Partners
Space to Grow was co-founded by Healthy Schools Campaign and Openlands, and brings together capital funds and leadership from Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Department of Environment, the Chicago Department of Water Management and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. This unique collaboration is dedicated to creating a brighter, greener, healthier future for Chicago’s students, families, schools and the city.
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Healthy Schools Campaign
Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making schools healthier places for children. Founded in Chicago, HSC advocates for national, state and local policies and practices that support health and learning, including nutritious school food, physical activity, comprehensive mental and physical health services, green schoolyards and clean air at school. HSC’s work takes place at the intersection of education, health and the environment. For more information, visit healthyschoolscampaign.org.
Co-Founder
Openlands
Founded in 1963, Openlands protects the natural and open spaces of northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region to ensure cleaner air and water, protect natural habitats and wildlife and help balance and enrich our lives. Openlands’ vision for the region is a landscape that includes a vast network of land and water trails, tree-lined streets and intimate public gardens within easy reach of every city dweller. It also includes parks and preserves big enough to provide natural habitat and to give visitors a sense of the vast prairies, woodlands and wetlands that were here before the cities. In sum, Openlands believes that protected open space is critical for the quality of life of our region. For more information, visit openlands.org.
Capital Partners
Chicago Public Schools
The Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) mission is to create a system of schools that prepares every student in every community to succeed in college and career. As the nation’s third largest school district, CPS recognizes that it can be a model for the nation in delivering programs that maximize the intersection of education and health. CPS serves 325,305 students at over 634 schools, representing 80 percent of all school-aged children in Chicago. For more information, visit cps.edu.
Chicago Department of Environment
The Chicago Department of Environment (DOE) works to equitably advance the climate and environmental priorities of the City of Chicago. DOE coordinates across all sectors and City departments to mitigate the threats of climate change, alleviate environmental harm in Chicago’s most overburdened communities, generate community wealth building opportunities in the green economy, and foster health and resiliency in all 77 communities. For more information, visit chicago.gov/environment.
Chicago Department of Water Management
The Department of Water Management (DWM) protects public health in the most environmentally and fiscally responsible manner by delivering a sufficient supply of exceptional quality water and efficiently managing waste and stormwater. To achieve this mission, over 2,100 DWM employees manage a complex infrastructure network that includes two water purification plants, 12 pumping stations, 4,300 miles of water mains and 4,450 miles of sewers. The department is committed to modernizing these systems by replacing aging mains, improving stormwater management, and investing in green infrastructure to reduce flooding and improve water quality. For more information, visit chicago.gov/water.
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Established in 1889, the MWRD is an award-winning, special purpose government agency responsible for wastewater treatment and stormwater management in Cook County, Illinois. The MWRD protects the health and safety of the public in its service area, protects the quality of the water supply source (Lake Michigan), improves and protects the quality of water in watercourses, protects businesses and homes from flood damages and manages water as a vital resource. The MWRD’s service area is 883.5 square miles of Cook County, Illinois. The MWRD is committed to achieving the highest standards of excellence in fulfilling its mission. For more information, visit mwrd.org.
We would like to thank the following for their generous support of Space to Grow.
Thank you!
The Brinson Foundation
Finnegan Family Foundation
Harry F. and Elaine Chaddick Foundation
IMC Chicago Charitable Foundation
The Kresge Foundation
Lumpkin Family Foundation
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Education
Nielsen-Massey Foundation
Paul M. Angell Family Foundation
Prince Charitable Trusts
The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation
TAWANI Foundation
The Walder Foundation
We would also like to extend our gratitude to all of the design, engineering, and construction firms that helped bring each school community’s vision to life in their Space to Grow schoolyards!