Endeavor Health Supports Behavioral Health, Food and Housing Insecurity, and More with $8.8 Million in Community Awards

EVANSTON, Ill., Jan. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Endeavor Health, Illinois' third largest health system, is proud to announce $8.8 million in awards to 44 local organizations and partnerships in the Chicago area through its Community Investment Fund (CIF). Now in its fourth year, the CIF creates strong partnerships between Endeavor Health and community organizations to address social drivers of health and remove barriers to care. Building on the success of prior years, this year's awards focus on critical community needs, including behavioral health, food and housing insecurity, and access to care.

Since its launch in 2022, the CIF has invested over $30 million in community organizations, creating or supporting over 440 jobs and benefiting more than 500,000 lives across Chicagoland.

"At the heart of the Community Investment Fund is our role as a convener, connecting organizations and fostering partnerships that amplify their collective impact," said Kristen Murtos, Chief Innovation & Transformation Officer at Endeavor Health. "By bringing together diverse community groups, we don't just fund projects—we create opportunities for collaboration that drive innovation, spark new ideas and deliver solutions that are greater than the sum of their parts."

New 2025 partnerships include:

• Search, Inc. (Mount Prospect, Chicago): Establishing a certified Behavioral Health Clinic to serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• PADS Lake County (Highland Park): Rehabilitating a vacant building to expand access to services supporting those experiencing a housing crisis or homelessness.
• Institute for Therapy through the Arts (Evanston): Establishing a Medicaid-certified Behavioral Health Clinic to expand access to creative arts therapy services for low-income residents.
• The Conservation Foundation (Naperville, Elmhurst): Investing in equipment to increase crop yields and reduce food production costs, supplying fresh produce to local food pantries.
• Northwest Center Against Sexual Assault (Cook County): Renovating a new facility to expand trauma-informed care services, increase staff and volunteer capacity, and add support groups for vulnerable communities.
• Northfield Township Food Pantry (Northfield, Northbrook, Glenview): Enhancing accessibility to a new space with ADA-compliant upgrades and expanding storage and volunteer workspaces.
• Faith Feeds Food Pantry (Palatine): Adding a new walk-in cooler and freezer to expand access to fresh food to meet growing demand.

See a complete list of the 2025 CIF partners and the programs supported by the CIF: endeavorhealth.org/cif

Learn more about Endeavor Health's community impact: endeavorhealth.org/community

About Endeavor Health
Endeavor Health℠ is a Chicagoland-based integrated health system driven by our mission to help everyone in our communities be their best. As Illinois' third-largest health system and third-largest medical group, we proudly serve an area of more than 4.2 million residents across seven northeast Illinois counties. Our more than 27,600 team members, including more than 1,700 employed physicians, are the heart of our organization, delivering seamless access to personalized, pioneering, world-class patient care across more than 300 ambulatory locations and nine hospitals, including eight Magnet-recognized acute care hospitals – Edward (Naperville), Elmhurst, Evanston, Glenbrook (Glenview), Highland Park, Northwest Community (Arlington Heights), Skokie and Swedish (Chicago) and Linden Oaks Behavioral Health Hospital (Naperville).

Contact: Spencer Walrath
847-570-5202
[email protected]

SOURCE Endeavor Health