Friends of Skinner West was founded in 2011 and is a not-for-profit organization comprised of parents and school staff. We are dedicated to supporting Skinner West Elementary School through fundraising and providing the best possible resources for our school

Build Support

FOSW works with local businesses and organizations to support the school in many different ways.  From sponsorship opportunities to in-kind donations, we encourage the greater community to get involved at Skinner West

Raise Funds

Since its inception in 2011, Friends of Skinner West has raised nearly $600,000 from parents, friends and the community . 

Care for Kids

Our students come from all over Chicago;  from the far South side to the far West side to the far North side and they have many different needs. We work hard to ensure every student has access to a first-rate education by providing our students with everything they need to be successful.  We also provide for our students in need through our annual Holiday Giving Drive. 

Our Mission

Friends of Skinner West (FOSW) was launched to support the school through volunteerism and fundraising. It is our goal to help meet and exceed the needs of the school improvement plan, while nurturing our students through extracurricular activities and educational opportunities while focusing on improving school technology.

How FOSW supports Skinner West

The spending priorities of FOSW are set through a cooperative relationship with the school administration, which determines the needs of the school and requests the funding from FOSW. FOSW's main fundraising event is the annual Walkathon that occurs in the Fall.  In addition, FOSW accepts donations from local developers and businesses.  FOSW occasionally participates in shopping days at stores or restaurants and  participates in Yubbler, which allows parents to purchase school supplies with a portion of the profits being donated back to FOSW.   Lastly, we regularly accept donations from parents and employer gift-matching programs. 


Since its inception in 2011,  FOSW has brought in nearly  $600,000. Funds raised have been used to purchase: 


  • 1:1 chromebooks for each student in the school and chromebook carts
  • Refresh of chromebooks each year to replace broken items
  • iPads and carts
  • $75,000 for a STEM lab that will be ready for Fall 2020
  • Equipment to add a  play room and library at the branch. 
  • classroom libraries
  • classroom furniture and rugs
  • interactive projectors for the new annex
  • interactive Promethean boards in each classroom of the original building
  • Several copiers in each building and copier maintenance contracts
  • Laser jet printers and toner to replace  ink jet printers as a cost cutting measure
  • Laminating machines
  • Items for the care and maintenance of the school facilities and a carpet cleaner for each building. 
  • Classroom sets of Kindles and leap pads. 
  • Subscriptions to Time Magazine, Quizlet & Brainpop. 
  • Many, many more items from teacher wishlists and requests such as classroom manipulatives  & materials, rewards, and Spelling Bee entry fees.