Who We Are
Our Mission
Foundation 65 strengthens Evanston public education by investing in educators to address racialized disparities and create schools where justice and humanity may be experienced by all.
We share a commitment with District 65 to serve our striving students and have recognized that race matters in our educational system. We provide financial support and partnership around student programs and educational empowerment. We journey with the District 65 community in the pursuit of educational justice, inviting community partnership through donations to fund this critical work.
How We Impact
We’re incubators
Since 2008, Foundation 65 has invested over $3 million in programs and interventions, making an impact on District 65 students.
We help District 65 educators grow innovative ideas to address real problems they see every day.
We help address inequities between schools by providing literacy and arts enrichment for students across the district.
We look to significantly contribute to decreasing the achievement gap by partnering closely with the district and funding programs that are measurable and have specific outcomes.
We’re level-setters
We focus on key transitions in students’ academic careers; in particular, the earliest years of kindergarten and first grade.
We place emphasis on family and community involvement in education.
We’re community-makers
Our Board of Directors
The Foundation 65 Board of Directors is comprised of parent and community volunteers. The Board is diverse and representative of Evanston; we strive to have a mix of new and long-time residents, and residents with children of all ages — including some not yet in a district school and others who have graduated.
Our Staff
Alecia Wartowski, Executive Director
Alecia brings more than 20 years of experience working to transform the lives of children through advocacy, education, and engagement. She has worked in youth development, as a legal aid attorney representing women and children, and in higher education supporting gender equity and racial justice. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, her EdM from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and her JD from the University of Wisconsin.
She has lived in Evanston for almost 20 years and has two children at Chute Middle School, and one at ETHS.
Our Financials and Annual Reports
Our Principal Giving Circle
Website design by Meziah Ruby Cristobal