Albert Pick, Jr. Fund - January 2023 Newsletter

Fund Newsletter - January 2023

The Albert Pick, Jr. Fund would like to extend warmest wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year to our numerous grantees, partners and friends in Chicago’s philanthropic community!

As we begin 2023, it is clear that it will be a year full of challenges, but we are confident that with our collective dedication and hard work, we will overcome them together. We are grateful for the partnerships we share and look forward to continuing to support your efforts to catalyze positive change in your communities.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to making a difference in the world. We wish you all the best in the year to come.

Grantee Pictured: Project SYNCERE

Message from the Executive Director

Dear Grantee partners, Foundation colleagues and Friends of The Albert Pick, Jr. Fund,

As we move together into the new year, I hope this message reaches you in good health and spirits. On behalf of The Albert Pick, Jr. Fund, I would like to extend our warmest wishes for a happy and prosperous 2023. This year is a special one for us as we celebrate our 75th anniversary. We are honored to have been able to support so many important causes over the years and look forward to continuing our work with you in the future.

I am also writing to inform you that the Pick Fund will be moving to a new grants management firm, Foundation Source, effective April 1, 2023. After many months of planning and strategizing with our Board and current grants management firm, Iris Krieg & Associates (IKA), we have decided to make this change in order to best serve our mission and as we continue to examine how best to center racial equity and social justice in our grantmaking and role in the sector. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Iris Krieg & Associates for the support and guidance we have received over the last decade.

This change is truly a strategic one and something that we are excited to celebrate with you! Our move to Foundation Source will provide a streamlined grantmaking platform that will simplify the application process for potential and existing grantee partners, along with operational support that builds on the back-office infrastructure created by IKA. As Shelley A. Davis, The Albert Pick, Jr. Fund Board President, states, "We are truly grateful for the partnership we have had with Iris Krieg & Associates over the last 10 years. Their guidance and expertise have been instrumental in helping us grow and strategically move into this next phase of our operations."

This is also an opportune moment for us to assess and reimagine our grantmaking approach and guidelines. As a small local funder that takes pride in supporting smaller nonprofits in achieving their missions, we are being intentional in examining where we can best add value and ensure that the Pick Fund plays an integral role in the racial and social justice ecosystem in the philanthropic field.

Please stay tuned for more information forthcoming in the next few months, and we will announce our new grantmaking guidelines and due dates for proposals after our Board of Directors meets for their policy meeting in March 2023. Please check the Fund's website in late March for more information.

Speaking of the Fund’s website, we have a new one with a new look! Please do visit at www.albertpickjrfund.org.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to working together in the year to come.

Warmly and In Solidarity,

Heather D. Parish

Executive Director, The Albert Pick, Jr. Fund

Meet Alexis Allegra

Grants & Operations Administrator

Starting April 1, Alexis Allegra, The Albert Pick, Jr. Fund’s new Grants & Operations Administrator, will be serving in this role one to two days per week and as the primary contact to our grantee partners. She can be reached at alexis@albertpickjrfund.org.

Alexis is thrilled to join The Albert Pick, Jr. Fund! She has twenty years of experience in the nonprofit sector as a direct service worker, program director, administrator, and consultant; resulting in a broad set of nonprofit management skills. She spent much of her career progressing through leadership positions at Teen Living Programs (now Ignite), an organization on the south side of Chicago serving youth who have experienced homelessness, before leaving to start her own nonprofit consulting firm.

A Note from Iris Krieg & Associates' President Lauren Krieg

Dear Friends of The Albert Pick, Jr. Fund,

On behalf of Iris Krieg & Associates (IKA), I want to extend my warmest congratulations and best wishes to the new grants management team of the Pick Fund, Foundation Source. We are proud of the dramatic impact we have been able to make in the Chicago region through our partnership with The Albert Pick, Jr. Fund over the last decade and are excited for the Pick Fund's future and Executive Director, Heather D. Parish, a champion of change!

At IKA, we take a tailored approach to philanthropy by listening closely to our clients and partners to understand their unique needs and goals. This enables us to be the best possible partner, ensuring engagement, equity, and joy in the philanthropic process. As we continue to grow and evolve our services at IKA, we look forward to building new partnerships and continuing our commitment to creating meaningful change through philanthropy. Again, our sincerest congratulations to the Pick Fund!

With gratitude,

Lauren Krieg

President, Iris Krieg & Associates

www.ikriegassoc.com

New Location, New Website!

We are excited to announce that we are now an access member of FBRK Impact House! We look forward to hosting you in this vibrant shared-office community. Moving forward, you can reach us at 200 West Madison Street, Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60606.

We also have a new website with a new look!!! Please do visit at www.albertpickjrfund.org.

Grantee Spotlight

The Chicago Poetry Center

The Albert Pick, Jr. Fund is honored to support exceptional nonprofits in the areas of Civic Activism, Culture, Education, and Health & Human Services.

We will be highlighting grantee partners in this section of our newsletter that exemplify work underway in these sectors.

The Pick Fund has a long history of supporting organizations like the Chicago Poetry Center which play a vital role in fostering creativity and promoting the arts in our city.

The Chicago Poetry Center is a vital organization in the cultural landscape of Chicago. Founded in 1974, the center is dedicated to promoting the art of poetry and providing resources and support to poets, both emerging and established. The center's mission is to foster a community of poets and poetry lovers, and to make poetry accessible to as wide an audience as possible.

One of the ways that the Chicago Poetry Center achieves this mission is through its robust educational programming. The center offers workshops and classes for poets of all ages and skill levels as well as writing groups and open mics for poets to share their work. The center also hosts readings and events featuring poets from around the country, giving the public the opportunity to hear some of the most exciting voices in contemporary poetry.

In addition to its educational programming, the Chicago Poetry Center also operates a library and archive of poetry-related materials. This includes books, manuscripts, and recordings as well as a wealth of information and resources for poets, such as listings of literary journals and publishers.

Poetry is an important art form that has the power to connect people and communities, to inspire and educate, and to bring beauty and meaning to our lives. It is an art form that is both ancient and contemporary, and it is a vital part of our cultural heritage. At the Chicago Poetry Center, we believe in the power of poetry to enrich our lives and our community and we are committed to doing everything we can to support poets and promote the art of poetry. To learn more, visit their website.