Polk Brothers Foundation

History

The Polk Brothers Foundation was founded in 1988 as a philanthropic endeavor of the Polk Brothers Furniture Company, a Chicago-based appliance retailer that operated from 1935 until 1992. ¹ Polk Brothers was formed with an initial transfer of $42 million in assets followed by $120 million to completely fund the foundation. ² Early Polk Brothers initiatives included funding related to the arts, education, community-based schools in Chicago, immigrants and refugees, homelessness, and affordable housing. ³

In 2016, Polk Brothers established the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities with 30 nonprofits joining to fund programs directed at police reforms and gun policy in the city. ² In 2017, Polk Brothers established an Urgent Action Fund focusing on gun violence and immigrant rights in the city. ² The Polk Brothers Foundation annually provides more than $25 million in grants to approximately 400 nonprofit organizations. ⁴

Issues

Since its inception, the Polk Brothers Foundation has funded Chicago-based programs focused on education, arts, health care, and the community. ⁵ Recently, Polk Brothers expanded to focus on left-of-center racial issues and policing. ⁶ Polk Brothers has contributed over $17 million to equity-based initiatives. ⁶

In 2021, Polk Brothers announced an initial round of $2.8 million in equity grants. ⁷ Grants included $1 million to the Obama Foundation for construction and operation of the Obama Presidential Center; ⁷ $150,000 grants to Cabrini Green Legal Aid, Illinois Justice Project, and Business and Professional People for the Public Interest for advancing an inclusive agenda in criminal justice policy; ⁷ and a $146,000 grant to the Urban Education Institute at the University of Chicago for equity in education. ⁷

Polk Brothers granted $200,000 for a racial justice and equity leadership initiative and curriculum, outreach, and website development for Shame of Chicago on segregation in the city. ⁸ Polk Brothers funded a $50,000 grant through Forefront to form a racial justice and equity leadership initiative. ⁹

Polk Brothers began a $50,000 equity pilot program to unconditionally pay $500 per month for 18 months to 30 formerly incarcerated individuals. ¹⁰ Polk Brothers provided a $340,000 grant to National Equity Project and Chicago United for Equity to identify racial equity challenges, participate in a racial equity impact assessment, and to join the Midwest District Network to identify and test equity challenges in schools. ¹¹

Polk Brothers is a named key partner to The New School’s Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy that has introduced an economic equity agenda that advocates guaranteed income and guaranteed federal jobs for everyone. ¹²

Since 2014, Polk Brothers has provided at least $265,000 in grants to the Chicago Women’s Health Center (CWHC). ¹³ CWHC provides artificial insemination services to lesbian, transgender, queer, bisexual, and single women as a social justice issue and offers educational programs to schools that include topics on sexuality, pregnancy options, and gender identity, expression, and presentation. ¹⁴

Finances

In 2020, Polk Brothers Foundation had net assets of $418,807,825. ¹⁵ According to the organization’s tax returns, in 2020 Polk Brothers recorded $6,718,046 in revenue and $28,723,514 in expenses. ¹⁵ In 2019, Polk Brothers had $34,308,307 in revenue and $32,432,562 in expenses. ¹⁶

Leadership

Gillian Darlow has been CEO of the Polk Brothers Foundation since 2013. ² Previously, she was principal at Civic Consulting Alliance, a Chicago-based organization that works with nonprofits, pro bono partners, and clients on projects in the city. ¹⁷ Darlow previously worked in various capacities at the Redmoon Theater, Chicago Field Museum, Galef Institute, International Development Exchange, and Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati. ¹⁸ Darlow has an MBA from Stanford University, MA in Education from Stanford, and A.B. in Psychology from Harvard University. ¹⁹