“135 years ago, we were giving milk to children and providing early childhood care. We are doing the same today… and much more.” - Carole Wood, CEO

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Founded in 1891, Northwestern Settlement has grown from our original West Town base to
support communities and serve people across Chicago and beyond.
 

The Settlement serves as a social service resource for people of all ages. Programs include
early childhood education, a charter school for elementary and middle school students, after
school mentorship and enrichment, emergency services, food distribution, outdoor education
and summer camp at a year-round Wisconsin campus, and mental health services for
individuals, families, and groups in multiple schools.
 

The Settlement values the importance of relationships with community and families by
bringing external resources to our flagship location in West Town and by sharing our
resources with schools, programs and partners throughout Chicagoland.

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MISSION
Since our founding in 1891, Northwestern Settlement has and continues to build thriving
communities and expand opportunity for children and families through integrated support,
dynamic educational programming, and aligned partnerships.

VISION
The people we serve will be better prepared to seize opportunities to build a foundation for
greater personal success within stronger communities.

VALUES
Nurture, educate, and inspire: Collaborate with purpose, co-create with community, innovate
with managed risk, operate with compassion and respect, commit to excellence.

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STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

Objective 1: Expand our long-term community relationships

 

• Build on our strong relationships with the people we serve to ensure that our strategies and program development efforts are informed by lived experience and community-identified goals and needs.

 

• Continue to shape our programs to respond to community values and needs, prioritizing resource investment where we can maintain a sustained presence to build trust and focus on depth of engagement.

 

• Strategically manage our partnerships to best support flexible service offerings that are responsive to the changing needs of our communities.

Objective 2: Promote educational achievement through integrated programs

 

• Implement leading practices and evidence-based approaches to sustain continuous academic improvement across our Early Childhood Education and Rowe School.

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• Leverage the strength of our student and family support and enrichment programs to advance academic attainment. Integrate these services and supports into our own school as well as into surrounding neighborhood schools to catalyze opportunities for enduring student success.

Objective 3: Strengthen and grow our family supports and coordinated programs

 

• Further improve and integrate our current community programs and pursue targeted growth of programs that are driven by our core strengths.

 

• Explore new ways to implement programs and partnerships in additional locations, prioritizing those with potential, supported by research, for high-value, mission-aligned demonstration of meaningful, lasting impact and long-term viability.

Objective 4: Build capacity for sustained, long-term impact

 

• Optimize our organizational health by focusing on the alignment and long-term viability of our systems of governance, effective leadership, and fundraising as well as stewardship of our talent, infrastructure and facilities.

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• Strengthen our organization financially by continuing to apply strong financial oversight and diversify our revenue sources across our multiple programs.

 

• Establish strong communication loops that translate community insight back to our funders and partners, while staying proficient in understanding external trends, policies, and leading practices.​