Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club

What Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club does

The Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club (ELRC) is a nonprofit civic organization and a local chapter of Rotary International, founded in 1985 and headquartered at One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman Avenue, Evanston, Illinois. The club serves service-oriented residents and workers of the Evanston area through 80+ active members and a small administrative footprint, holding hybrid weekly meetings every Tuesday at 7:15 AM. Its primary activities involve raising and distributing charitable funds to local Evanston nonprofits and international humanitarian projects, with stated focuses on youth development, housing affordability and homelessness prevention, clean water, health education, and polio eradication.

The club's revenue model is donation-driven and is anchored by its annual Taste of Evanston fundraiser, held at the Evanston History Center's Charles Gates Dawes House lawn, featuring 40+ restaurants, breweries, and wine shops and drawing approximately 500 attendees. Additional revenue streams include individual member dues and contributions, memorial donations (notably the Steve Carlson Memorial Fund), and tax-deductible donations channeled through the Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club Foundation, a separate affiliated 501(c)(3) entity. The club awards community service grants of $500–$3,000 to local Evanston nonprofits and larger international grants — Spring 2025 alone deployed $25,000 locally and $13,600 internationally — with two anchor beneficiaries, Connections for the Homeless and Reba Place Development Corp., each receiving approximately $15,000 annually from Taste of Evanston proceeds.

The club operates its website, membership database, email communications, and event management on the ClubRunner platform; no proprietary technology, AI, or commercial products are offered. Its geographic reach spans Evanston and the northern Chicago suburbs for local service and extends internationally to Kenya, Guatemala, Ghana, Uganda, India, Mexico, the Philippines, Turkey/Syria, and South Sudan through partnerships with organizations such as Pamoja, Ak' Tenamit, Karam Foundation, and Right to be Free. The club collaborates with neighboring Rotary chapters (Wilmette, Winnetka-Northfield) and Rotary District 6450, and is led by a member-volunteer leadership team headed by President Jean Saunders for the 2025–2026 club year.

Name

Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club

Legal name

Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club

Website

https://evlrc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club is a nonprofit civic organization and Rotary International chapter serving Evanston, Illinois through local service grants, international humanitarian projects, and the annual Taste of Evanston fundraiser, distributing over $100,000 annually to charitable causes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Service Organization

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB), Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Community service club
• Humanitarian fundraising
• Charitable grant programs
• Volunteer service organization
• Local community philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Evanston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Taste of Evanston Fundraiser: Annual food and beverage tasting event held at the Charles Gates Dawes House lawn. Features over 40 restaurants, wine shops, and breweries. Proceeds benefit Connections for the Homeless, Reba Place Development Corp., Rotary International's polio eradication campaign, and the club's humanitarian efforts.
2. Donations and Grants: The club awards grants to local nonprofits ($500-$3,000 per organization) and international projects. Funded through the Taste of Evanston, individual donations, and the Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club Foundation (501(c)(3) status).
3. Steve Carlson Memorial Fund: Memorial donations in honor of late member Steve Carlson support the club's philanthropic projects. The Foundation accepts charitable contributions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club is a nonprofit civic service club that raises charitable funds (notably through the annual Taste of Evanston fundraiser and member donations) and distributes them as grants to local Evanston nonprofits ($500–$3,000) and international humanitarian projects ($13,600+ per cycle). It also operates fellowship programs, volunteer service projects, and youth leadership initiatives under the Rotary International umbrella.

Product overview

The Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club is a non-profit community service organization, not a product company. It does not offer commercial products or services in the traditional technology/product sense. The club operates as a charitable Rotary Club focused on local and international humanitarian service, including community service grants, international service projects, youth programs, and fundraising events such as the annual Taste of Evanston.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Taste of Evanston Annual Fundraiser Annual outdoor food and beverage tasting event held at the Charles Gates Dawes House (Evanston History Center) lawn, featuring 40+ restaurants, breweries, and wine shops with live music, silent auction, and raffle; attracts ~500 attendees from Chicago and northern suburbs. Proceeds benefit Connections for the Homeless, Reba Place Development Corp., Rotary International's polio eradication, and the club's humanitarian efforts.
• Community Service Grants Annual grant program awarding $500–$3,000 per organization to Evanston-area nonprofits serving residents in health, safety, environment, youth development, and social services. The 2026 cycle focuses on programs supporting Evanston youth ages 16–24, including opportunity youth.
• International Service Grants International grant program funding humanitarian projects in developing countries (Kenya, Guatemala, Ghana, Uganda, India, Mexico, Philippines, Turkey, South Sudan), focused on health/HIV prevention, education, clean water, sanitation, child rescue, and refugee support.
• Weekly Rotary Club Meetings (Fellowship) Weekly hybrid fellowship meetings held Tuesdays 7:15–8:30 AM at One Rotary Center (1560 Sherman Ave, Evanston, IL 60201) and via Zoom, featuring a guest speaker and breakfast. Open to invited members and guests.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $100,000 raised and distributed annually to local and international charitable projects
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Connections for the HomelesscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 September 2025Primary beneficiary of Taste of Evanston annual fundraiser. The club contributes approximately $15,000 annually to support housing affordability and homelessness prevention in Evanston. Additionally, club members participate in monthly lunch-packing volunteer activities for this organization.
• Reba Place Development Corp.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 September 2025Primary beneficiary of Taste of Evanston annual fundraiser. The club contributes approximately $15,000 annually and has partnered on construction projects including kitchen renovation at the YWCA Battered Women's Shelter. Focuses on housing affordability in Evanston.
• Rotary InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization providing global network of 1.2 million members across 200+ countries. The club participates in Rotary's polio eradication campaign, global grants, and leadership programs including RYLA and Youth Exchange.
• Rotary Clubs of Wilmette, Winnetka-NorthfieldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership on joint service projects including monthly lunch-packing for Connections for the Homeless. Club members from all three clubs work together on volunteer activities.
• Rotary District 6450minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe club belongs to District 6450 which provides governance, support, and coordination among Rotary clubs in the region. District Governor visits and district-wide initiatives connect clubs.
• Evanston History CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for the annual Taste of Evanston fundraiser held on the lakeside lawn of the Charles Gates Dawes House, home of the Evanston History Center.
• Pamoja (Kenya)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrassroots community-based organization in Kisumu, Kenya. A $3,000 Rotary grant enabled key upgrades to their bread-making operation, which now produces 500 loaves daily serving 1,000 families. Founded by Rotarian Patrick Mbullo.
• Karam FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational grant recipient educating Syrian refugee youth in Turkey. With the fall of the Assad regime, Karam is shifting focus to help rebuild Syria educationally. International Service Committee provided funding support.
• Ak' TenamitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational grant recipient enabling indigenous Guatemalan people to become self-sustaining through healthcare, literacy, agriculture, enterprise development, and youth employment programs. ELRC continues commitment to facility improvements.
• Right to be Free (Ghana)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational grant recipient rescuing and rehabilitating children enslaved in Ghana's Lake Volta region. A $2,000 grant helps fund educational needs of four rescued children for the 2025-2026 academic year.
• Bundled Blessings Diaper PantryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal nonprofit receiving wholesale diaper funding from the club. Club members regularly volunteer to package diapers for distribution to families in need in the Evanston area.
• Rebuilding TogetherminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpring home repair program where club members perform significant repairs enabling families to remain in their homes. Collaborative effort with community partners.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Rotary International: Parent global organization with 1.2M members in 200+ countries. Provides the brand, governance framework (District 6450), and global grant infrastructure that ELRC leverages; a broader incumbent operating across the same charitable service category.
• The Rotary Foundation: Rotary International's grantmaking arm handling global grants and PolioPlus fundraising. A broad incumbent in the same grantmaking and humanitarian space whose funding pools and program design directly affect ELRC's international grant pipeline.
• Lions Clubs International: Global service-club network with comparable member-driven fundraising and grant programs. Overlaps with ELRC in community grants, youth initiatives, and vision/humanitarian projects at the local chapter level.
• Kiwanis International: Global service-club network with similar weekly-meeting, community-grant, and youth-program structure. Operates as a broader incumbent in the same civic-service / local grantmaking space with overlapping local chapters (e.g., Kiwanis Club of Evanston).

Direct peers

• Evanston Community Foundation: Local Evanston grantmaking foundation focused on community impact. Comparable in scale and geography - both issue small grants to Evanston nonprofits - but operates a foundation model rather than a service-club volunteer model.
• Rotary Club of Wilmette: Neighboring Rotary club explicitly named as a collaborative partner with ELRC. Operates the same Rotary model (weekly meetings, community grants, lunch-packing for Connections for the Homeless) in adjacent Wilmette, IL, making it the closest operational peer.
• Rotary Club of Winnetka-Northfield: Third club in ELRC's recurring three-club volunteer partnership (Wilmette/Evanston/Winnetka-Northfield). Runs an identical service-club model with shared joint projects, offering direct benchmark data on fundraising scale and membership engagement.

Regional players

• Rotary District 6450: Regional Rotary governing district covering the Evanston area. Coordinates multi-club initiatives, training, and matched funding - functionally a higher-tier peer whose programs and capacity constraints shape what member clubs like ELRC can deploy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rotary
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/RotaryInternational
• Facebookfacebook.com/7268844551
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/evanston-lighthouse-rotary

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club