2019
Annual
Report

High school graduation is the True North of
Communities In Schools (CIS) of Chicago.

At core, the work that we do every day is grounded in CIS of Chicago's enduring vision of ensuring that every public-school student in Chicago graduates from high school prepared for success.

Letter to Our Supporters

No organization in Chicago matches the breadth and depth of our work with young people. Our work is made possible by the generosity of our donors and funders. With deepest appreciation for their support, we invite you to read more about our impact, and learn what we mean when we say that CIS of Chicago is #AllinforKids!

Read entire letter

“Our work is done with intention, with the goals of each individual student in mind, whether we are providing academic assistance, teaching coping skills, or creating spaces for social and emotional learning.

Our transformational growth allows us to broaden our reach and continue building meaningful relationships with our school communities and the students we serve.”
– Aisha Robinson, Director of Integrated Student Supports

Intensive Support

When kids are in school, we’re there with them through our Intensive Program.

Read more



Celia Lozano, our Chief Program Officer, speaks about what it means to be all in for Chicago’s students.

In School for Kids: Reunion

School Partnerships

We are all in for Chicago’s kids, working with school staff and faculty to connect high-quality programs and services to all our school partners.

Read more



How do we connect services to schools? Robin Koelsch, our Director of Partnerships, walks you through that process.

School Partners List (2019-2020)


“We’re in a period of unprecedented growth at Communities In Schools of Chicago. Five years ago, we impacted 54,000 CPS students. Our new 3-year Strategic Plan envisions us positively impacting almost double that number by 2023.

With growth comes the responsibility of ensuring impact. We remain laser-focused on making sure that everything we do programmatically advances our work of helping the young people of our city stay on the path to graduation.” 
Bartholomew St. John, Chief Innovation and Communications Officer

Community Partnerships

From museums and performance groups, to health education and college-readiness programs, these organizations can rely on CIS of Chicago community partner specialists to connect them with classrooms filled with students ready to receive what they can offer.

Read more

 

Karen Roddie, our Senior Community Partnership Specialist, shares the true value of our relationship with strong community partners. 


2018-2019 Community Partners

Mentoring Programs

When caring adults want to volunteer in schools, they are encouraged to participate in InspireU, a CIS of Chicago mentoring program for middle-school students.

Read more

STEMpathy

Two years ago, CIS of Chicago launched the STEMpathy direct student support program. The program is rooted in the idea that the jobs of the future will require STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills, strong interpersonal skills, and empathy.

Read more

 

Kara Victorsen, our STEMpathy Initiative Manager, discusses combining STEM and social-emotional learning in the curriculum.


By The Numbers (2018-2019)*

 Students served

70,245 

Programs and services connected to students

1,745

School partners

160

Community partners

193 

Student hours in InspireU program

315

Case-managed
students

967

Intensive program
sites

20

99% 

99%
Case-managed students who graduated or were promoted



0%  

0%
Case-managed students who dropped out

       *Numbers in this section reflect the most recently completed academic year.

Fiscal Year 2019 Revenue Without Donor Restrictions was $4.4 million

20
Individuals
Foundations
Corporations
Government
and schools

Special
Events

Recognition Programs

When it comes to recognizing student success in schools, CIS of Chicago celebrates young people and the caring adults in their lives with two annual awards.

The Al G. Ward Spirit of Giving Award celebrates a community partner and a school partner who consistently go above and beyond to positively impact the lives of Chicago public-school students.

The Carnahan Family Tenacity Awards recognize hard-working students who are receiving guidance from our Student Supports Managers and have found the drive to work through challenges and improve their school performance.

Read more


“Potential is distributed equally in Chicago's young people. Unfortunately, opportunity is not. CIS of Chicago's talented staff are able to address this gap, supported by the vision and generosity of our amazing donors.”
– Marianne Woodward, Chief Resource Officer

Board of Directors


Barbara M. Ford
(Board Chairman)
Principal
FordPartners, LLC

Jim Welch 
(Board Vice Chairman)
President
Nexgen Packaging, LLC

Bradley H. Meyers
(Board Treasurer)
Managing Director 
GCM Grosvenor

Craig A. Bondy
Managing Director
GTCR

Mark Brady
Global Head of M&A
William Blair & Company L.L.C.

Jodi J. Caro
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Ulta Beauty

Robert P. Conlon
Founding Partner
Walker Wilcox Matousek LLP

Brian W. Good   
Managing Director, Tradeable Credit
THL Credit

John M. Greening
Associate Professor
Northwestern University

Jonathan Guryan
Professor
Northwestern University

Ryan D. Harris 
Partner 
Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Torrence L. Hinton
Director - Gas Storage
Peoples Gas

Alain LeCoque
Principal, Chicago
Colliers International

Brian Moncrief
Managing Director
Ares Credit Group

Scott Pasquini
Managing Director
Madison Dearborn Partners LLC

Valli Perera 
Retired Partner
Deloitte

Matthew E. Steinmetz
Partner
Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Kareem K.W.O.E. Wells
Chief Executive Officer
Flow Entertainment, Inc.

Alicia West
Vice President,
Region Sales
Altria


“At Communities In Schools of Chicago, we build relationships with community organizations and underserved schools. By doing this, we are able to connect valuable resources to these schools that are not readily available.

I feel a sense of pride knowing that I played a role in ensuring that each student's needs are being met.”   
Sucada Bell, Senior School Partnership Specialist

Sign up to keep up with
Communities In Schools of Chicago!

Opss... Please check the form :-)

Like Us
on Facebook
Follow Us
on Twitter
Follow Us
on Instagram
Follow Us
on LinkedIn