In Chicago, we believe that every community is uniquely positioned to solve its own individual problems. At Boeing, our role is to support those solutions--to convene, listen, respect and encourage our communities in their important work to make the world better.
We leverage Boeing's global objectives in five focus areas (see below) to achieve the greatest impact in the communities where we live and work. We believe that communities must be strong in all these areas in order thrive and grow.
Based on community assessment, we partner with organizations that are innovators and collaborators. We know that by leveraging relationships and resources, our investments have a greater impact. We also look for ways to measure results, outputs and outcomes--important information to understanding the genuine impact we are making on any issue facing community.
Specifically, grant requests are evaluated on:
- Alignment with our company values and core competencies.
- Clearly defined expected outcomes, relative to community needs, that are measurable, scalable, and have a sustainable impact on the community beyond the period of our involvement.
- The extent to which the project or program demonstrates innovation, collaboration, leadership and diversity
- The organization's financial viability, programmatic strength, and legal compliance.
Our grants vary greatly in size. We base our award levels on the alignment (to focus areas/objectives) and merit of each individual grant request.
- In Education, we focus exclusively on professional development for teachers and improving school leadership. For early education we focus that development on formal and informal caregivers.
- In Health and Human Services we promote the economic well-being and health of our communities' most vulnerable residents seeking specific, measurable outcomes through innovative social enterprises and projects that improve the efficiency of health and human services.
- In Arts and Culture, we invest in programs that promote participation in arts and cultural activities. We fund performances and exhibitions that introduce new voices and perspectives to our community as well as partnerships that create a more sustainable arts and cultural environment
- In our Civic investments, we focus on increasing public understanding of and engagement in the processes and issues that affect our communities. Programs should relate to issues such as conservation/sustainability, community building, scientific literacy/uses of technology, cultural, ethnic and religious diversity, and importantly, strengthening the democratic process.
- Finally, when investing in the area of Environment, we look for programs that facilitate the development of integrated plans to address regional concerns and train citizens to protect and conserve the environment.
Application Periods
| Application Periods | Award Dates | Focus Areas | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 1-Jan. 31* | May 1 | Education, Environment | ||
| Feb. 1-May 31* | Sept. 1 | Arts and Culture | ||
| June 1-Sept. 30* | Jan. 1 | Health and Human Services, Civic |
* If a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the application will be due on the next business day.
NOTE: All sponsorship requests for benefits, galas and fund-raisers are due by Sept. 30 for the following calendar year.
Boeing Chicago Employee Community Involvement
Boeing Chicago employees are involved in their communities in various ways, including contributions to The Employees Community Fund (ECF) of The Boeing Company, the largest employee-directed fund of its kind in the world; employee volunteerism via company-sponsored activities coordinated by an employee-operated Employees Volunteer Council; and participation in employee drives that support local nonprofit organizations in the area of health and human services. Boeing Chicago employees also participate in company-sponsored affinity groups.
Meet the Boeing Chicago GCC Team
Nora Moreno Cargie, Boeing Chicago GCC Director
Christy Uchida, Boeing Chicago Community Investor
Mark Schulze, Boeing Chicago Team Support
Nora Moreno Cargie, Boeing Chicago GCC director
Nora Moreno Cargie joined The Boeing Company as director, Global Corporate Citizenship, for the company's corporate offices in Chicago in 2006. Before her work at Boeing, Cargie served on the executive team as vice president of External Relations for six years at Illinois Action for Children, where she oversaw all marketing, communications and development. She also worked on strategic planning and implementation, as well as policy and resource development.
She took time off from that position to serve as the deputy communications director for the Barack Obama U.S. senatorial campaign in 2004. Prior to her work at Illinois Action for Children, Cargie was deputy commissioner for the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development. Her other government experience includes stints as communications director for the Chicago Park District, assistant commissioner of the Chicago Department of Human Services, and acting press secretary/public relations manager for the Chicago Public Schools.
Cargie began her career in radio, first working as assistant program director of Chicago's only public radio station WBEZ, before becoming assistant producer/director for National Public Radio's weekend "All Things Considered" program. She also worked as a freelance audio producer, developing segments for This American Life; Media Rites: Many Cultures Many Voices; National Public Radio's "Horizons" and "Latino" programs; and, a feature for the YMCA in Pilsen, a Latino community in Chicago.
Her community involvement activities include serving as a board member for the Redmoon Theater since 1999, Grace Chicago Church and more recently the Young Women's Leadership Charter School in Chicago. She graduated from Columbia College, Chicago with a bachelor's degree in television production and later earned her master's degree in management from Chicago's North Park University. Cargie also writes and has read her stories at Live Bait Theater during their 10th anniversary of "Fillet of Solo."
Christy Uchida, Boeing Chicago Community Investor
Christy Uchida implements Boeing Chicago's philanthropic strategies, which includes working with area community-based organizations and making grants aligned to the function's five focus areas.
Prior to joining Boeing, Christy worked for nearly five years at Redmoon, a nonprofit Spectacle Theater company here in Chicago, which specializes in transforming public spaces into places of celebration. She served in several capacities while with the theater company; first as business manager and more recently as managing director.
Christy also serves as a site reviewer on United Way's panel for Adult Impact programs, which is responsible for allocating millions of dollars in the Chicago metropolitan area. She is a task force member of the League of Chicago Theatres, a steering committee member of the Illinois Arts Alliance, and a volunteer for the Arts & Business Council.
Christy earned an undergraduate degree from Tufts University in environmental studies and biology and her Master's degree in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Mark Schulze, Boeing Chicago Team Support
Mark Schulze supports the Boeing Global Corporate Citizenship team. He is responsible for frontline management and support of community partner relationships and event sponsorships.
Prior to working at Boeing, Mark was a membership retention advisor at the Lincoln Park Athletic Club and a retention specialist for the Explore! Study at Howard Brown Health Center, a community-based organization focusing on research and issues affecting the GLBT community. He also served as administrative/personal assistant to the principal/owner of Lovell & Associates, Inc., an interior design firm in Chicago.
Before joining the corporate world, Mark enjoyed a successful career as a professional dancer, teacher and choreographer, performing and touring around the world. He has been honored with numerous artistic awards including the Illinois Arts Council Choreographic Fellowship Award, the Ruth Page Dance Achievement Award and was a finalist in the Dellal International Modern Dance Competition in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts from Fontbonne College in St. Louis, Missouri and enjoys volunteering for local Chicago programs including Howard Brown Health Center and Chicago Public Schools.