Realizing the healthcare crisis in our country, the Board of Washington Square Health Foundation, Inc. recognizes that no one foundation can meet all the challenges of the healthcare environment. However, the Foundation has developed a program of grant making which is designed to be both a catalyst and guide for other foundations and grant making organizations in meeting the various needs of the Chicagoland healthcare community. The Washington Square Health Foundation, Inc. grants funds in order to promote and maintain access to adequate healthcare for all people in the Chicagoland area regardless of race, sex, creed or financial need. The Foundation meets this goal through its grants for medical and nursing education, medical research and direct healthcare services.
As a guide to other foundations and other service providers and as a part of the Board’s stewardship of charitable funds, the Washington Square Health Foundation, Inc. has developed a grant evaluation system to ensure that the objectives of various projects are carried out in the manner prescribed by the approved grant.
The Foundation wishes to impress on the philanthropic community that the careful evaluation of the outcomes of grant projects is as important as the appropriate selection of grant recipients.
Several years ago Mr. Howard Nochumson, Executive Director of Washington Square Health Foundation brought to the Washington Square Health Foundation’s Board of Directors’ attention that so much information existed in bits and pieces relative to diabetes, cell biology, cell chemistry and islet cell implantation that it seemed reasonable that such knowledge could be blended wherein a functional (physiologic) cure for diabetes could become a reality in a reasonable time period.
Our Foundation’s Board explored this idea and after much discussion asked itself several questions:
- What would be the potential result(s) if a brain trust, representing a combination of scientific expertise, could be assembled and charged with the challenge of exploring the development of a functional cure of diabetes?
- What would be the chances of success if that group could meet in closed sessions for a three-day period and test the plausibility of this train of thought?
- Would it be reasonable to expect that such a group of sophisticated scientists could and would shed barriers protecting personal expertise (after all, scientists are known to protect their pet projects and expertise) and thereby form a team that would be willing to push aside such barriers and work as a unit to accomplish a common goal? and
- After such sessions, would they be able to state such a project is not only possible but doable – and could they provide a road map for our consideration?
This idea and the resulting questions were eventually shared with Dr. Jose Oberholzer, Associate Professor of Surgery and Bioengineering; Director, Cell and Pancreas Transplantation; Director, Cell Isolation Laboratory, at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
After careful study, and in consultation with colleagues whose expertise he knew was needed for such a project, he came to the Washington Square Health Foundation Board and made a presentation that convinced all of us that this project was a real “GO”.
It should be acknowledged that Washington Square Health Foundation’s role has been and is that of a catalyst – and as a catalyst, Washington Square Health Foundation will not fundraise for or directly administer the Chicago Project’s research support.
Angelo P. Creticos, M.D.
President, Washington Square Health Foundation
Year ended September 30, 2006 | ![]() |
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Grants & Program Related Investment | $ 1,427,787 | |||
Estimated Administrative Expense (Non-Charitable Expense) | $136,592 | |||
Professional Investment & Custodial fees | $65,713 | |||
Provision for federal excise tax | $6,605 | |||
Total Assets | $25,037,887 | |||
*Partially as a result of the September 11, 2001 “Terror attack” and the continued decline and uncertainty in the equity markets, the foundation’s assets were severely impacted as of the close of its fiscal year (September 30, 2001), by a decrease of over $7 million for the 2000-2001 fiscal year and an additional $2.3 million decrease for the fiscal year 2001-2002.The official and complete audit as certified by Crowe Chizek and Company LLC![]() |
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Fiscal Year 2005-06 Grant Recipients
Advocate Charitable Foundation | Health and Medicine Policy Research Group |
Advocate Trinity Hospital | Heartland Health Outreach |
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
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Hektoen Institute for Medical Research |
Access Community Health Network | Hillel Torah North Suburban Day School |
Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders | Housing Opportunities for Women, Inc. (HOW) |
Association, Inc. | Howard Brown Health Center |
American Cancer Center | Illinois College of Optometry |
American Indian Center | Jewish Community Centers of Chicago |
Aunt Marthas Youth Service Center | Keshet |
Association of Small Foundations | La Rabida Children’s Hospital and Research Center |
Chicago Chesed Fund | Lake County Council Against Sexual Assault (LaCASA) |
Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center | Lambs Farm |
Chicago Family Health Center | Lester and Rosalie Anixter Center |
Chicago Medical Society | Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter |
Chicago Youth Programs, Inc. | Mount Sinai Hospital and Medical Center |
Children’s Home and Aid Society of Illinois | North Park Friendship Center |
Chinese American Service League | North Shore Senior Center |
Christian Community Health Center | Northpointe Resources, Inc. |
Clearbrook | Oak Park and River Forest Infant Welfare Society |
CommunityHealth, NFP | PCC Community Wellness Center |
Council on Foundations | Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago |
Donors Forum of Chicago | Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science |
Erie Family Health Center | Saint Anthony Hospital |
Evanston Northwestern Healthcare | Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center |
Family Christian Health Center | St. Basil’s Health Science – Free People’s Clinic |
Foundation for Alzheimer’s and Cultural Memory | St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center |
Gilda’s Club Chicago | The Children’s Memorial Hospital |
Glenwood School for Boys & Girls | The Night Ministry |
Grantmakers in Health | University of Illinois |
Hamdard Center for Health and Human Services | White Crane Wellness Center |