Chicago-area Families Pool Resources to Maximize Their Philanthropic Impact
The Chicago Giving Circle (CGC), a group of eleven families pooling their philanthropic resources to make meaningful contributions to Chicago-area nonprofits, is pleased to announce two grants for a total of $600,000 in support of two workforce development organizations, CREDMADE and Sunshine Enterprises. Each organization will receive $300,000 over three years, in addition to volunteer time, resources and capacity-building support from CGC members. The grants and accompanying support are intended to help these organizations scale their programs and services.
CREDMADE is a contract packaging business that provides flexible, custom solutions to the food and beverage industry. The company is a subsidiary of ChicagoCRED, a local nonprofit taking a multi-faceted approach to reducing gun violence. CREDMADE works with ChicagoCRED individuals, those that are most likely to be involved in gun violence, by placing them into packaging jobs in a constructive environment.
“We have made tremendous strides employing second chance and at-risk labor while filling a vital production niche,” said Rahul Pasarnikar, President of CREDMADE. “The Chicago Giving Circle Grant is CREDMADE’s first philanthropic investment and notably helps us expand our efforts.” With this grant, the organization will develop a playbook that standardizes its process for employing at-risk members of the community. This playbook is expected to be valuable in improving the operations of CREDMADE as the organization grows, and will ultimately be available as a resource for other organizations that are deploying similar models.
Sunshine Enterprises empowers rising entrepreneurs in disinvested neighborhoods throughout Chicagoland to start or grow businesses in their communities. This training begins with a 12-week Community Business Academy: “The CGC funding opportunity allows us to expand our programming and develop entrepreneurs who we would otherwise have to turn away,” commented Executive Director, B.J. Stewart. “The funds will help us realize our mission to foster economically viable communities through training, coaching and connecting high potential entrepreneurs.”
CGC was formed in 2022 by a group of service-oriented individuals and families with the desire to further mobilize their charitable investments, engage their kids of all ages in philanthropy, and proactively support Chicago-based nonprofits. The organization’s mission is to accelerate the impact of promising growth-stage nonprofits throughout Chicago that are focused on Education, Health and Human Services. In its inaugural year, CGC members selected Workforce Development for its grantmaking focus area, learning priorities and volunteer support. Members developed a nonprofit-centric diligence process to identify and evaluate potential grantees. The group reviewed 55 local workforce development organizations, solicited applications from six organizations and ultimately selected CREDMADE and Sunshine Enterprises for their inaugural grants. After the success of its inaugural year, CGC aims to expand its membership and grantmaking in 2023. For more information on Chicago Giving Circle, please visit www.chicagogivingcircle.com
The Chicago Giving Circle (CGC) is a group of service-oriented individuals and families pooling their philanthropic resources to make meaningful contributions to Chicago-area nonprofits.
CREDMADE is a contract packaging business that provides flexible, custom solutions to the food industry. They offer great quality, state-of-the-art equipment, and a first-class SQF facility—all with a social mission at their core.
Sunshine Enterprises is creating neighborhood and sector-based business hubs in Chicagoland’s under-resourced neighborhoods. They currently run three strategically-placed, geographic business hubs and three sector-specific hubs providing economic stimulus to communities by supporting local entrepreneurs. They serve hundreds of unique entrepreneurs throughout Chicagoland.