FUNDER SPOTLIGHT
POLK BROS. FOUNDATION
The Polk Bros. Foundation is the living legacy of the family that led the Polk Bros. chain of retail furniture and appliance stores, a Chicago institution for more than 55 years. As their family business expanded across the Chicago area, brothers Sol, Samuel, Harry, Morris and David Polk and their sister Goldie Bachmann remained involved with many charities and public service organizations in the neighborhoods and communities of their stores. As the family’s philanthropic activities expanded, the foundation they created was turned into a professionally staffed organization in 1988. When the Polk Bros. chain closed in 1992 and its assets were transferred to the foundation, its abilities increased exponentially.
Today, the Polk Bros. Foundation is one of Chicago’s largest private foundations, and one that still involves the Polk family and its remarkable heritage. The daughter of Samuel Polk, Sandra Polk Guthman, serves as chair and chief executive officer, and two other family members, Bruce Bachmann and Howard Polk, serve on the Foundation's board along with four other board members who have significant civic leadership credentials. With the guidance of the board, the professional staff of the Foundation continues its mission of improving the quality of life for the people of Chicago through grants in support of reducing the impact of poverty and providing area residents with better access to quality education, preventive health care and basic human services.
The Polk Bros. Foundation supports ESC’s delivery of capacity-building services for smaller and mid-sized nonprofits in its priority funding areas. This funding is an essential investment in ESC’s ability to serve these organizations. Small and mid-sized agencies represent a huge proportion of Chicago nonprofits, and are often those most in need of the guidance and tools that ESC provides. However, organizations like these would often be unable to access these resources without ESC’s unique leveraging of funder support and the dedication of our volunteer consultants that makes this work possible.
ESC is deeply grateful for what the Polk Bros. Foundation’s support means for us, which extends far beyond our own bottom line and reinforces the impact and reach of the Foundation’s broad granting program all across the city. To learn more about the Polk Bros. Foundation, click here.