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Sujata has worked at several notable nonprofit agencies in Chicago:
Eleanor Foundation, Apna Ghar, Chicago Continuum of Care, among others.
Prior to joining the nonprofit sector, Sujata worked in the manufacturing industry. She received her Ph.D. from Northwestern University, and an MBA from IIT.
Sujata currently serves as Board Chair of the Women’s Funding Network and is also a member of the Civic Consulting Alliance.
Her blog can be found at <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/k-sujata/." target="_blank">http://<a target="_blank" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/k-sujata/.">www.huffingtonpost.com/k-sujata/.</a> </a>
President and CEO
Chicago Foundation for Women (the “Foundation”) was founded in 1984 to support Chicago area organizations and projects that address the needs of women and girls and remove obstacles that prevent women and girls from achieving their full potential in all aspects of their lives.
Four women leaders in the Chicago philanthropic community (Marjorie Craig Benton, Sunny Fischer, Iris Krieg, and Lucia Woods Lindley) recognized that only a small portion (approximately three percent) of philanthropic dollars were allocated to support programs addressing the specific needs of women and girls, even though such programs addressing domestic violence, reproductive health, economic equality and other issues are critical to the well-being of thousands of women in Chicago (and, by extension, thousands of families affected by women’s situations). In addition, women were underrepresented in philanthropy, uneducated in financial matters, and disinclined to exercise control over their assets. There was a need for women to be taught about the power and significance of giving in the community.
The Founding Mothers brought together a number of collaborative planning groups that laid the financial and programmatic groundwork for Chicago Foundation for Women. It was incorporated on March 29, 1985 when a board of directors was elected; fundraising began; and an executive director was hired. In the spring of 1986, the Foundation awarded its first set of grants totaling $50,000. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than 3,800 grants to hundreds of organizations totaling over $32 million.
Today - 33 years later - the Foundation has grown significantly and remains part of a global women’s funding movement that recognizes that few community problems can be resolved without programs and strategies that intentionally address the needs of women and girls. Women’s issues involve and affect the entire community.