A trust-based fund partnering with organizations working to ensure girls, women, birthing people, and LGBTQ+ youth succeed on their terms

Pictured: Rise Up

How we fund

Summer Oaks follows a trust-based approach to philanthropy with the aim of shifting power to the hands of nonprofit leaders who know best how to serve their communities.

Multi-Year Gifts

We provide transformative unrestricted investments to expand, scale, and stabilize organizations

Invite-Only, Relationship Focused

 We aim to alleviate unnecessary effort for potential grantee partners by focusing on relationship-building over traditional application processes

Act on Our Values

We commit to be transparent and responsive with our partners, solicit and act on feedback, and provide support beyond the check

Issue Areas

Includes abortion access, birth equity, perinatal and maternal health, and sex Education

Reproductive
Health & Justice

Includes affirming mental and physical health care, social safe spaces, and community education

Queer & Trans Youth
Support Services

Includes entrepreneurship, and girls and gender-expansive youth-serving organizations

Next Generation Leadership

WHO WE FUND

  • Geography

    New funding is currently focused on the Chicago area, with limited support to those working elsewhere in Illinois, nationally, and internationally

  • Leadership

    We love orgs led by knowledgeable, passionate and collaborative people with lived experience with the issues they address and who engage affected communities in the decision-making process

  • Organization Type

    Funding prioritizes service delivery organizations while recognizing the secondary need to support those workings for systems-level change.

Because everyone has the right to succeed on their terms