The Eleanor Foundation and the Chicago Foundation for Women have formed a strategic alliance to maximize the impact of their efforts to boost economic security for female-headed households in the region.

Under the agreement, the Eleanor Foundation will wind down its standalone activities and bring nearly $7 million in assets, its "Eleanor Network" grantmaking program, and key board members and supporters to CFW. Established in 2006, the Eleanor Network is a collaboration of Chicago nonprofits working to help low-income single working women gain the opportunities they need to move up the economic ladder.

For CFW, the move presents an opportunity to leverage additional resources to boost its fundraising and expand support across all three of its focus areas: economic security, access to health care, and freedom from violence. To that end, the organization hopes to increase its total grantmaking to $3 million annually within five years. According to research by the Eleanor Foundation, female-headed households in the region earning less than a living wage number more than three hundred thousand and are one of the fastest-growing population groups in the Chicago area.

"The Eleanor Foundation and Chicago Foundation for Women are joining forces because together we can do far more to help female-headed households reach the middle class than we can alone," said Eleanor Foundation chair Nick Brunick. "This new alliance provides us with a unique opportunity to expand and extend our legacy of helping working women and their families to advance economically."