History of Partners for Rogers Park

Partners for Rogers Park (PRP) began as the North of Howard Leadership Forum (NOHLF), an informal gathering whereby local non-profit leaders could come together to share information, discuss topics such as service duplication while also embarking on joint initiatives. However, this informal structure became formalized at the request of the Seabury Family Foundation, which has funded many community development projects within the north of Howard Street area in Rogers Park. Boyd McDowell, president of the foundation spoke about his organization's long-funding commitment to this endeavor and its benefit to the community.

"Over the six-year period that the foundation concentrated its funding in the neighborhood, organizing efforts revolved around issues of affordable housing, community safety, education and the Gale Park Recreation Center. While Seabury no longer concentrates its Chicago grantmaking only in the Howard area, it is grateful that the community feels that it is worthwhile to have this group evolve into a more formal structure that will continue to try and make a difference in the lives of area residents."

The planning process that Partners for Rogers Park has undertaken is based on LISC (Local Initiatives Support Coalition) new communities model which combines neighborhood level planning by residents with longer range community development projects by local groups and agencies. This goal of this model is to see large scale community development projects come into a neighborhood that have what in essence is the “will of the people” behind them while taking advantage of the resources that a community already has in the form of local market forces and residents. While Rogers Park is not a designated LISC new community, PRP has received funding to support the consultants that are aiding the coalition in this work. These consultants have done similar stakeholder based neighborhood planning in the Mid-West in addition to adding a Results-Based Accountability component to the work which helps to define results of these types of projects while prioritizing strategies and identifying roles for involved residents and organizations. We will not create a plan for this community whose pieces are not specifically owned by sections of neighborhood.