Women's Self-Sufficiency

Achieving a healthy weight requires balance in the amount of food and beverages one consumes with the amount of activity one does. The key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is not solely about short-term dietary changes. It is about a lifestyle that includes healthy eating, regular physical activity, and balancing the number of calories one consumes with the number of calories the body uses.

Counting calories (consumed and/or burned) is a beginning first step in helping to gain an awareness of one's eating habits as one strives to achieve energy balance. Each person's body is unique and may have different caloric needs, but the ultimate test of balance is whether or not one is gaining, maintaining, or losing weight. Effective programs that address healthy weight must clearly convey a programmatic focus that addresses both the input and output of energy, a balance of calories consumed vs. calories burned.

In addition to supporting effective programs focused on healthy weight, the Sara Lee Foundation is very interested in programs teaching nutrition and nutrition education. Significant interest is placed on programs that distribute food provided by the government and also provide information on how to prepare the food in healthy and nutritious ways. The programs considered to be most competitive are those that provide programs that are free or low-cost to the client served and that serve communities and individuals who have significant need.

Programs serving participants who may already have achieved healthy weight through energy balance and are focused primarily on one side of the energy scale (burning calories) such as sports, physical education and exercise are not competitive. Furthermore, programs addressing one type of disease such as cancer, kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, lung health, etc. are not considered as part of the scope of the Sara Lee Foundation's funding program. Finally, nonprofit programs focused on addressing other important societal issues such as homelessness, recovery programs and domestic violence shelters that also provide nutritious meals at residential facilities are not considered competitive.

To be considered for support, a prospective applicant must first submit an Online Letter of Intent. For instructions on how to apply, please follow the link to our Giving Guidelines. To read about some of the groups and projects we have funded recently, follow the links below:

After School Matters
American Indian College Fund
Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund
Casa Central
Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation
Chicago House and Social Service Agency
Chicago Urban League
Donors Forum
Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights
Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Inspiration Corporation
Instituto del Progreso Latino
Jane Addams Resource Corporation
Jobs For Youth Chicago
Mi Casa Resource Center
National Latino Education Institute
Polish American Association
The Cara Program
United Negro College Fund
Upwardly Global
Women's Business Development Center
YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago