2026-2027 Grantees

Black Girl Magic Book Club (Chute, Dawes, King Arts, Lincolnwood, Oakton, Orrington, Walker, Willard): A K–8 book club featuring Black girl-identifying protagonists that supports positive racial and gender identity through literature and reflection.

Black SonRISE (All schools): Weekly enrichment for Black male students focused on literacy, STEM, sports, and financial education rooted in African diaspora traditions.

Chute Wolfpack (Chute Middle School): A leadership and wellness program for girls of color, including journaling, yoga, and community-building. Girls have the opportunity to engage in the program for 3 years.

Connecting Through Culture (JEH): Hosts multicultural family events to strengthen community ties and celebrate cultural diversity.

Empower Literacy: Structured Reading Intervention for Equity and Student Success (Chute): This program will support a Chute IES bilingual educator to become Wilson Language Training certified.  Wilson is particularly impactful for students with dyslexia or language-based learning disabilities. 

First Grade Math After School Acceleration Program (Dawes): This expands the highly successful 2nd grade math after school acceleration program to 1st grade.  A pilot of this program started in the winter of 2026. The goal of this program is to support students earlier on if they are struggling to reach grade level expectations.

Kindergarten ELA Integrated Experiential Learning Year 3 (Dawes, Dewey, Lincoln, Lincolnwood, Oakton, Orrington, Walker, Willard, King Arts): This project expands the previous two years’ work to all Kindergarten classrooms in District 65 and brings learning to life through sensory activities and field trips, making abstract concepts tangible and engaging for young students.

Kuumba Evanston: Camp Kuumba & Future Wildkit Academy (All schools): A free summer camp and school-year enrichment program supporting academic and cultural identity development for Black youth.

Make & Take Storytelling Event (JEH): A family engagement event that promotes foundational literacy skills for children while also developing adult learning in how to read with your child in a way that enhances literacy skills.

Math Accelerated After-School Program (Dawes Elementary): Targets student needs using iReady diagnostics to improve math skills and confidence.

No Device Required (Dawes): This program gives BIPOC students at Dawes greater access to holistic learning opportunities during after-school time.

Programa de Alfabetización De Después De La Escuela (Dawes): This program will focus on Dawes TWI students and systematically improve their Spanish phonics and academic vocabulary so that they are prepared to handle Tier 1 reading instruction at the beginning of 2nd grade.

Project Excite Expansion (Foster, Lincolnwood, Walker): A STEM-focused program for BIPOC students, led by ETHS and Northwestern staff, with activities during and after school and over the summer. Cohorts will include 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students.

Wilson Reading System Certification (Chute): This program will support a Chute IES bilingual educator, in becoming Wilson Language Training certified.  Wilson is particularly impactful for students with dyslexia or language-based learning disabilities.