WOODS FUND CHICAGO

Woods Fund Chicago is a bold grantmaker that partners with communities to fight the brutality of structural racism and economic injustice.

It promotes social, economic, and racial justice through the support of community organizing, coalition building, and public policy advocacy from grantee partners activating the people that are most impacted.

Photo by Dissenters

We Believe

Structural racism is a root cause of many challenges facing communities and is a significant barrier to eradicating poverty. Dismantling structural racism in society is a means to correct social and economic injustices.

Community organizing and public policy advocacy efforts lead to comprehensive, authentic, relevant, and sustainable solutions.

Systemic change is the only way to eradicate poverty and structural racism and the people most affected by poverty and racial inequity should be the leaders and participants in addressing issues that impact them.

Communities have greater strength, authority, and power through collaborative practice and collective voice.

Fighting For Racial Justice

Woods Fund Chicago is committed to being an active partner and catalyst with organizations that share our mission and values.

Photo by Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL)

Photo by The People’s Lobby

Woods Fund Chicago Core Commitments

Amid 2020’s crises, Woods Fund Chicago made the decision to fundamentally change our approach to grantmaking, shifting to a model dedicated to dialogue and trust-based philanthropy. Woods Fund Chicago has committed to reducing the administrative burdens facing grantee partners so that they can focus on the critical work of organizing and advocating for a more just society.

Woods Fund Chicago is committed to:

Advancing
Racial Justice

We work to center BIPOC voices, leadership, and organizing; disrupt white supremacy culture; confront power; redistribute resources; and create systemic change.

Shifting Power to Communities

Those most impacted are best suited to lead the process of defining and solving problems: as a grantmaker, we are committed to shifting power back into communities, actively listening to needs, and intentionally fostering collaboration.

Taking Informed Risks and Principled Action

We identify and fund emergent organizing, and stand by community groups and grassroots organizations as they challenge governing systems and fight for racial justice.

Practicing Accountability

We cultivate a culture that values people over systems, and invite the social and racial justice communities we serve to hold us accountable to our values.

Strengthening People-Centered Solutions

Woods Fund Chicago supports communities as they work to hold government accountable to the public good.

Actively Collaborating

We serve as a dynamic partner and catalyst for organizations that share our mission and values.

For more information, please contact us at admin@woodsfund.org.

Woods Fund Chicago Core Values

We at Woods Fund Chicago understand that we are a part of the field of philanthropy, which presents a power dynamic in our communities which exist in a system of capitalism. 

This dynamic can impact the ways we work together, resulting in distrust, individualism, and scarcity mindsets. 

We seek to show up in ways that are resistant to these pitfalls. Therefore, in relation to grantee partners, collaborators, colleagues, and even each other, our staff strives to:

Graphic courtesy of Freedom Lifted

Marketized philanthropy turns the accountability upside down, making organizations responsive to funders and not the communities they are mandated to support.

– Angela Eikenberry, PhD, Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Nebraska at Omaha