A Better Chicago is a venture philanthropy organization based in Chicago, Illinois (200 W Madison St, 3rd Floor). Founded in 2010, the organization invests in promising nonprofits helping children escape poverty. Rather than operating traditional programs, A Better Chicago functions as a strategic funder and partner, employing a venture capital approach to identify and support innovative youth-serving organizations with high growth potential.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$20.7M
+28.7% YoY
Annual Giving
$3.5M
-9.0% YoY
Grant Count
25
-3.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$140K
-5.3% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
A Better Chicago's mission is to dramatically improve educational opportunities for low-income Chicagoans by funding and scaling the most effective schools and programs in the region. The organization believes everyone deserves a great education that empowers people, ignites economies, and elevates communities.
The organization's funding priorities include:
- Education and educational opportunity
- Skills development and credential attainment
- Youth development and opportunity
- Human services focused on breaking cycles of poverty
The organization addresses a critical need: 1 in 4 Chicago youth are living in poverty today. In Chicago Public Schools, 76 percent of students depend on school for meals and more than 16,400 are homeless. The organization particularly focuses on serving low-income youth in one of the most segregated major cities in the United States, with specific attention to communities disproportionately impacted by intergenerational poverty, including Black and Latinx communities.
Grantmaking
A Better Chicago employs a venture capital model for grantmaking:
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
A Better Chicago primarily funds organizations in Illinois, with some activity in Pennsylvania and New York. The primary focus is Chicago and the surrounding region.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue (2024):
- Total assets: $20.7 million
- Total revenues: $12.4 million
- Total expenses: $7.5 million
- Total giving: $3.8 million
Historical Context:
- The organization has raised over $20 million since its founding
- Has provided more than $83 million in unrestricted funding and management support to help nonprofits in its portfolio grow
- Program expense ratio: 80.42% of expenses directed toward programs
Financial Health: The organization maintains a Four-Star rating (97%) from independent evaluators, reflecting exemplary performance in accountability and finance with excellent financial ratios.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $20,736,281 | $16,113,219 | $15,380,399 |
| Revenue | $12,430,343 | $8,681,211 | $5,080,046 |
| Expenses | $7,456,065 | $7,645,127 | $8,227,773 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $290,909 | $245,728 | $15,711 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
156 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from A Better Chicago
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Swanson | CEO | 50 | $392,366 |
| Walter McCloskey | COO | 50 | $188,839 |
| Nataly Barrera | CIO | 50 | $163,082 |
| Marshana Pace | Managing Director | 50 | $137,341 |
| Chelsea Huszar | Director of Development | 50 | $135,334 |
| William V Krehbiel | Director | 1 | — |
| John R Keller | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| Taylor O'Malley | Director | 1 | — |
| Sean Berkowitz | Secretary | 1 | — |
| Timothy Schwertfeger | Director | 1 | — |
| Stephen Beard | Director | 1 | — |
| Christopher Keogh | Director | 1 | — |
| John Gilligan | Chairman | 1 | — |
| Tracy Schwartz-Ward | Director | 1 | — |
| Janice Jackson | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| Eric Chern | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| Matt Raino | Director | 1 | — |
| Myetie Hamilton | Diretor | 1 | — |
| Brittany Graunke | Director | 1 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
Released 2026 State of Our Youth Report
A Better Chicago Releases 2026 State of Our Youth ReportLaunched Youth Opportunity Dashboard™ to track how youth are faring in every corner of the city
A Better Chicago Releases 2026 State of Our Youth ReportMade $500,000 investment in Chicago Scholars to expand successful REACH Pathways to middle school students
A Better Chicago Makes a $500,000 Investment in Chicago Scholars to Expand\Announced new investments in two youth-serving organizations totaling $375,000
A Better Chicago Announces New Investments in Two Youth-Serving Organizations\Convened parents, teachers, students, principals, and other interested persons to develop a plan to bring greater equity to public education in Chicago (2019 MacArthur Foundation grant)
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Similar funders by location and focus area
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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