McCormick Foundation is a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

-based nonprofit charitable trust established in 1955, following the death of "Colonel" Robert R. McCormick of the McCormick family. , it had more than US$1 billion in assets.

History

In 1911, McCormick became the editor and publisher of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'', a position he held until his death in 1955. McCormick's will founded a charitable trust to promote his beliefs regarding the

First Amendment First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

citizenship Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always perform ...

, education and journalism. In May 2008, the foundation’s Board of Directors changed its name from McCormick Tribune Foundation to the McCormick Foundation to clarify that the Foundation no longer held an ownership position in the

Tribune Company Tribune Media Company, also known as Tribune Company, was an American multimedia conglomerate headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through Tribune Broadcasting, Tribune Media was one of the largest television broadcasting companies, owning 39 t ...

. In May 2009, the foundation appointed Chicago native, lawyer and former CEO of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'',

David Hiller David Dean Hiller (born June 12, 1953) is a lawyer and former media executive for Chicago-based Tribune Company. On May 18, 2009, he was appointed president and CEO of the McCormick Foundation, a leading charitable organization with more than $1 ...

as its president and CEO. Hiller succeeded

David L. Grange David L. Grange (born December 29, 1947) is a retired United States Army major general. He served with the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam War. He was later assigned to Delta Force, commanding a squadron during the invasion of Grenada ...

, a retired

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

major general, who was the foundation’s president from 2005–2009.

Parks and museums

Cantigny Park

McCormick left his grandfather

Joseph Medill Joseph Medill (April 6, 1823March 16, 1899) was a Canadian-American newspaper editor, publisher, and Republican Party politician. He was co-owner and managing editor of the ''Chicago Tribune'', and he was Mayor of Chicago from after the Great Chi ...

's estate, that he called

Cantigny Cantigny is a park in Wheaton, Illinois, 30 miles west of Chicago. It is the former estate of Joseph Medill and his grandson Colonel Robert R. McCormick, publishers of the '' Chicago Tribune'', and is open to the public. Cantigny includes l ...

, as a public park. The park is located in

Wheaton, Illinois Wheaton is a suburban city in Milton and Winfield Townships and is the county seat of DuPage County, Illinois. It is located approximately west of Chicago. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 52,894, which was estimated ...

Mobilization of the McCormick Freedom Museum

From April 2006 to March 2009 the foundation funded the

McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum The McCormick Freedom Museum was the first museum in the United States dedicated to the First Amendment by the McCormick Foundation. It was open from April 11, 2006, until March 1, 2009. The museum offered visitors an interactive experience foc ...

which focused on

first amendment First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

rights: freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition. In January 2009, the foundation announced it was turning the McCormick Freedom Museum mobile. The mobile museum made its debut in Chicago’s

Pioneer Court Pioneer Court is a plaza located near the junction of the Chicago River and Upper Michigan Avenue in Chicago's Magnificent Mile. It is believed to be the site of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable's original residence and trading post. In 1965, the ...

on May 27, 2010.

Grantmaking

The foundation has six programs:

Education

After a $30 million grant to renovate the

Technological Institute The Technological Institute, more commonly known as "Tech", is a landmark building at Northwestern University built from 1940 to 1942. It is the main building for students and faculty in the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applie ...

in 1989, the Engineering school of

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

was renamed the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. Since 2003, the foundation focused on programs for children up to the age of eight in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

, including Advance Illinois, Illinois Action for Children, Ounce of Prevention Fund, and the

Erikson Institute Erikson Institute is a graduate school in child development in downtown Chicago, Illinois. It is named for the noted psychoanalyst and developmental psychologist, Erik Erikson. History and mission The Institute was founded in 1966 by four chil ...

Journalism

The foundation makes grants concerning journalism, including American Society of Newspaper Editors Foundation, Radio Arte, News Literacy Project, Northwestern University's Media Management Center, and the

Poynter Institute The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a non-profit journalism school and research organization in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. The school is the owner of the ''Tampa Bay Times'' newspaper and the International Fact-Checking Netw ...

Civics

The foundation makes grants to improve access to civic education and engagement opportunities for Chicago area youth ages 12–22, including Mikva Challenge, City Year Chicago, Interfaith Youth Core, Illinois Campus Compact, and Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago.

Communities

The foundation partners with media outlets and sports teams (including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Cubs and the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

) to raise money for local needs, often granting matching funds.

Veterans

In 2008 and 2009 the foundation made grants for services for returning veterans from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Other initiatives

The foundation makes grants for Chicago healthcare, cultural, education and human service organizations. Examples include Chicago Lighthouse for the blind or visually impaired, Children's Memorial Hospital, and Off The Street Club.

References

External links

McCormick Foundation Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mccormick Foundation Organizations established in 1955 Non-profit organizations based in Chicago 1955 establishments in Illinois