“I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that he didn't trust me so much.” – Mother Theresa, nun and social activist

Working women are in plain sight. They are a few seats away on public transit while we busily check a buzzing iPhone. Their children are bundled up beside them headed to a storefront daycare while these women beat a path into Chicago’s glass towers to empty trash baskets for eight hours. Others are headed to minimum wage jobs at fast food restaurants, with no medical insurance card in their purse, yet they greet you with a warm smile at noon: “May I help you? Our special value meal is ….”

That’s why organizations like the Chicago-based Eleanor Foundation exist. They try to pick up the slack because you and I often just get off the bus or leave the restaurant without thinking twice about their trials as our own needs are ringing too loudly in our ears. Our government’s rush to instill the callous principles of the private sector hasn’t done much for working women either. The Eleanor Foundation’s leaders say more than 330,000 households in the Chicago region are headed by working women who earn less than a livable wage, making an average income of $19,000 per year.

“The programs in the Eleanor network deliver critical services that help these women to secure and grow in jobs that earn a livable wage while strengthening their families' economic self-sufficiency," said Rosanna A. Márquez, president and CEO of the Eleanor Foundation.

The group recently announced $1.2 million in grants for working women. The foundation is a research-driven grant-maker focused on promoting the economic self-sufficiency of female heads-of-households. The money will be awarded to eleven Chicago-area nonprofit organizations offering programs that help women advance in the workplace and achieve sustained economic independence.

The grants support and develop the Eleanor Network, a citywide system of organizations and programs with which the Eleanor Foundation is collaborating in order to address the needs of female heads-of-households with incomes between $10,000 and $40,000.

Services offered by grantee partners in the Eleanor Network include market-driven job skills training, access to safe and affordable housing, reliable child care, and financial coaching. The Eleanor Foundation has now invested more than $5 million in the Network since establishing it in 2006.

"The number of single working mothers in Chicago has grown 44 percent since 2000, mirroring a national trend. And these women face enormous challenges—especially in today’s job market," said Márquez. "These new awards expand the Eleanor Network to will help even more hard-working women obtain the vital support services they need to achieve economic self-sufficiency."

In metropolitan Chicago and nationwide, the number of households in which a woman is the primary or sole wage-earner is increasing faster than the general population—but these women-led households receive little attention from policymakers.

"$19,000 is barely half the amount necessary to meet a family's basic needs for housing, food, transportation and clothing in the Chicago market, let alone cover the cost of health care or build savings as insulation against unexpected events such as job loss or illness," said Márquez. "But only six percent of these women receive any form of public assistance," she added.

The Eleanor Foundation is providing $1,271,000 to eleven Chicago-area nonprofit organizations that are part of the expanding the Eleanor Network. Its 2011 grant recipients include:

Centers for New Horizons (Centers) (Bronzeville). A $160,000 two-year grant to pilot the Women Employed Project, a new program that prepares local teachers’ assistants for positions as early childhood development teachers. Centers works with area childcare centers and its own early education programs to launch women in teaching careers, providing increased economic stability to women-led households and building capacity to provide high-quality childhood education for working families.

Chicago Women in Trades (Citywide). A $40,000 one-year grant to expand the Technical Opportunities Program first funded by the Eleanor Foundation in 2009. The program prepares single working women for jobs in the building trades, through skills training, apprenticeship placement and mentoring.

Heartland Human Care Services (Citywide). A $250,000, one-year renewal grant for the IDEA program, now in its sixth year as an employer-centered hub of the Eleanor Network. In 2011, Heartland Human Care will increase its focus on career development and skills training for women in conjunction with employer partners.

Housing Opportunities for Women (HOW) (Rogers Park). A $200,000 two-year renewal grant for the Center for Working Women, launched in 2007 as an Eleanor Network hub. The Center provides one-on-one career coaching, housing and childcare support. It also offers workshops to foster networks among women and facilitate their connections to other community resources.

Instituto Progresso del Latino (Pilsen/Little Village). A $250,000 three-year renewal grant for Mujer Avanzando, a community partnership launched as an Eleanor Network hub in 2007. Now in its fourth year, this partnership integrates Instituto’s career planning and skills training in healthcare and manufacturing with Mujers Latinos en Accion’s leadership development training and the Resurrection Project’s asset development services and affordable housing opportunities.

Jane Addams Resource Corporation (Ravenswood). A $55,000 one-year renewal grant to continue support to JARC’s Women in Manufacturing program. This program provides women vocational training for skilled, industrial jobs with its employer part ners, helps women apply for public benefits, and pro vides financial coaching through its Center for Working Families.

Kinzie Industrial Development Corporation (KIDC) (Citywide) A $100,000 one-year renewal grant for KIDC’s emergency medical technician (EMT) training program, now in its third year in a partnership with Superior Ambulance. KIDC provides hands-on job training, state certification, and placement upon graduation, as well as workshops for women on managing finances and improving their credit scores.

The Law Project (Citywide). An $80,000 two-year grant to The Law Project for its Choose-to-Own program. Choose-to-Own helps women with City of Chicago Housing Choice vouchers to apply their subsidies toward conventional home mortgages and draft wills to protect their new assets.

Restaurant Opportunities Chicago (Citywide). A $50,000 one-year renewal grant for the Career Ladders for Women program, which helps women advance to "front-of-house" hospitality jobs that offer higher wages than back-of-the-house positions.

St. Anthony Hospital (North Lawndale). A $36,000 one-year renewal grant for the School-at-Work program (SAW), which helps lower-paid women qualify for promotions to high-skilled, higher-paying jobs while addressing community healthcare needs. The SAW program is co-funded by the St. Anthony Hospital Foundation and the Steans Family Foundation.

Youth Job Center of Evanston (YJC) (Rogers Park). A $50,000 one-year renewal grant for YJC's Women Investing in Learning and Livelihoods program for young working mothers interested in healthcare and manufacturing careers. Now in its second year, this program offers participants professional development, mentoring, financial education and access to affordable childcare.