Evelyn Fitzgerald and SVP Chicago: Rewriting the Script on Philanthropy

Evelyn Kuo Fitzgerald, Executive Director, SVP Chicago

When Evelyn Fitzgerald talks about philanthropy, she doesn’t start with dollar signs. She starts with relationships.

As Executive Director of SVP Chicago, Evelyn is leading a quiet revolution, one that’s less about charity and more about partnership, trust, and community transformation. "We’re not here to just write checks," she explains. "We’re here to walk alongside nonprofit leaders, to listen, to connect, and to problem-solve together."

Since its founding, SVP Chicago has partnered with 46 community-based nonprofits serving Chicago’s South and West Sides. These are organizations deeply rooted in their neighborhoods—often founded and led by black and brown leaders—making outsized impact with constrained resources. And SVP’s model meets them where they are.

From Big Law to Community Impact

Evelyn didn’t set out to run a nonprofit. She began her career in commercial real estate law, spent years at Fannie Mae, and was first pulled toward social impact work after the birth of her daughter. “I realized my daughter had every advantage, just by the circumstances she was born into,” she says. “And that’s not how it should be. I wanted to do something to address those systemic inequities.”

That “something” became SVP Chicago. Originally launched by a small group of civic-minded founding partners, the organization began as a traditional venture philanthropy: selecting a few nonprofits, providing financial support, and offering capacity-building services. But over time, Evelyn and her team realized something needed to change.

Shifting Power, Building Trust

“Our early process looked a lot like everyone else’s,” Evelyn says. “We’d put out a call for letters of interest, get applications, and end up funding many of the same well-networked downtown organizations. We had to ask ourselves: who really needs our support?”

That question transformed SVP’s approach. Today, SVP prioritizes nonprofit community-based organizations led by people of color and embraces the principles of trust-based philanthropy: no burdensome applications, no report requirements, and no top-down agendas.

Instead, SVP offers:

• Small, unrestricted grants

• Long-term, skills-based partnerships

• Thought-partner matching for executive directors

• Access to networks that nonprofits often lack

• Shared learning opportunities and peer connection

  
  

And above all, they listen. “These nonprofit leaders are founders, innovators, and community experts. They know what’s best for their organizations and neighborhoods. We’re here to support, not to direct.”

“We Learn from Each Other”

This philosophy of shared learning extends to SVP’s partners—volunteers who bring professional expertise in strategy, operations, finance, and more. But as Evelyn puts it, “The most successful partnerships are the ones rooted in humility. You’re not coming in as a consultant. You’re coming in as a collaborator.”

And that mindset is contagious. From their Fast Pitch program (a storytelling showcase for nonprofit leaders) to informal coffees and coaching calls, SVP creates space for mutual growth. “Philanthropy is better when it’s relational,” Evelyn says. “It’s about showing up, staying curious, and staying committed.”

Looking Ahead

Evelyn knows SVP Chicago doesn’t fit neatly into most foundation checkboxes, as it’s not a direct service provider nor a policy shop. But it’s making deep, lasting changes by investing in the people who are already transforming communities from within.

“The national picture may feel bleak,” she says. “But here in Chicago, we’re seeing people step up. They want to help, they just need to know where to start. And organizations like SVP can help guide that journey.”

Want to support the work? SVP is always looking for new partners and champions who believe in the power of proximity, humility, and community-led change. As Evelyn puts it, “Real progress is co-created. We can’t do it alone—and we shouldn’t.”

Click here to learn more about SVP Chicago or to support their work empowering philanthropists and community-based nonprofit leaders to create greater impact, together, on the South and West sides of Chicago: https://www.svpchicago.org/