Noetic Changemaker Series
Rebecca Clarkin –Executive Director, The Children First Fund (CFF)
What was your experience like working with Noetic Search?
From my first conversation with them, the team at Noetic had clearly developed a solid understanding of Children First Fund as an organization and what qualities & skills would be most needed in its next leader. Rhyan gave me a solid sense of those needs so that I could assess fit while also being prepared to articulate the opportunity for heightened impact that I saw for the organization.
What impact are you most proud of on behalf of your organization?
Children First Fund facilitates partnerships between philanthropic donors and Chicago Public Schools. We are increasingly making connections so that new efforts with a great deal of promise can be launched or piloted. One example is work to support school leaders in better engaging families around attendance, which is a critical need since Covid lowered and reset baseline attendance patterns in districts across the country, including CPS.
How has Children First Fund grown or evolved under your leadership?
We clarified our priorities. Being able to articulate our focus on academic success; student support & engagement; and pathways to college & career in a single sentence has been hugely helpful as we work to engage more partners in supporting CPS students.
How do you stay connected to the communities you serve?
School visits all over the city keep me connected to students and the work of CPS. I have the joy of visiting an elementary school with many multilingual learners one day and a high school working to enhance pathways to skilled trades the next. The incredible potential of Chicago's young people and the need to enhance opportunities for our students comes through in every school visit I make.
Fun fact or mantra you live by.
When I took the role at CFF, my old boss, the CEO of Youth Guidance, gave me a little desk sign that says "Everything is figureoutable." And it is!
The mission of the Children First Fund is to promote the growth and success of Chicago Public Schools through philanthropy and partnerships. We serve as a knowledge hub and liaison between CPS and its community of partners, including businesses, foundations, and individuals. By matching resources provided by external donors and partners with the students, schools, and staff that need them most, CFF maximizes the impact of CPS’ partnerships and advances the CPS Vision.
