Funding Area
K-Postsecondary
Education is a strong predictor of all positive life outcomes, including—but not limited to—economic mobility, health, family stability, and community engagement.
Schreiber Philanthropy strives to expand access to high-quality education and support services for under-resourced and under-represented students.
Our Strategy
Schreiber Philanthropy anchors its K-postsecondary strategy in five key priorities.
Our work is focused within the Chicagoland region, and will evolve based on the dynamic nature of the world we live in. With that in mind, we are committed to learning alongside our partners and being nimble in our strategy to achieve these goals.
K-Postsecondary Priorities
Increase postsecondary completion by investing in wrap-around supports and innovative scholarships/programming that demonstrably improve performance and persistence.
Support educational pathways, including two-to-four-year transfer strategies and postsecondary credentials, to provide a clear and accessible path to upward mobility and economic opportunity.
Leverage data to coalesce the field and invest in innovative policies/practices that will reduce disparities in academic performance.
Increase access to school-based mental health services by investing in effective programs, co-locating resources within schools, and building the pipeline of mental health providers.
Expand college and career access in Lake County by enhancing access to advising and investing in alternative pathways to securing high school diplomas for disconnected youth and adults.
Grantee Spotlight
Arrupe College
Named after Pedro Arrupe, a Jesuit priest who worked to alleviate poverty and eradicate racial discrimination, Arrupe College was founded by Loyola University Chicago – a long-time partner of Schreiber Philanthropy – to provide debt-free higher education to students with limited financial means. Launched in 2015, Arrupe offers a 2-year associates degree program, alongside intensive wrap-around supports for its students, many of whom are first-generation college goers. Around 99% of Arrupe students identify as people of color, 100% receive scholarships and/or grants to support their educational journey, and 86% of Arrupe students graduate with zero debt. More than 72% of Arrupe graduates enroll in Bachelor’s degree programs, thanks in large part to Arrupe’s commitment to supporting their students. Schreiber Philanthropy believes deeply in Arrupe’s mission and model, and has supported current-use and endowed scholarships for nearly a decade. Schreiber Philanthropy is also supporting an effort called Come to Believe, led by Fr. Steve Katsouros, the Founding Dean of Arrupe College, to expand this model in partnership with other higher education institutions across the country.
Photo Courtesy of Lukas Keapproth, Loyola University Chicago
Grantee Spotlight
CLC Spanish Language Gateways Certification
Schreiber Philanthropy has supported the College of Lake County (CLC) since 2014. CLC is focused on helping students identify their passions and setting them on a path to achieve success. The partnership between CLC and Schreiber Philanthropy ramped up significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which exacerbated pre-existing challenges for CLC’s low-income and first-generation student populations. During that time, the Schreiber Philanthropy team worked to better understand CLC’s workforce pathways for early childhood educators. After meeting CLC’s team and thinking about the fact that nearly 30% of Lake County residents aged 5 and older speak a language other than English in Lake County, we started dreaming up a Spanish-language early childhood education program. The program, which was launched in 2021, has exceeded all enrollment expectations, and continues to grow. In addition to providing a unique workforce pathway for early childhood educators, it also provides an opportunity for providers to earn additional accreditations, allowing them to achieve economic mobility. With more than 75 students across 3 cohorts since 2021, Schreiber Philanthropy and CLC are exploring opportunities to build this program in the future.
Impact
Equitable access to high-quality education has been a key area of focus from the beginning, as John credits much of his success to good teachers and a strong commitment to his academics. After initially focusing on higher education, John and Kathy started moving “backwards,” investing in education at the K – 12 and, eventually, early childhood levels.
Since 2005
$180M+ in Grants
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