The 1937 Foundation’s mission is to help people see past trauma to heal and build a healthy and financially sustainable life experience.

We put vulnerable people and their communities first, and promise to help them heal and grow through adversity. By helping participants recover from violence-induced trauma, we can remove barriers to progress for individuals and their communities. 

From our set of evidence-informed programs and services, The 1937 Foundation team customizes a plan per community, as the problems that plague our nation’s marginalized are real and the solutions are personal.

The 1937 Foundation, a Chicago-headquartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, was founded in 2020. In addition to government and Foundation grants, the charity is funded by private donors, major gifts, corporate contributions and in-kind supporters. Funding includes a three-year grant commitment from the State of Illinois, for a total of $2.3 million. The Foundation received the merit-based grant from the R3 – Restore, Reinvest & Renew – program, which is funded by state tax dollars. 

Tragedy disproportionately impacts underserved communities - trauma inhibits growth.

Our Sons’ lives are expected to be cut short 8.8 years earlier than all others because they are Black.

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In Chicago, someone is shot every 3 hours.

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The child of an incarcerated parent is more likely to go to prison, than not. Six times more likely.

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This decade, a substantially higher share of never-married women with children independently support their family, and only 25 percent of them are homeowners.

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In order to stop scarring our communities, we must heal them first.