Robert R. McCormick Foundation

The Robert R. McCormick Foundation was established in 1955 under the last will and testament of Col. Robert R. McCormick, long-time publisher and editor of the Chicago Tribune. With over $1 billion in assets, McCormick focuses its philanthropic efforts in five major program areas: 1) Veterans, 2) Journalism, 3) Early Childhood Education, 4) Supporting Communities, and 5) Strengthening Democracy. With this award, the McCormick Foundation supports the Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families, a federal program active in several states. The Governor’s Challenge offers outreach and training to military families, mental health clinicians, and other service providers to aid in the prevention of veteran suicide.

The Robert R. McCormick Foundation (McCormick) was established in 1955 under the last will and testament of Col. Robert R. McCormick, long time publisher and editor of the Chicago Tribune. With over $1 billion in assets, McCormick focuses its philanthropic efforts in five major program areas: 1) Veterans, 2) Journalism, 3) Early Childhood Education, 4) Supporting Communities, and 5) Strengthening Democracy. In 2015, McCormick established The Fund for Civic Education, a public-private partnership comprised of philanthropic and civic leaders with the goal of ensuring adequate support for professional development activities and classroom experiences throughout Illinois. In order to support implementation of a law requiring that all Illinois middle school students complete a semester-long civics course as a requirement of graduation, this award supports teacher professional development activities in civics education.

The Robert R. McCormick Foundation is a leading Chicago-based funder of journalism and youth civic media. With the support and participation of other local funders, McCormick is administering the Chicago COVID-19 Journalism Fund, a small grants program developed to respond to the urgent needs of local news outlets covering the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on Chicagoland communities. The goal of the COVID-19 Journalism Fund is to provide immediate and short-term financial assistance to news organizations working to meet the information needs of their audiences in the midst of uncertain and challenging financial circumstances.

The Robert R. McCormick Foundation was established in 1955 under the last will and testament of Col. Robert R. McCormick, long time publisher and editor of the Chicago Tribune. With over $1 billion in assets, the McCormick Foundation focuses its philanthropic efforts in five major program areas: 1) Veterans, 2) Journalism, 3) Early Childhood Education, 4) Supporting Communities and 5) Strengthening Democracy. The McCormick Foundation has established The Fund for Civic Education, a new public-private partnership comprised of philanthropic and civic leaders with a goal of ensuring adequate support for professional development activities and classroom experiences throughout Illinois. This grant will support teacher professional development activities in civics education as part of the implementation of HB 4025, a new law requiring that all Illinois high school students complete a semester-long civics course as a requirement of graduation.