CME Group Foundation Launches $2 Million Grantmaking Initiative to Support Mental Health of Young Women and Girls in Chicago

Last week, CME Group Foundation announced an initial $2 million in funding to expand its grantmaking program to support young women and girls impacted by trauma and violence in Chicago.

“We are pleased to make these initial grants that will bring high-quality mental health resources to young women and girls in Chicago’s underserved communities,” said Terry Duffy, CME Group Chairman and CEO and Vice Chairman of CME Group Foundation. “CME Group Foundation has always supported education from cradle to career, and this investment is the latest example of that commitment to our city.”

Among the initial group of organizations to receive CME Group Foundation mental health grants are:

  • Children’s Research Triangle
    Help funding Girls Moving in New Directions, which adds girls-focused programming to their current school-based mental health and violence prevention services in 11 Chicago Public Schools.
  • Focus Fairies
    Funding trauma-informed care therapy services into their “What’s the T.E.A.” program that provides young girls with mentors.
  • Girls Inc. of Chicago
    Support of the Mind + Body + Health initiative that provides mental health support to girls in school.
  • Juvenile Protective Association
    Expansion of the pilot program The Grandparent Project that brings in “grandmothers” from communities in Chicago to mentor girls in school.
  • Ladies of Virtue
    Support of a community-based model program that integrates career readiness training, mentoring and mental health support for girls.
  • Polished Pebbles
    Funding of the Girls Mentoring Program which provides in-school and after-school mentoring activities to Black and Latinx girls.
  • Union League Boys and Girls Club
    Assistance with a pilot program that provides at-risk girls in Chicago with trauma-informed afterschool programming.
  • Youth Guidance
    Expansion of the Working on Womanhood program which provides trauma-informed counseling and clinical mentoring to girls in middle and high school.

CME Group Foundation, will also support local organizations and projects that increase the reach of mentors and mental health service providers to young women and girls, enhance innovation for trauma responsiveness and social-emotional learning to reduce the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and drive awareness and collaboration across Chicago’s public and private sectors.

The Foundation, led by Eva Giglio, makes grants to universities, school districts, and non-profit organizations that work to improve outcomes for underserved students. Since 2008, CME Group Foundation has contributed $66 million to local nonprofits that support students of all ages. For more information, visit www.cmegroupfoundation.org.