Mid-Year Update from Schreiber Philanthropy
Dear Friends and Partners,
As I take stock of the first half of this year, I continue to feel so proud of and inspired by the important work led by our grantee partners, the Schreiber Philanthropy team, and our peer funders. Now more than ever, we need an all-hands-on-deck approach to ensure the residents of Illinois can live without fear, access basic needs, maintain human rights, and pursue paths to economic mobility.
Refelctions
I’ve also been reflecting on how fortunate we are to live and work in Illinois, where there are many willing public sector leaders with shared values. Increasingly, we at Schreiber Philanthropy are collaborating with government partners to extend our reach to people in need, raise awareness of important issues and opportunities, build ambitious plans, and leverage capital for development. Public-private partnerships are not always easy but are proving to be extraordinarily valuable. A few of the efforts we supported recently include:
Affordable Housing: A partnership with Lake County Government and ChicagoMetropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to launch Housing Lake, a call to action from a full spectrum of housing stakeholders in Lake County. The collaborative effort has identified policy and regulatory reform, new funding and financing tools, expanded partnerships and development capacity, and concerted communications as the four foundation pillars needed to grow housing supply.
Early Childhood: The creation of a plan by the new Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) to support existing and future early childhood workers.
Immigrant Justice: The delivery of independent research and subject-matter expertise to the Illinois Accountability Commission (IAC), provided by University of Chicago's Crown Family School and Law School. This public report examines the impacts of recent enforcement activities on individuals and communities in Illinois; it also identifies potential policy and practice considerations intended to strengthen community well-being and resilience.
Mental Health: The delivery of critical mental health services by community-based providers that make up the Chicago Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) Healthy Chicago Mental Health Collective (HC-MHC).
Postsecondary Success: Expanded technical assistance to Illinois colleges and universities to implement student equity plans in conjunction with the state’s Thriving Illinois Plan and Success Initiative.If you are considering your role in partnering with government, we’d be happy to talk. In these times, we believe collaboration will be key, and we hope to do more of it.
SPOTLIGHTS
Northwestern Medicine
I am also very excited to share that, together with Northwestern Medicine, we are announcing today the launch of the John and Kathy Schreiber Community Health Institute. The Community Health Institute will expand the capacity of two transitional care clinics (one in downtown Chicago and one in Lake County), which provide significant clinical care for uninsured and under-insured patients managing chronic diseases. It will also increase the number of Community Health Workers (CHWs) providing culturally-competent preventative care, health education, and coordination support, while building the capacity of community-based providers. This effort builds on more than twenty years of support for healthcare organizations on the front lines of providing high quality healthcare, including Federally Qualified Health Centers, free and charitable clinics, and safety net hospitals.
You can learn more about the Institute here: website and video.
New Team Members
We are thrilled that Diana Lemos joined Schreiber Philanthropy in June as the Portfolio Manager for Health and Early Childhood. She is a public health and social impact leader with more than 15 years of experience advancing health equity through philanthropy, healthcare, community partnerships, and evaluation. Throughout her career, Diana has worked at the intersection of community engagement, strategy, evaluation, and systems change. Her experience spans leadership roles with the American Medical Association, the Obama Foundation, Cook County Health, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, and numerous nonprofit and public-sector partners. She has led initiatives focused on maternal and child health, community development, HIV prevention and care, workforce development, and advancing equitable opportunities for historically underserved communities. In her spare time, she is passionate about advancing social issues, traveling, reading, and her fur babies.
We also welcomed Maxine (“Max”) Wilkins as a summer intern through the CAFE Group’s LEAD program. Max is a psychology student through the City Colleges of Chicago, and an aspiring social worker. She will contribute to our K-Postsecondary initiatives. Max enjoys connecting people to resources and helping expand equal access to opportunities. Aside from professional work, she is a dancer, jigsaw-puzzler, and enjoys playing music.
GRATITUDE
In closing and on behalf of the Schreiber Philanthropy team, thank you for partnering in all the ways that you have. We welcome your thoughts and feedback.
With deep gratitude,
Whitney Smith
CEO
