Schreiber Philanthropy recognizes that not all families and individuals in Lake County are afforded the same access to critical resources and opportunities. As one of the largest and most diverse counties in the state, more individuals and families should benefit from all Lake County has to offer.
Throughout its 20-year history, Schreiber Philanthropy has built deep relationships with grantees working in a variety of ways toward this goal.
Funding Area
Lake County
Our Strategy
Schreiber Philanthropy anchors its future Lake County investment strategy in a four-pronged approach.
Lake County Priorities
Maintain and strengthen existing relationships with grantees working across a range of issues in Lake County.
Align strategic portfolio investments across early childhood, education, health, housing and immigrant justice, and launch new initiatives around college/career access and affordable housing.
Invest in the long-term stability and sustainability of critical basic needs providers.
Disrupt the patterns of entrenched poverty and trauma impacting Lake County communities by testing and scaling bold new ideas to shift trajectories of individuals and families.
This work is focused within Lake County, 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.
Grantee Spotlight
Boys & Girls Club of Lake County
Boys & Girls Club of Lake County (BGCLC) has been a critical Schreiber Philanthropy partner for almost two decades. BGCLC serves 650+ youth daily across 11 sites in Waukegan, North Chicago, Gurnee, and Great Lakes. Nearly all participants qualify for free or reduced lunch, and many face ongoing challenges related to poverty and food insecurity. Through nationally recognized programming focused on academic success, healthy lifestyles, and character development, BGCLC provides safe, consistent spaces where young people can grow. In 2024 alone, BGCLC delivered more than 70,000 meals and snacks while providing thousands of hours of academic and health programming.
In 2025 BGCLC launched its Kitchen to Table initiative, which renovated the Genesee Clubhouse’s kitchen into a commercial-grade space where fresh, nutritious meals are now prepared onsite. The upgraded kitchen helps address food insecurity among youth in the community, ensuring that hundreds of young people receive at least one warm, healthy meal each day. The space also provides opportunities for youth to learn basic cooking and life skills that support long-term wellbeing.
Grantee Spotlight
Allies for Community Business
For many entrepreneurs, barriers to growth are not rooted in business ideas; instead, those barriers are often rooted in access to capital and availability of expert business coaching. Allies for Community Business (A4CB) works to address these challenges by expanding opportunity for small business owners who have historically faced barriers to traditional financing by providing the capital, coaching, and connections entrepreneurs need to grow businesses that create jobs and wealth in their communities. The Small Business Growth Initiative (SBGI), a program run by the Lake County Community Foundation (LCCF) in partnership with A4CB, is designed to strengthen small businesses in historically disinvested communities. The initiative brings together grant capital with intensive business coaching from A4CB business coaches to help entrepreneurs build financial stability, grow revenue, and create jobs within their neighborhoods.
In partnership with Schreiber Philanthropy and others, A4CB continues to expand its reach in Waukegan and North Chicago. In 2025, SBGI served 16 entrepreneurs through the SBGI cohort with LCCF, and provided more than $270,000 in loans and coaching to nearly 70 Lake County entrepreneurs. By pairing flexible capital with coaching, this partnership strengthens pathways to economic mobility and the vitality of neighborhood business districts in Waukegan, North Chicago, and beyond.
Grantee Spotlight
Keeping Families Covered
For many families, diapers and period supplies, essential items that are often not covered by public benefits, are a quiet but constant stress. Keeping Families Covered helps ensure that families across Lake County and Northern Illinois have access to critical hygiene products, including diapers, wipes, period supplies, and incontinence items.
By working through a strong network of community partners and mobile distributions, the organization supports parents and caregivers while promoting health, stability, and dignity for individuals of all ages. In 2025, Keeping Families Covered distributed more than 1.8 million diapers, 500,000 period supplies, and over 136,000 incontinent products, serving more than 32,000 families through partnerships with 59 community organizations and 100+ mobile distribution events.
Schreiber Philanthropy supports Keeping Families Covered through a multi-year partnership focused on strengthening the region’s access to hygiene essentials. This partnership helps ensure that basic needs do not become barriers to family wellbeing, and that more families can move forward with stability and dignity.
See previous grantee spotlights
Impact
The Schreiber Philanthropy team is developing a broader Lake County strategy, which combines our work in service of the organization’s four key giving areas, along with more intersectional investments designed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the county and its thriving social services sector.
Since 2005
$111M+ in Grants
Across all Giving Areas
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