CFF Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Food Security Program Grants

The Christopher Family Foundation offers grants to nonprofit organizations focused on employment, entrepreneurship, and food security, primarily in Chicago's Austin neighborhood. They aim to support pathways to family-sustaining wages, foster local entrepreneurship, and enhance food access. Eligibility includes organizations that demonstrate excellence, collaborative learning, and a commitment to the community. The foundation prefers programmatic support and does not fund individuals, governmental entities, or housing services. Overall, CFF seeks to empower the community and improve quality of life.

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The Christopher Family Foundation supports nonprofit organizations whose work helps strengthen and sustain strong families and communities. Most organizations we support are in Chicago, with particular emphasis on the Austin neighborhood.
Programs
The Christopher Family Foundation offers grants within several different program areas.
The Foundation supports proven pathways to family-sustaining wages for people with multiple barriers to employment. The Foundation is committed to funding organizations that provide services such as employment preparation and placement, sector-based training (e.g. manufacturing and construction), transitional jobs, apprenticeships, and adult education bridge programs. Funding is focused on Chicago’s West Side, with particular emphasis on the Austin community.
CFF has a particular interest in organizations that support entrepreneurs. The Foundation believes that empowering local entrepreneurs can create jobs and build wealth on Chicago’s West Side. Through training, mentorship, and access to capital, small business owners can increase their ability to build successful enterprises.
The Foundation wants families and communities, primarily in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, to thrive through healthy bodies and healthy food. Through its food security initiative, the Foundation supports several programs that address hunger and increase access to healthy food.
Additionally, CFF is a founding member of Austin Fresh, a five-year commitment to advancing Austin quality-of-life plan goals related to expanding healthy retail options, supporting community gardens and local food production, growing food enterprises, and protecting and strengthening food assistance programs.

Eligibility

In any program area CFF is looking for:Organizations that support residents of the West Side of Chicago, especially the Austin neighborhood.Programs with an articulated standard for excellence.Organizations that are actively and always trying to learn from their work, and improve their approaches, even if that involves risk.Openness to shared learning, to working collaboratively, and to advancing the field.CFF only funds nonprofit organizations. CFF will consider a grant for general operating support for an organization that meets Foundation criteria. While the Foundation has funded capital projects in the past, it prefers applications for programmatic or general support. CFF will accept one full proposal per organization per year.Under some circumstances, CFF will accept alternate letters of inquiry and select one to go forward.

Ineligibility

In general, the Foundation does not make grants to individuals, governmental entities, or 509(a)(3) supporting organizations, although exceptions are sometimes made for publicly supported charities. The foundation does not fund policy advocacy.We do not currently provide support for housing services or programs that serve people with disabilities.