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Please join us in welcoming our new Grants Manager, Monica Thorns. We’re delighted to have someone of Monica’s experience and commitment to initiate our new Grants Manager role. Monica will be the first point of contact for many of our grantees and new applicants. She’ll be bringing her extensive nonprofit and philanthropic experience to bear to streamline our application and reporting processes, making them more transparent and easier to navigate. Monica is also a West Sider by birth and upbringing. That lived experience will add to our ability to partner well within our focus geography.

Monica’s immediate past position was as Assistant to the CEO of Youth Guidance, a national social service agency providing school-based services. In her work with Youth Guidance, she drew upon her prior for-profit and non-profit work history, prioritizing social impact with people identified as marginalized. Her expertise includes project management, marketing and public relations, national account reconciliation and performance management, recruitment, event planning and logistical coordination, cost tracking and analysis, and fundraising. When not working, she enjoys philanthropic work at local and regional levels. Monica is also a University of Chicago alumna, with a B.A. in Behavioral Science and a trained Special Education Advocate, supporting families in meeting preparation, goal setting, and outcome tracking.

Monica can be reached at monica@christopherff.org or 630.225.8120, ext.119.