News

June 4, 2021

Coleman Foundation funds community-based business support organizations to provide financial literacy training, but many entrepreneurs still don’t know they need it. A significant number of business owners in low and moderate-income neighborhoods were not able to access capital or apply for PPP loans. Learn more about what grantees are doing to address this financial literacy knowledge gap....

January 29, 2021

As I settle into my role as the third CEO of The Coleman Foundation, I’ve been inspired by the depth of knowledge and experience our team has in building impactful programs in entrepreneurship, supportive cancer care, and disability services. I realize that there is an opportunity to tell the Coleman story in a way that amplifies the work of our grantees, expands our community, and illuminates the lessons learned through decades of creating impact in...

November 16, 2020

This week Shelley Davis will take the helm of The Coleman Foundation. The Coleman Foundation invests about $8 million each year in programs that advance personal empowerment and well-being for residents of the Chicago Metro area. Shelley will succeed Michael Hennessy who began working with the Foundation in 1987 when he was an officer of Fannie May Candy Company and became the Coleman Foundation’s president in 1993. We checked in with Shelley to hear her thoughts...

September 16, 2020

More than 3,000 Chicago-area workers who serve individuals with disabilities will receive a special gift of appreciation this week—and those gifts provided a financial boost for six local small businesses; five of which are female- or minority-owned. Chicago-based Coleman Foundation donated $50,000 to a network of nonprofit agencies, Intersect for Ability. In turn,the agencies bought products from these businesses to celebrate Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week. The businesses include Chocolate Inspirations, a mother-daughter team who makes...