Our Mission

The Chicago Public Education Fund (The Fund) is a nonprofit organization that improves public schools in Chicago by investing in the talented educators who lead them.

Our DEIA Commitment

The Chicago Public Education Fund is deeply committed to advocating for educational equity in Chicago. 

Our goal is to ensure every Chicago public school student can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, regardless of ZIP code, by expanding access to high-quality learning environments. 

We believe the best way to do this is by supporting school leaders. We prioritize leaders who serve and represent communities most directly impacted by structural racism and systematic exclusion. 

This work requires a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism (DEIA), and The Fund strives to live this commitment every day through our words, our work, and our actions.

Specifically, we aim to serve our stakeholders in the following ways:

• School Leaders | We ask school leaders what their challenges are and co-create solutions designed to positively impact their students and school communities. Through this partnership, our program and policy work seeks to create the conditions in which current and aspiring principals have the resources and support they need to lead successfully. We specifically focus on recruiting and retaining leaders of color. 
• Fund Team | We actively recruit and hire for diversity in all areas of identity, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender expression, and experience. We also work to cultivate a space in which team members feel valued, respected, and appreciated. Our team receives DEIA professional development, which is integrated into strategic planning for our work.  
• Supporters | We collaborate with and include those who bring diverse perspectives that reflect the city we serve. We convene members of the education, philanthropic, nonprofit, corporate, and civic communities around opportunities to support Chicago public school students and leaders. We commit to regularly asking whose voices are missing and seeking out those perspectives. 

Our work, much like this statement, is always evolving. We won’t always get it right. But we will continue to evaluate our fidelity to and progress against these commitments. As we grow, we will share what we learn and make changes when needed.

Above all, we will continue to recognize and celebrate the plurality of life experiences within Chicago classrooms. Our students, educators, and school leaders are resilient, creative, and full of potential; we are continually learning from and alongside them.