2022-2023
Grant Recipients

2022-2023 Grantees

Black Boy Literacy (King Arts): Funds will support the purchase of classroom books featuring Black boy protagonists so that children can experience windows and mirrors in their reading experiences.

Black Girl Magic Book Club Expansion: This grant allows the 4th year of the highly successful Black Girl Magic Book Club to continue at Willard, Lincolnwood, and Walker, and expand to Chute. The program empowers District 65 educators to lead students in the work of humanizing Black women and allows students to build a positive racial identity while learning with and from one another.

Black SonRise (all): Supports an out-of-school-time program run by Black men to support Black boys through literacy, STEM, and mentoring.

Black Student Union (Chute): Supports an after-school program to instill power, awareness of resources, sense of community, and social justice for Black students.

Build a Play Residency for RISE Students (King Arts): Programming to build literacy and art skills for children in the RISE program with communication disorders.

Change Agent Grants: Our Change Agent grants empower educators to innovate and solve on-the-ground challenges. We are pleased to provide support of up to $3,000 for each of the following one-year projects.

Equity and Empowerment for Evanston Families: Equity and Empowerment for Evanston Families serves rising 3rd-8th grade Black boys in an elementary and middle school cohort. Boys will engage in summer sports and activities while also engaging in intentional literacy and STEM work. In the fall, EEEF will launch a tutoring program for these boys, led by Black boys from ETHS. Foundation 65 funding will support some of the operating expenses of the summer program, Camp Kuumba, and the launch of the tutoring program in the fall.

Latinidades: Literacy and Performance (Washington): Theater and literacy program for TWI students focused on Latinx justice movements.

Perspectives Family Author Series: This initiative, led by District 65 librarians, is launching a new set of authors to work with our students. Building upon the success in access to authors through a virtual format, librarians are hoping to work with Natasha Tarpley for K-2 students, with Dahlia Richards for 3rd-5th grade students, and with Zetta Elliot for 6th-8th grade students.