Annual Grants

Since 1889, The Woman’s Club of Evanston (WCE) has had a proud history of helping support organizations that make a difference in our community and that commitment continues this year as we launch our solicitation for grant applications. The WCE is dedicated to community service, philanthropic work and friendship and boasts nearly 400 members from the North Shore, Chicago, and surrounding communities. Annually, our organization donates thousands of volunteer hours of direct service to the community and raises between $125,000 and $150,000 for charitable causes.

Each year, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in Evanston and surrounding communities are invited to submit grant applications to The Woman’s Club of Evanston. Applications are used to identify beneficiaries of our community grants (typically $500 – $5,000) will be distributed in May 2021 in addition to the recipient for our Clubhouse Usage Grant. The application also identifies organizations for potential Community Outreach volunteer service projects.

Since 2000, the WCE’s Contributions Committee has designated an annual giving focus.  The Contributions Committee is proud to announce the following Giving Focus for the 2020-21 grant cycle:


The WCE’s Contributions Committee invites organizations that have programs within the scope of this giving focus, and that operate within the designated geographic area, to submit a grant application. All applicants should clearly describe how their project fits within the chosen focus area. Applications that clearly do not fit within the giving focus will not be reviewed.

Download the Application Word Doc

Download the Application PDF

Any questions should be addressed to the WCE Contributions Committee Chair at contributions@wcofe.org.

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Grant recipients for the 2019-2020  year were:



Bundled Blessings Diaper Pantry: Funding to purchase diapers for low income households in Evanston and surrounding communities.

Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute: Funding to provide grief counseling and therapy at their Evanston location, for children from birth to 5th grade families who have suffered a loss or traumatic event.

Childcare Network of Evanston: Funding for field trips to two educational locations for low-income families, as well as to purchase harnesses so young children can safely ride a bus to attend field trips.

Evanston Symphony Orchestra: Funding for Music in Your World weekly program for Early Head Start children July 20-21 Academic Year.

Family Promise Chicago North Shore: FP provides a supported pathway to self-sufficiency for families who are experiencing homelessness. Funding will help pay transportation costs for families with children while in the program and to purchase necessities for families re-entering permanent housing.

Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and NW Indiana: Funding to support All In: Girl Scouting for Every Evanston Girl by making paid troop leaders available to run troops for low-income girls where having a parent troop leader is not an option. Troops are located at Fleetwood-Jourdain, Family Focus, St. Nicks and the Rice Center.

Learning Bridge Early Education Center: Funding to support the Whole Child, Healthier Families program through July 2021, serving children 6 weeks to 5 years old, to identify and create equitable access to a range of individualized, client-centric resources that help provide the essentials of life required by families to nurture healthy infants and toddlers at home.

McGaw YMCA Head Start Program at Family Focus: Funding to expand access to Head Start in the 5th Ward of Evanston, by making Head Start available year round instead of just during the school year, and adding wrap around times starting at 7:30 am and ending at 6 pm.

Tiz Media: Funding will partially support one session of Quest4Earth program, consisting of 12 weeks of 2.5 hour out-of-school workshops for 20 students in Ward 5. Q4E is an environmental awareness and stewardship program focused on increasing students’ STEM knowledge and skills.

Washington Elementary PTA:  Funding to provide science and art programming and enrichment activities for the Good Mornings program that supports children near or below the poverty line who do not have access to breakfast or safe childcare at home in the morning.

YES Evanston/NJTL: Funding to support tutoring and tennis lessons to 20 or more low to moderately low-income children at Fleetwood-Jourdain.

Young, Black & Lit: Funding for a pilot Lit Year Program to partner with a D65 school, most likely Oakton School, to provide one or two age, culture and reading level appropriate books per month, per student, in 1-2 classrooms.


2021 Event Beneficiaries:

Revue Beneficiary: Piven Theater - A community-based Evanston theater that provides scholarships and outreach programs to low income Evanston youth. Money from the Revue will be used to fully fund all elementary-aged scholarships for FY21. A total of 45 to 60 scholarships will be awarded to all students referred by their community partners - Youth Opportunity United (a youth development agency that provides services to meet the needs of young people and their families) and Fleetwood Jourdain Theatre, Evanston's premiere theatre for African American and African Diaspora-centered storytelling.

Spring Benefit Beneficiary: Books and Breakfast - A before-school program that provides a healthy morning meal and tutoring to low income Evanston-Skokie School District 65 students in need of additional support. Money from the Spring Benefit will enable B&B to fulfill its goal to expand to more District 65 schools.

Clubhouse Usage: C24/7 Father's Arms Ministries - Provides services to children in the North of Howard Street neighborhood, including a free after-school program. C24/7 will use the clubhouse to host a speaking event that will enable them to network with churches, agencies and other groups and individuals interested in serving the needs of the North of Howard neighborhood.