The Service Club of Chicago is a charitable organization of women which has continually served the charitable needs of Chicago and its surrounding communities since 1890. The mission of The Service Club of Chicago is to award grants that will expand facilities, improve equipment and initiate new programs for Chicagoland’s 501(c)(3) organizations, thereby assisting the community as a whole.
The Service Club of Chicago is unique from other charitable organizations because our purpose is to provide funding where others leave off. Charitable organizations often request grants provided by our Philanthropic Fund for items not covered by government or corporate support. Other times we are asked to step in to support them in critical times for unplanned items that might have been either overlooked or unexpected. We fund projects not covered by an agency’s current operating budget, including emergency, pilot program and seed-money needs. For many of these organizations, we help to bridge these gaps because there is nowhere else to turn.
The Service Club of Chicago is an all-volunteer organization. The members raise all of the funds that directly fund our Philanthropic Grant Program. Our Philanthropic Committee, staffed entirely by our trained members, vets every single grant request to ensure that the worthiest organizations receive the most necessary help. Once an organization is vetted and eligible to receive a grant from us, we do not distribute funds to it. Instead payment is made directly to the vendor for the requested item and the item is sent to the organization, ensuring that the allocated grant satisfies the specific, requested need.
What else sets us apart from other charitable organizations is that we don’t focus on a single cause, but rather an array in one portfolio. This allows us to impact a variety of welfare, civic, education and cultural organizations and institutions. Because of this, we are able to reach the greatest number of people that we can throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.