“The goal of Invest For Kids is to support Chicago’s young people,” says Katie Hurley Wales, the organization’s executive director. “By extension, we’re advancing their families, their communities, and the city as a whole.” Founded by Ron Levin and Ben Kovler in 2009—in true start-up fashion, with a business plan written on the back of a napkin—Invest For Kids hosts an annual investment conference that assembles investment professionals for a half day of innovative presentations from the country’s investment-management luminaries. Every penny of the conference’s proceeds—more than $18 million so far—goes toward a slate of high-impact nonprofit organizations that work to positively change the lives of Chicago youth.
In 2021, Invest For Kids reviewed more than 100 applicants before investing in six nonprofits: organizations committed to promoting academic success, closing the digital divide, counseling and mentoring students coping with trauma, and preparing students for career success. “We support small, high-performing organizations that can use the grants we provide to really make a big difference,” says Levin. And because the event’s cofounders and their families underwrite all costs associated with the conference, 100 percent of the proceeds are donated to grantees, giving them what they need to maximize their impact.
Over the years, Invest For Kids has also launched new initiatives that build on the momentum of its signature conference. These include the Emerge Summer Career and Leadership Program, a paid summer internship and leadership-development program that Invest For Kids created and supports in partnership with Chicago Scholars. Through Emerge, participating college students are matched with mentors in a variety of industries, including finance, law, health, technology, and the nonprofit sector. Since the program began in 2018, Invest For Kids has connected 175 high-performing college students with internships at businesses and community organizations across the city.