Dance Marathon

Students at Northwestern University have an uncommon way of expressing loyalty for their adopted hometown.

Since 1998, Dance Marathon, Northwestern's undergraduate philanthropic organization, has contributed a percentage of the funds it raises to the Evanston Community Foundation.   In 2005, Dance Marathon increased their support to the Foundation from 7.5% to 10%.  This increase allowed us to expand our community programming to include more facilitation of community service as well as grantmaking partnerships.  Dance Marathon and the Foundation are both committed to connecting people who care with causes that matter and we are grateful for DM's enhanced support of the entire Evanston community.

In 2009 alone, Dance Marathon contributed nearly $65,000.  This support over the past twelve years has resulted in Northwestern students being listed among the foundation's five largest donors.   Their continuing contributions have supported the Foundation in its quest to build local resources for the community we all call home.  The funds have been committed to the full range of the Foundation's grantmaking activities.

Leaders of DM's executive board also participate on the foundation's Grants Committee, sharing the insights from their personal volunteering experiences in Evanston, their proposal evaluation experiences, and the perspectives of their generation.

In June 2003, Dance Marathon organizers expanded partnership with the Evanston Community Foundation by delivering a $301,000 endowment gift to cover tuition assistance for inner city Chicago youth in the college preparatory programs of Midtown Educational Foundation.