SCE Announces 2025 Catalyst Awards
Each year, our staff and board nominate several organizations to receive Catalyst Awards: one-time contributions made as part of our year-end giving. These organizations typically work on issues beyond our primary program areas. What unites them is their distinct and promising approaches to chronic social problems.
In a year marked with profound challenges, the work of these 15 organizations feels urgent and critical. We’re proud to support their exemplary work.
Arts and Culture
Broadway Advocacy Coalition: Broadway Advocacy Coalition’s mission is to use arts and storytelling to build a more equitable society – and build the collective capacity of individuals, organizations, and coalitions to do the same.
Intonation Music: Intonation uses the art of music making as a tool to hold space for youth to find their sound and discover new depths of their talent and potential.
Community and Economic Development
Greater Chicago Food Depository: The Greater Chicago Food Depository strives to end hunger by connecting the Chicagoland community with healthy food and advancing solutions that address the root causes of hunger.
Revolution Workshop: Revolution Workshop provides training and job placement in the construction sector to dedicated individuals from Chicago’s most under-resourced communities.
Education
Girl Security: With a vision to forge equity in national security, Girl Security prepares girls, women, and gender minorities for national security careers through a National Security Workforce Development Program, mentoring, in person and e-training, and digital fluency an AI online toolkits.
Making Caring Common: Making Caring Common, works to create a better and more just world by supporting educators, parents, and caregivers in raising children, teens and young adults who care for others and the common good.
Health and Human Services
Mod Collective Diaper Dollars Program: MOD Collective exists to end diaper need so every child has a healthy start to life. It advocates to raise awareness of diaper needs and to support policies that increase access to diapers for low-income families.
New Moms: New Moms’ mission is to strengthen families by partnering with young moms as they progress towards housing stability, economic mobility, and family well-being. The organization supports moms 24 years or younger through access to housing, paid job training, college success, and family support.
Immigration
Chicago Street Vendor Relief Fund: The Street Vendors Relief Fund in Chicago aims to provide financial assistance to the street vendors facing economic hardship.
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights: The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) builds power with over 100 member and partner organizations representing diverse immigrant and refugee communities. Together the coalition works to win policies to ensure a more equitable society rooted in dignity and respect for all.
Journalism and Civic Engagement
Braver Angels: Braver Angels is leading the nation’s largest cross-partisan, volunteer-led movement to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic.
FRONTLINE: FRONTLINE is investigative journalism that questions, explains and changes our world.
More Equitable Democracy: More Equitable Democracy is a racial justice organization working to advance racial equity through electoral reform.
The Trace: The Trace is building the only team of journalists exclusively dedicated to reporting on our country’s gun violence crisis. It uses the power of journalism to improve public understanding, increase accountability, and identify solutions that can lead to safer homes and communities for all Americans.
WTTW: WTTW is committed to producing and presenting trusted, best-in-class content fueled by a distinctly Chicago sensibility. It engages its audiences by entertaining, inspiring, educating, and reflecting a diversity of perspectives.
Photo Credit: Intonation Music