McCormick Tribune Foundation Receives Council On Foundations’ 2008 Paul Ylvisaker Award For Effective Public Policy Engagement
CHICAGO, April 16, 2008
In recognition of the success of McCormick Tribune Foundation’s exemplary public policy initiatives, the Council on Foundations has honored the McCormick Tribune Foundation with the 2008 Paul Ylvisaker Award for Public Policy Engagement. This honor recognizes the Foundation’s long-term commitment to improving early care and education for at-risk children under the age of five in Illinois, and its consistent and positive impact on policies related to early childhood education.
“The McCormick Tribune Foundation is committed to preparing and enabling children to become engaged citizens,” said David L. Grange, president and CEO, McCormick Tribune Foundation. “We are honored to receive this prestigious award, and would like to acknowledge the public sector leaders of Illinois as well as all of our grantees, especially our long-time public policy grantees—the Ounce of Prevention Fund, Voices for Illinois Children and Action for Children of Illinois—for their tireless efforts to help prepare and enable our children to become life-long learners and active members of our society.”
In 1993, the McCormick Tribune Foundation shifted its education-related investments to focus on the well-being of very young children in response to new research on brain development demonstrating the link between early care and education and children’s later success in school and life. Since the inception of its education giving programs, the Foundation has taken a systems approach to change and has made public policy a keystone of its strategy.
Over the past 14 years, the Foundation has invested $80 million in a broad range of activities to build a system of early care and education in Illinois. In addition to focusing on improving public policy and increasing funding for early care and education, the Foundation’s investments included program quality, professional development for early childhood teachers, research, organizational capacity building, and public awareness of early childhood issues.
“From supporting the Chicago Accreditation Project, which helped child care programs become accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, to helping fund and participate in the Chicago Early Childhood Assessment Project, the McCormick Tribune Foundation has been at the forefront of most initiatives that have made a difference for Chicago’s youngest children,” said Barbara T. Bowman, chief early childhood education officer, Chicago Public Schools.
In 2006, the Foundation’s primary public policy goal was realized when Illinois enacted “Preschool for All,” making it the first state in the nation with the statutory goal of providing free, voluntary quality preschool to all three- and four- year olds while increasing investments in infants and toddlers at risk of school failure.
“The McCormick Tribune Foundation’s vision, passion and courage have been instrumental to Illinois’ investments in young children,” said Harriet Meyer, president, Ounce of Prevention Fund. “Many philanthropic leaders in several states across the country are looking at what Illinois has accomplished and exploring ‘the McCormick approach’ to effectively build capacity and stimulate policy change in early childhood in their own states.”
To date, the Foundation’s long-term investment has leveraged more than $348 million in annual public investments in children birth to five in Illinois, allowing more than 124,000 children access to high-quality early care and education.
“The McCormick Tribune Foundation will continue to support the growth of early childhood education in Illinois and expand learning opportunities for Chicagoland’s youngest children,” said Donald A. Cooke, senior vice president of philanthropy, McCormick Tribune Foundation. “We believe that the long-term commitment and collaboration of state and local government leaders, business leaders, educators and other early education providers, parents and civic leaders, will sustain the already impressive momentum and bring about further improvements to Illinois’ early childhood initiatives.”
The 2008 Paul Ylvisaker Award for Public Policy Engagement will be presented to the McCormick Tribune Foundation during the Council on Foundations’ Philanthropy’s Vision: A Leadership Summit on May 5, 2008.
About the Award
The Paul Ylvisaker Award for Public Policy Engagement honors a foundation that has demonstrated excellence in influencing public policy through creative and effective strategy. The award was created in 2002 and named after Paul Ylvisaker, a courageous and often lone voice on a range of issues. Paul was one grantmaker who through his own example taught colleagues to engage in public policy.
About the McCormick Tribune Foundation
The McCormick Tribune Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to making life better for our children, communities and country. Through its charitable grantmaking programs, Cantigny Park and Golf, Cantigny First Division Foundation and the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum, the Foundation positively impacts people’s lives and stays true to its mission of advancing the ideals of a free, democratic society. The Foundation is an independent nonprofit, separate from the Tribune Co. For more information, please visit our Web site
www.McCormickTribune.org.