A steady stream of visitors to the Evanston Community Foundation’s office Tuesday revealed the scope of residents’ initiatives for city improvement — from literacy to music to volunteerism.
Piles of manila envelopes grew around staffer Margaret Huff’s desk as community groups and organizations dropped off proposals for grants funded by the ECF. The foundation gives grants to improve education, family support, the arts, community development and human needs.
The foundation’s donor list includes Northwestern and Dance Marathon.
Over the course of the day, ECF Executive Director Sara Schastok said community group directors and grant writers delivered 47 proposals before the 5 p.m. deadline. The ECF office at 1007 Church St. has received almost 70 total proposals since its staff began receiving applications in early 2004.
The McGaw YMCA’s proposal, delivered by development director Sara Flax, could tighten bonds between the organization and students.
Flax said the YMCA, 1000 Grove St., can increase its capacity to serve Evanston if it hires a salaried volunteer coordinator and trainer.
She said the coordinator will work directly with volunteers from universities, including NU and Loyola University.
“Rather than being a tree city, maybe we can be a volunteer city,” she said.
Ann Gadzikowski arrived at the front desk at 1:25 p.m. with a plan to pilot a book club for young children. The idea, in line with Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s initiative to put books in the hands of preschoolers, aims to make reading a family activity by meeting with individual families.
Gadzikowski, executive director of Evanston Day Nursery, 1835 Grant St., said the collaborative effort among early education providers requires $5,000 of seed money.
As Gadzikowski walked out the door, Penelope Sachs walked in with a grant proposal for the Evanston Symphony Orchestra.
“Ours is what’s called a capacity-building grant,” said Sachs, board president of the orchestra. “We want to launch a proper endowment.”
The guaranteed income provided by an endowment would allow the orchestra to commit to the future instead of planning on a year-by-year basis, Sachs said. More specifically, it would be able to attract renowned soloists who book engagements years in advance. The orchestra plays at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.
Schastok said ECF’s grants board will decide how to allocate approximately $100,000 this spring. In the past, the foundation has funded 20 percent of the groups requesting grants. A 12-member grants board judges each proposal’s potential impact on the city, the aspirations of each proposal and the proposal’s efficiency when it determines where to offer grants.
Each board member reads each proposal and ranks its overall strength. Through three meetings, the board tries to reach consensus on the strongest grants. Once an order is achieved, it is readjusted to ensure money is distributed in a satisfactory way. In the past, two-thirds of available money has gone to education and family support proposals, with the remaining one-third benefiting the arts, community development and human needs.
Schastok was reluctant to classify grants, though, as the goals of many programs overlap. In the end, she said, the foundation gives grants to projects that will not capsize after they have spent all the money.
“Really, when you think about it, we and grant-seekers have something in common,” she said. “We’re both looking to improve Evanston. It really is a partnership.”