Girl's Best Friend Foundation (GBF) closed November 2007. 
GBF’s records are archived with Special Collections of the University
of Illinois, Chicago.  In fall 2008, they will be made public: www.uic.edu/depts/lib/specialcoll.

Since its creation in 1994 as a private family foundation, Girl's Best Friend Foundation (GBF) has provided almost $7.5 million in grants in support of policies and programs that ensure girls' self determination, power, and well being.

In fiscal year 2007, GBF awarded $1,616,048 in grants. GBF makes core grants twice a year to support organizations and programs focused on gender-conscious youth development, leadership, and activism that furthers feminist social change.

2007 Core Cycle Grants

- Total $417,340

About Face Theatre -$12,155
1222 W. Wilson Ave., 2nd Floor W
Chicago, IL 60640
773-784-8565
Support for the About Face Youth Theatre, a project devoted to the creation of original performances and performance-based workshops focused on education, leadership development, and empowerment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth and their allies from around the Chicago area.

Access Living - $14,000
115 W. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60610
Tel: 312-253-7000
Support for the Empowered FeFes, a program for young women with disabilities. The program works to motivate participants to participate fully in community life, build disability pride, and build self-esteem. Program workshops include discussions on issues such as gender and disability, employment, self-image, and sexuality.

Alternatives, Inc. - $14,000
4730 N. Sheridan
Chicago, IL 60640
773-506-7474
Support for Girl World, a program that provides mentoring, sports, leadership development programs, and career and media workshops for girls and young women from Uptown, Edgewater, and Rogers Park neighborhoods in Chicago.

Beyondmedia Education - $14,000
7013 N. Glenwood Ave
Chicago, IL 60626
773-973-2280
Support for Girls! Action! Media!, a program that teaches media/technology arts and academic skills to girls. The program fosters leadership development, public speaking, community activism, and girl-led social change.

Blocks Together - $14,000
3914 W. North Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
773-276-2194
Support for the youth organizing project, which offers disenfranchised youth the tools to affect systemic change in their communities and throughout Chicago, and asserts young people’s role as agents of change who are building a powerful and effective movement for equity and justice. Blocks Together is a multi-issue, nonprofit grassroots direct action community organization made up of residents, schools and churches in West Humboldt Park and North Garfield Park communities.

Brighton Park Neighborhood Council - $14,000
4477 S Archer Ave
Chicago, IL 60632
773-523-7110
In support of the BPNC’s Girls’ Group, a space for girls ages 13 to 19 to discuss issues affecting them and realize their power to affect change through girl-led campaigns to bring programs and resources into their community. This grant also supports BPNC’s work to incorporate a gender lens within the overall work of the organization.

Chicago Girls’ Coalition - $14,000
900 N Franklin, Suite 210
Chicago, IL 60610
312-280-9672
Support for the Chicago Girls’ Coalition, a network that is building programs and centralized communication for program facilitators working with girls and young women in Chicago communities.

Chicago Women in Trades - $14,000
1455 S. Michigan Ave, Suite 210
Chicago, IL 60605
312-942-1444
Support for Aspiring Tradeswomen, a program that develops leadership and advocacy skills and a peer support system for high school-aged young women enrolled in vocational classes, to promote their continued interest in and entry into high-wage nontraditional jobs.

Chicago Women's Health Center - $14,000
3435 N. Sheffield
Chicago, IL 60657
773-935-5665
Support for expanding the outreach and education program, which provides health-focused education in medically underserved Chicago communities, empowering girls and women to make informed choices about their lives and health. The program collaborates with other organizations to advocate for public policy changes to eradicate conditions that cause poor health.

Family Matters - $14,000
7731 North Marshfield
Chicago, IL 60626
773-465-6011
Support for Sisters of Struggle and Sisters in Unity, programs for middle school and high school girls and young women living in the North of Howard neighborhood in Chicago. The program focuses on community building, entrepreneurial skills, and reaching leadership and academic goals.

Family Planning Service of Western Illinois, Inc - $14,000
311 E. Main St., Ste 409
Galesburg, IL 61401
309-343-6162
Support for the Initiative For Girls, a girl-driven program promoting leadership development, asset-building, and peer education for girls ages 11 to 17. The focus of the program is on sexual and reproductive health.

Girls in the Game - $14,000
1501 W. Randolph
Chicago, IL 60607
312-633-4263
General operating support for Girls in the Game, which provides and promotes sports and leadership programming for girls to enhance their physical well-being, self-esteem, leadership, team-building skills and academic excellence.

Global Girls, Inc. - $14,000
8110 S. Luella
Chicago, IL 60617
773-374-5009
Global Girls engages girls ages 8 to14 in activities that build stronger communication skills, life skills, and character. Girls, staff, volunteers, and board members collaborate in creating projects that demonstrate the organization’s core values: exposure, expertise, enlightenment, and empowerment. In weekly sessions, participants learn and practice new skills as they challenge themselves creatively.

Health and Medicine Policy Research Group - $14,000
29 E. Madison St, Suite 602
Chicago, IL 60602-4404
312-372-4292
Support for HMPRG’s advocacy efforts for the implementation of policy recommendations that emerged from the HMPRG Conference, Healing Girls in the Juvenile Justice System: the Challenge to our Community. The conference was held to examine the physical and emotional health issues facing incarcerated and recently released girls and young women.

Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health - $14,000
28 E Jackson, Suite 710
Chicago, IL 60604
773-324-8895
General operating support for the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, which promotes a positive approach to adolescent sexual health and comprehensive support for young parents.

Illinois Safe Schools Alliance - $14,000
c/o Mental Health Association in Illinois
70 E. Lake, Suite 900
Chicago, IL 60601
312-368-9070 ext. 12
Support for Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (formerly Coalition of Education on Sexual Orientation), a coalition of organizations ensuring the safety and well being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth in Illinois through education, public policy, research, and student involvement.

Korean American Resource & Cultural Center - $14,000
2701A W Peterson Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
773-506-9158
Support for Building Sisterhood, which works to empower Korean American young women in high school by providing them with an opportunity to develop critical analysis, leadership skills, and a sense of sisterhood. Young women organize social action campaigns to raise community consciousness on issues of their choice.

Latina Girls’ Club - $13,185
Lake View SBHC
4015 N. Ashland
Chicago, IL 60613
Tel: 773-404-0447
The Latina Girls Club at Lake View High School is a project that was created by and for young Latina students. The girls explore options for their future that enable them to better understand their heritage, take control of their lives, and make informed choices for their futures. (Latina Girls Club is a project of Advocate Charitable Foundation.)

Multicultural Youth Project - $14,000
1016 W. Argyle St
Chicago, IL 60640
773-784-2900
The Multicultural Youth Project is a collaboration of immigrant and refugee agencies that promote the development of a diverse group of youth leaders dedicated to mutual understanding and social justice. Through the Youth Leadership Council and Youth Organizing Team, young people are empowered and equipped with the tools to combat racism, sexism, homophobia, and economic injustice in their schools and communities. (Multicultural Youth Project is a project of Chinese Mutual Aid Association.)

Music Theater Workshop - $14,000
7359 N. Greenview Ave
Chicago, IL 60626
773-973-7266
Support for Fabulous Females, a playwriting and performance program for young women incarcerated in the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center of Chicago and recently released young women living in the Warrenville Illinois Youth Center. Program participants write and perform original plays.

Project Exploration - $14,000
990 E. 61st St.
Chicago, IL 60637
773-834-7620
Support for Sisters 4 Science, an after-school and fieldwork program that combines leadership development with natural science explorations for girls in sixth through eighth grades on Chicago’s southwest side. The program works to inspire and empower urban girls through hands-on experiences with paleontology and natural science.

Questioning Youth Center - $14,000
1163 E. Ogden Ave., Suite 705-337
Naperville, IL 60563
630-415-2053
General operating support for QYC, whose work includes a multi-phased program for adolescent lesbian and bisexual females called Our Turn. Young women plan and organize the direction and the focus of the group; the participants receive and facilitate trainings about health, wellness, and personal safety during the coming out process. The female youth leaders co-facilitate presentations in other QYC centers and in the community on various topics.

Redmoon Theater - $14,000
1438 W. Kinzie
Chicago, IL 60622
312-850-8440
Support for Dramagirls, a performance group of thirty middle school-aged girls from Chase School in the Logan Square community of Chicago. Dramagirls teaches lessons of young people valuing their contribution as communicators, artists, writers, leaders, and thinkers.

RIC Women with Disabilities Center - $14,000
345 E Superior St, Room 164
Chicago, IL 60611
312-238-1051
Support for the M & M (Mentee and Mentor) Roll Model Program, which pairs women with disabilities with teenage girls with disabilities in mentoring relationships, and holds monthly group meetings for all participants. WWDC works with young women to reach out to the medical community and create advocacy projects within their own communities.

Street-Level Youth Media - $14,000
1856 W. Chicago Ave., 1st Floor
Chicago, IL 60622
773-862-5331
Support for Female Action Voice, a media arts program for high school aged young women to explore gender issues in a safe, supportive, and participatory environment. Using video production, computer arts, and the Internet, young women address community issues, access advanced communication technology, and gain insight into information-based society.

UMOJA Student Development Corporation - $14,000
2935 W. Polk St., Room 116
Chicago, IL 60612
773-534-8877
Support for UMOJA Student Development Corporation (USDC) programs for young women, and multiple gender programs that address issues affecting young women at Manley Career Academy High School. USDC programs include meetings that are driven by topic, such as violence against women, women in careers, health, sexuality, and comprehensive and accurate reproductive health information. Young people design and lead community projects and conduct seminars with other young women in the school community.

Women & Gender Research Initiative - $14,000
2219 N Kenmore Ave.
460 Byrne Hall
Chicago, IL 60614
773-325-4758
Support for Take Back the Halls: Ending Violence in Relationships and Schools, a school-based empowerment program designed to prevent relationship violence among teens. Teens explore domestic violence, sexual assault and sexual abuse, as well as the variety of social structures that facilitate violence in our culture. (Women & Gender Research Initiative is a project of Sergeant Shriver National Center on Poverty.)

Women & Girls Collective Action Network - $14,000
28 E. Jackson Blvd., Suite 710
Chicago, IL 60604
312-427-4460 x 230
Support to help women and girls develop leadership skills to take action and promote social justice on issues that matter most to them. Through Women & Girls CAN, women and girls learn from one another to raise consciousness, unite to build connections between communities, and build power to take collective action. (Women & Girls Collective Action Network was a project of Illinois Caucus of Adolescent Health.)

Young Chicago Authors - $14,000
1180 N. Milwaukee Ave., 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60622
773-486-4331
Support for GirlSpeak, a discussion, writing, and performance program for high school aged young women. Writing is used as a gateway to explore, discuss, and exchange ideas on feminism, power, body image, street harassment, and other issues. Girl Speak is part of the core programming at Young Chicago Authors (YCA) and highlights women writers, and explores and complicates issues of gender with young people in YCA programs.

Young Women's Empowerment Project - $14,000
2334 W. Lawrence Ave., Suite 209
Chicago, IL 60625
773-728-0127
Support for nonjudgmental, safe, and respectful space for girls and young women ages 11 to 21 who are impacted by the sex trade and street economies. Participants are engaged through group and individual activities. Young women are trained to be peer outreach workers to get community resource information to other young women who are not always accessing any organizational services. YWEP provides authentic and open minded education to schools, nonprofit organizations, and funders, while working to inform the public and participate in advocacy and policy change efforts.

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