In 2018, the Highland Park Community Foundation established the Personal Achievement Award to honor a Highland Park High School senior for significant personal achievement. The award recognizes a student who, among other things:

• Demonstrates a genuine commitment to persevere despite obstacles or personal challenges;
• Sets personal goals and challenges him/herself to achieve them;
• Thrives in the school environment;
• Works hard and is a positive influence; and
• Shows appreciation for the help he/she receives.

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Our Corporate Champion Program Continues to Grow.

We are delighted to share that Mariani Landscape has joined our growing list of Corporate Champions. We look forward to visiting their new Design Center, which is opening in downtown Highland Park in early May, and hope you will stop by, too.

Mariani’s Corporate Champion pledge will provide monetary resources needed to support HPCF’s mission to address unmet needs and expand opportunities for all Highland Park and Highwood residents now and in perpetuity.

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To all our supporters: We join you at this time of giving thanks for touching lives in so many ways.

For Thirty years, you have Helped us Address Needs of our community, fostering Kindness and compassion to Seniors and children alike. We are extremely Grateful to all of you – the Individuals, families, businesses & foundations that provide Vital resources to Improve the lives of children and adults Now and in perpetuity. Thank you for Genuinely caring about your neighbors.

We wish all of you and your families a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

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Alvin H. Baum Family Fund

Modeled on the successful Corporate Champion Program we launched in 2020, the Highland Park Community Foundation has launched a Foundation Champion Program to provide the opportunity for private foundations to become our philanthropic partners.

The Alvin H. Baum Family Fund has signed on as HPCF’s first Foundation Champion. Making a five-year commitment at the Platinum level, the Baum Family Fund has generously provided a $20,000/year financial commitment to support the HPCF in addressing unmet needs of the community and expanding opportunities for all Highland Park and Highwood residents.

We are most grateful to the Baum Fund for leading the way and look forward to other foundations adding their support!

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“When a teacher believes in you like Sarah does – she’s like a Mary Poppins. She magically makes it happen.” HPHS parent

We are thrilled to recognize Sarah Douglas as the 2024 recipient of the HPCF Golden Apple Award!

Highland Park Community Foundation established the HPCF Golden Apple Award in 2010 to honor outstanding teachers in the Highland Park public schools. The award rotates among the elementary, middle school, and high school levels of teaching. This year, nominations were accepted for full-time HPHS teachers.

Sarah teaches physical education, adaptive physical education, team sports, and traffic safety for grades 9-12. She is a general education teacher who has stepped into the role that is usually expected of a special education teacher, serving as an inclusion and modification specialist. She not only promotes inclusion but fosters it in a way that helps students accept inclusion as the norm. It is rare for a teacher to be equally valued by all the demographics of a school in the way that Sarah is respected. Sarah has made a tangible, concrete, and lasting impact on the Highland Park High School community. She is a teacher who connects with all her students, motivates them to try and learn new things, generates confidence, inspires them to be better people, and supports them through that process.

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​We are deeply grateful for your unwavering support throughout 2024. Your generosity made it possible for us to provide 64 Annual Grants and 11 Recovery Fund Grants that positively impacted thousands of children and adults in Highland Park and Highwood. Click the image below to explore the tangible difference your contributions made in expanding opportunities and addressing unmet needs within our community.​

​Your continued support plays a crucial role in building a more inclusive and thriving community, enriching the lives of all residents, and strengthening the resources that empower our neighbors to overcome adversity and reach their full potential.

Join us in making a lasting impact.

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Fun Outdoor Entertainment Your Whole Family Will Enjoy!

Since its inception, the Highland Park Community Foundation has financially supported and promoted creativity at a grassroots level by investing in recurring festivals, events, and programs that promote arts and cultural participation, celebrate diversity, foster connections, and provide creative experiences for residents of all ages. These activities benefit individuals and families and build a better and stronger community.

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“It is my privilege to use my mind, heart, and time to make my class safe and productive for learning. I do everything I can to help [my students] prepare to create their own future. I hope that they are as fulfilled with what they choose and I am being a teacher.”
Miriam Schuman, Special Education Teacher, Northwood Middle School

In 2010, the Highland Park Community Foundation established the HPCF Golden Apple Award to recognize outstanding teachers in the Highland Park School systems. Under the leadership of former Chairman, Board member, and Advisory Board member Andy Livingston, the award became a signature program of the Foundation.

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