leaders with the resources they need to inspire transformative education.
Investors in this work
We are grateful for the generous supporters of the Chicago Leads campaign:
Anonymous investors
Allstate Insurance Company*
Heather Y. Anichini and Brennan Young*
Arora Family Charitable Fund
Bakalar Family Charitable Fund
Bank of America
John and Kathy Barker
Alisha and Jeff Berglund
BDT & MSD
Best Portion Foundation
BMO Harris Bank*
The Boston Consulting Group*
The Brinson Foundation
Cara Bucciarelli & Nelson Gerew
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Community Trust
CME Group Foundation
Christopher Family Foundation
Crown Family Philanthropies*
Kimberly Evans*
Field Museum
Fifth Third Bank
Finnegan Family Foundation
J.S. Frank Family Foundation*
Lloyd A. Fry Foundation
BCMR Gledhill Foundation*
Anne Filer and Jonathan Bringewatt
The Hobson Lucas Family Foundation
Kelly and Dennis Howe*
Caroline and Charlie Huebner
IMC Charitable Foundation
The Mayer and Morris Kaplan Family Foundation
The Joyce Foundation*
Kolver Family Foundation
Lefkofsky Family Foundation
Lewis-Sebring Family Foundation/Penny Bender Sebring and Charles Ashby Lewis*
Lohengrin Foundation
Malott Family Foundation*
McCormick Foundation
McDougal Family Foundation
Bobby and Swati Mehta*
Mills Family Foundation
Belinda Niu
The Osa Foundation
Lauren Patnaude
Collin Prince
Polk Bros. Foundation*
Rainwater Charitable Foundation
Reynolds Family Foundation
Janice E. Rodgers Charitable Gift Fund
Jesse H. and Michele Ruiz*
John and Carrie Smart
Scott and Martha Smith*
Steans Family Foundation
Stewart Foundation
W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation
Stuart Foundation*
Christy Uchida
A complete list of funders can be found here, and donor resources are available here.