South Side Giving Circle

QUEEN MAKERS: POWER TRANSFORMATION FOR BLACK WOMEN AND GIRLS

 "All that you touch you change. All that you change changes you. The only lasting truth is change."
- Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Sower

 

The South Side Giving Circle (SSGC) of CFW mobilizes philanthropic resources of women primarily on Chicago's South Side and in the South Suburbs to invest in the economic, social and political power of black women and girls in metropolitan Chicago.

We are a fierce group of women paving a path of investment into women-of-color-led community initiatives and have awarded $83,600 to 9 Black-woman-led organizations on the South Side since 2018.

Members engage in various ways. Some members simply invest financially while others attend meetings, site visits, and actively engage with grantees through service and support. All members can nominate potential grantees, however only members who attend the spring grantmaking training and the November decision meeting can participate in the final vote. Networking opportunities also exist through social events planned by SSGC and other CFW events throughout the year.

Tell Us About Your Organization

We are grateful for your interest in our Giving Circle. If you would like the South Side Giving Circle to consider your organization for funding, please tell us more about you here. The link will lead you to a form that is provided both for organizations interested in signing up to learn more about our grantmaking and organizations who are interested in opportunities to tell us more about your organization's work.

2021 Grantees
A Long Walk Home
Girls Like Me Project, Inc
Gyrls in the HOOD Foundation
Ladies of Virtue
Polished Pebbles
Sisters Network- Chicago Chapter

Leadership Award Honorees
Camesha Jones, Sista Afya Community Mental Wellness
Erin Barnett, Black Girls Dance
Brianna Lawrence, Coalition on Urban Girls

2020 Grantees
A Long Walk Home
Black Girls Break Bread
Brave Space Alliance
Girls Like Me Project, Inc
Gyrls in the HOOD Foundation
Ladies of Virtue
The Dreamcatcher Foundation

2019 Grantees
A Long Walk Home
Girls Like Me Project, Inc
Her Future: Teen Mom Empowerment
Girls Like Me Project, Inc
Gyrls in the HOOD Foundation
Ladies of Virtue
The Dreamcatcher Foundation

Inaugural Leadership Award
Recognition of a Black woman who is inspiring change through her leadership
Lauren Cole, ED, Her Future: Teen Mom Empowerment

2018 Grantees
Assata's Daughters
Girls Like Me Project, Inc
Polished Pebbles
Sisters Network - Chicago Chapter
Violets in Bloom

2020 Chairs
Akira Barclay
Ashley Leonard
Whitney Wade
Damaris Walker

Founding Members
Felicia Davis; Jessyca Dudley; Cristal Gary; Phaedra M. Leslie; Melody M. Miller; Nicole Reed; Nicole Robinson

GOALS OF THE GIVING CIRCLE

  • Be a broad-based membership group with leadership reflecting the communities we serve.

  • Build a network of women that is a catalyst for gender and racial equity on the South Side of Chicago.

  • Raise awareness for the unique inequities black women and girls face at the intersection of race and gender.

  • Support initiatives that give black women voice, and that retain/grow their political power.

  • Invest in community-based groups led by those most directly affected by the issues that the organization addresses.

  • Introduce new organizations to CFW, a relationship through which leaders may grow networks and capacity and become connected to other funding opportunities.

Membership is now open!

 

The generousity of our Queenmaker community can make an immense difference through these uncertain times. This is why during these times, we have adjusted our membership donation to a range of $500-$1,500+ to give you additional flexibility to join us this year. The deadline to apply is November 30, 2022.

Membership is for the calendar year 2023. A calendar of activities is forthcoming; however a typical year has consisted of a grantee celebration in February, meetings and grantmaking training in the spring, grantmaking processes beginning in the summer and running through November with awards being granted in December.

For more information, contact Vanessa Lee, Program Officer Collective Giving at 312.577.2825 or vlee@cfw.org.