This evaluation report tells the story of how GBF has innovatively deployed its philanthropic resources to catalyze the powerful social change described above. Founded in 1994, GBF spent the last 13 years strengthening and supporting the young women of Chicago and the organizations that serve them. Through a highly focused, high-engagement model of philanthropy, GBF used grant making to develop leadership in its grantee organizations and the people who work within them. And as Lulu's example demonstrates, these organizations and their staffs have, in turn, supported the development of a corps of resourceful and knowledgeable young women, capable of making change in their families, schools and communities. Specifically, the evaluation results reported here indicate :

• GBF's work established a cohort of young women leaders exhibiting a confident and holistic sense of self who are change agents in their families, communities, and among their peers.


• Committed program staff -- 100 percent of whom stated they plan to remain in the nonprofit sector -- gained leadership skills, professional development opportunities and programmatic allies through GBF funding and staff support.


• GBF fostered the development of strong girl-centered organizations, led by activist women and girls.