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What We Do

The mission of Springboard Foundation Fund is to improve the lives of youth in under-resourced Chicago communities through the support of educational afterschool programs and their intrepid leaders with our resources--time, treasure, knowledge, and network.

The following values guide our organization:

  • The "art and science" of grantmaking
  • Building authentic relationships
  • Taking risks others won't
  • Passionate leaders
  • Being hands-on
  • Small start ups
  • Having fun

 

Active donors called "Members" review applications, attend site visits, evaluate and select new nonprofits to add to the portfolio. Springboard benefits the community by creating a network of strong, sustainable nonprofits serving youth and training its members in the workings of successful philanthropy so that they can, in turn, provide leadership in connection with other charitable causes outside the immediate focus of Springboard.

 

Selected nonprofits called "grantees" receive up to 5 years of general operating support funding in addition to wrap-around benefits including: special capacity-building grants, Roundtables that promote learning and partnerships, and the unique resources brought by the Members. After 5 years, grantees "graduate" leaving room to select the next class of nonprofits and their intrepid leaders.

Current Programs

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A Step Ahead Chess's mission is to encourage: leave a lasting impact on the lives of children by addressing their physical, mental and emotional needs with quality care and compassion. Their vision is to Empower: enrich the lives of youth with chess lessons beyond the board.

 

The mission of ARK Entrepreneurial Center is to increase opportunities for inner-city youth through entrepreneurial development.

Collaborative Institute of Cultural Arts provides a year round progression and creative learning program that supports student’s transition from childhood into adulthood artistically, socially and emotionally.

Eye Love You Summer Camp began in 2015, targeting underprivileged, high potential youth, ages 4-11. The children have the opportunity to express themselves through sports, art and dance. They receive three home cooked, healthy meals a day and learn about things like financial literacy, nutrition, and multicultural history.

Green Table Talks are nonprofit discussions put on by Roots & Vine Produce and Cafe. These talks cover Health & Nutrition and offer Food Demonstrations.

They strive to give At-Risk Youth in North Lawndale and surrounding communities a safe supervised environment to grow in academics, performing arts, financial literacy, social skills, conflict resolution, anti-bullying, career building, mentorship and entrepreneurship.

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GoSTEM strives to bridge the gaps in education and create equitable access to STEM opportunities.​

LOTUS was founded to educate and to supplement the education of students and people from marginalized communities. To share experiences and skills required to be driven academically. We maintain that academic environments are excellent centers where a person can cultivate great character while mastering marketable skills that will allow one to sustain their life. 

Project Impact 180 creates lasting educational solutions that transform the lives of youth through innovative programming that empowers them to achieve and succeed through nontraditional experiences. 

The organization was created to address the socioeconomic achievement gap in underserved communities in Illinois, through fun learning. Successful Inspirations provides at-risk students with the knowledge and resources that can help them achieve their academic goals and become productive citizens.

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We use the sport of boxing to help girls build confidence, embrace ambition, and recognize their strength. We believe that strong girls build thriving communities and thriving commu- nities build a better world.

Downstage Arts is committed to creating access to the performing arts and performing arts education for all people. Our vision is that any student who wishes to participate in the performing arts should have the access and support they need to be successful. By removing boundaries, students can participate in the arts and have the opportunities to tell their unique stories. We believe that art should provoke thought and invoke justice. We are dedicated to utilizing theatre in a way that gives voices to and changes the narratives of marginalized communities in Chicago and beyond.

Lion’s Pride empowers youth leaders to guide incoming freshmen to reach their fullest potential. We train high-performing upper-level students to mentor first-year students in achieving academic excellence and social-emotional aptitude. Ultimately, Lion’s Pride seeks to change Chicago’s educational landscape by helping more students graduate from high school and attend the college of their choice.

We are a community based, nonprofit organization committed to Bronzeville’s youth and community. We collaborate with residents and organizations on the South Side of Chicago to provide programs, host events and respond to community-identified opportunities. We envision a Bronzeville where youth and other community members meet trauma with restorative justice in order to renew the relationships (with ourselves, our neighbors, and our environments) which lead to our individual and collective flourishing.

SHE (Strong. Humble. Empowered.) is an organization designed to support teen girls in three areas: Social and Self-Awareness, Community Activism and College and Career Preparation. We are committed to serving high performing, under resourced girls between the ages of 13 and 19 who are seeking character training, community service opportunities and college and career support.

Our mission is to tackle the unemployment rates for young adults 16-24 by providing meaningful career opportunities.

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To give all children of Chicago - with a focus on underserved communities - the opportunity to learn, play and compete in chess at no cost.

Chicago Mobile Makers is a nonprofit organization that offers youth design-thinking and problem-solving workshops in Chicago communities.

Dream Big Mentoring and Outreach provides youth with consistent, caring mentors that teach life skills and enforce core values through exposure to the arts, school, and work. Mentors learn how to use teachable moments to illustrate these values.

Prismatic activates leadership potential for young people living in low-income communities by infusing social-emotional skill-building into career development education. Our programs, held in schools, community spaces, and online, serve as a launchpad for success in any field, introducing students to a wide range of career paths and ensuring they have the skills and community support to advance, lead and pivot with resiliency no matter what life throws at them.

The Voices of Youth Ensemble lovingly wraps our youth in the culture of music and perfor- mance to help them overcome barriers and become confident artists and world citizens.

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Our mission is to provide children in underserved Chicago communities with lasting access to instrumental music instruction and ensemble play. We offer meaningful and positive life experiences based around music, such as taking healthy risks and experiencing accomplishment, nurturing and sharing one’s talents with your community, exploring and creating beauty, and creating relationships with positive, consistent mentors.

Boxing Out Negativity empowers youth to realize the best in themselves within a safe and supportive environment by providing afterschool and summer programming for North Lawndale’s highest-risk youth ages 8-17.  Boxing is used as a hook to maintain youths’ interest in programming designed to elicit character development and civic responsibility through training, mentorship, tutoring, motivational discussions, and other forms of engagement. 

Chicago Arts and Music Project exists to provide free El Sistema orchestral training in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood. Students rehearse six days every week at the Breakthrough Ministries FamilyPlex.

Focus Fairies mentors and teaches preteen and adolescent girls the skill set needed to enhance their lives. The program has lessons on an array of topics including: bullying, peer pressure, etiquette, depression, stress, body image, self-esteem, financial literacy, and safety.

PRETTY provides comprehensive sexual health and reproductive justice education to girls. The program serves as a prevention method to many of the ills that young girls in various cities face, including but not limited to sexual abuse, risky sexual behaviors, unplanned pregnancies, sex trafficking, predator awareness, contraction of sexually transmitted infections and mental abuse.

The South Chicago Dance Theatre (SCDT) is a multicultural organization aiming to preserve the art of dance through quality performances and educational opportunities. SCDT’s auxiliary programming includes the Youth Training Company, a free to the public First Fridays Community Workshop Series, the Autism Project, an After School Matters teen employment program, public school based performances, and the annual South Chicago Dance Festival.