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The Children First Fund (CFF) is excited to welcome Rebecca Clarkin as our new Executive Director. She joined our team this week, bringing a wealth of experience in nonprofit leadership and a deep commitment to supporting children and families.

For over two decades, Rebecca has worked in prominent Chicago social service organizations that support children and young people. Rebecca spent the last decade at Youth Guidance, most recently as their Chief Operating Officer. She spearheaded the public-private partnerships that helped transform Youth Guidance from a small Chicago organization to a significant partner to Chicago Public Schools and an increasingly national organization operating in eight cities. 

Youth Guidance focuses on supporting schools and students that need the most support, an approach that is shared with CFF. Her career-long commitment to young people and unwavering focus on unleashing their potential and strengths is inspiring.

Prior to her time at Youth Guidance, Rebecca served in leadership roles at Brightpoint (then Children’s Home & Aid) and Little City Foundation, two of Illinois’ most prominent social service agencies. Ms. Clarkin began her career connecting young families in Head Start programming in Chicago’s Englewood community to nonprofit partners for additional services, a role which had a profound impact on her commitment to serving children and families in underserved communities in Chicago. 

At Children First Fund, we are grateful for the partnerships that made recent accomplishments possible within the CPS academic core, educator development, college access, career connected learning, physical and behavioral wellness targeted students supports, and school partnership and family crisis response, and we are excited about this next chapter for CFF. Our students and school communities are the beneficiaries of the most dedicated, thoughtful, and engaged community of partners.

We hope you will join the CFF Board, CFF Managing Directors Yemisi Odedina and Mica Matsoff, and the rest of the CFF team in welcoming Rebecca to the Children First Fund.

Alan King
Chair, Children First Fund Board

At Children First Fund (CFF), we are driven by a shared commitment to create a brighter future for students, families, and educators at Chicago Public Schools (CPS). As the CPS foundation, our mission is to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity, leveraging external resources to ensure that every student has the support they need to thrive.

In alignment with the new CPS Five-Year Strategic Plan, Success 2029: Together We Rise, we have worked closely with the CPS community to prioritize philanthropic funding requests that represent the most critical needs and highest-impact opportunities to support CPS students and schools in achieving our strategic goals. 

After evaluating the many existing funding opportunities, we’ve prioritized initiatives that not only align most directly with District goals, but also adhere to lessons learned from successful philanthropic partnerships of the past. CFF’s Partnering for Progress outlines these key priorities, and highlights the unique opportunities for foundations, corporations, individuals, and organizations to partner with CFF and CPS. This is not an exhaustive list of opportunities, so we welcome the chance to explore additional ways to support our students and schools with you.

Together, we can continue to make a meaningful difference in the lives of CPS students and help build a stronger, more equitable future for our city.

A special message to those who have supported CPS over the previous five years: Thanks to you, we have raised over $78 million and an additional $14 million in in-kind donations for the District, and provided support to more than 400 elementary schools, 120 high schools, and 35 Central Office teams, through more than 1,600 grants and contributions from generous foundations, corporations, and organizations, and gifts from more than 3,100 individual donors of all giving levels. You have bolstered funding for programs that touch all aspects of the student experience, from health and safety to core academics and college and career access and readiness. 

The meaning of your support extends beyond the resources you have provided. You have shown our school leaders, teachers, and students that you are rooting for them, have confidence in their abilities, and are invested in their present and future success.

And the impact of your partnership—a critical piece of the puzzle along with the dedication of CPS leaders, educators, and students—is clear. CPS schools have seen record-breaking gains, ranking first in reading growth and third in combined reading and math growth in 2023 among large urban districts. Our 2024 state assessment reports show continued gains, and our graduation rates are climbing. The CPS Class of 2024 graduated with more than 55,000 college credits. 

Now, we look ahead to the next five years to continue to build partnerships that will ensure bold and transformational changes in our students’ lives, with a focus on those who have historically been farthest from opportunity.

We invite you to explore these opportunities and consider how your support can help advance our shared mission. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to Chicago’s students and families. We look forward to working together to make a lasting impact.