Philanthropy at Its Best: The Northern Trust Innovation Showcase

by Kate Danielson
June 12, 2026

When Foster Progress received our first grant from Northern Trust Philanthropy more than five years ago, I cried happy tears. I knew that as a respected institution, Northern Trust's vote of confidence would be a signal to other funders that Foster Progress was a well-run organization doing important work. Since then, not only has Northern Trust funded our programs, but they have advised me personally on staff structure, made critical introductions, connected us with excellent board members, and most recently invited us to present at their Innovation Showcase.

On June 11, I was honored to represent one of Northern Trust's four pillars of philanthropic strategy (Housing, Food, Healthcare, and Education) on a panel of innovative programming. I shared the stage with the Chicago Furniture Bank, Blessings in a Backpack, and Experiences that Matter, before an audience of Northern Trust clients and other grant-making organizations. Truly an honor.

The philanthropy team at Northern Trust is made up of several smart, deeply competent women who operate at the top of their field. To me, they exemplify what it looks like when women in positions of power use that power to lift others: opening doors, making introductions, and in this case, giving us a stage in front of an audience that could change everything for Foster Progress. One of the most impactful ways anyone can support a nonprofit (second only to donating!) is to connect us with others who have the capacity to give. Northern Trust did exactly that. And the opportunity was not squandered. Kate Kelly, our Development Director and my +1 at events like this, and I were among the last ones to leave, after a long stretch of meaningful conversations with people interested in getting involved, including one attendee who had experienced foster care himself.

It was also deeply encouraging to hear about the work happening at the other organizations on that panel. What struck me most is how much we have in common: we are all filling the gaps that public programs leave behind. Whether it's housing insecurity, food insecurity, limited medical access, or in our case educational supports for kids in foster care, so many government programs are slowed by bureaucracy and red tape, and lately significant budget and staffing cuts. The organizations at that table exist to get help into people's hands faster and more easily.

And our work overlaps in the most tangible ways. Experiences that Matter, for instance, runs a mobile eye clinic where optometrists perform exams and cut lenses for new glasses right on the spot. When I heard that, I thought immediately of my youngest child, who was still in foster care when he needed his first pair of glasses. We used his state aid and the available free resources, and by the time the glasses arrived through his caseworker, they no longer fit his little face. The process had simply taken too long. We were fortunate to have private insurance and could get him another pair in the meantime, but many kids don't have that backup. The young people in Foster Progress's programs regularly use their scholarship funds to access exactly what these organizations offer: food, furniture, healthcare, and yes, glasses that actually fit.

The final question of the panel was, "What can we do to support your work?" My favorite question. The answer is simple: do what Northern Trust is already doing. Fund us generously, and introduce us to others who can too. This work requires real investment in staff, infrastructure, and excellent programming. And fundraising itself is expensive, in time and energy. When individuals and foundations give consistently, especially through recurring monthly gifts, they free our team to focus on what we do best rather than on the endless cycle of event planning, grant applications, and campaign execution.

If you walked away from the Innovation Showcase wanting to get involved, or if you're reading this and feeling inspired by what Northern Trust has modeled, we'd love to hear from you. The door is always open.