Erikson Institute Announces Major Gifts to its $30 Million Capital Campaign

The Pritzker Foundation and Polk Bros. Foundation Help Bring Campaign
Commitments to more than $21.5 Million

CHICAGO, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Erikson Institute, one of the
nation's leading graduate schools in child development and the only one to
focus exclusively on children from birth to age 8, announces leadership gifts
to its $30 million capital campaign Fulfilling the Promise: The Campaign for
Erikson Institute.

The announcement comes as Erikson prepares to welcome students into its new
River North campus at 451 North LaSalle, a state-of-the-art facility made
possible by the campaign. The new campus is the first permanent home in
Erikson's 42-year history, during which it has played a leading national and
local role in child development research and practice.

The Irving Harris Foundation launched the campaign nearly two years ago with a
$2 million commitment that it doubled when the Erikson Board of Trustees gave
a collective total of more than $12 million.

Recent campaign commitments include a substantial gift from The Pritzker
Foundation, $750,000 from Polk Bros. Foundation and a challenge grant of
$750,000 from a private family foundation. The Searle Funds at The Chicago
Community Trust and the Harris Family Foundation have each committed $500,000,
along with a Bank of America gift of $250,000. These leadership gifts,
combined with other corporate, foundation and individual commitments, bring
the campaign total to more than $21.5 million as of August 2008.

"We are thrilled with the level of support shown for this campaign, having now
raised more than two-thirds of our goal," said Virginia Bobins, who in
addition to being an alumna and campaign co-chair is an Erikson trustee. "Our
success would not be possible without the commitment and dedication that has
been shown by all of Erikson's board members. With their support and that of
long-time partners in Chicago's philanthropic community, we are currently
expanding our outreach to identify other friends willing to work with us to
ensure the future of this premier center of child development education,
practice and research."

The Campaign for Erikson Institute will expand Erikson's ongoing research and
social policy work, underwrite community-based programs, extend the school's
professional development programs, support faculty innovation and
distinguished chairs, increase available funds for student scholarships and
fellowships, and focus increased resources on academic programs.

In addition to campaign support, Erikson announces recent grants for programs,
including two grants from McCormick Foundation: $480,000 for the Illinois
Early Childhood Teaching Certification and Teacher Preparation Program and
$224,000 for International Math Symposia on Early Mathematics Education. The
New Schools Project received grants of $150,000 from the W. Clement & Jesse V.
Stone Foundation and $100,000 from the McDougal Family Foundation. Grand
Victoria Foundation awarded $110,000 to Erikson's Professional Development
Program in Chicago's Western Suburbs. The Lloyd A. Fry Foundation gave
$60,000 for Preschoolers' Vocabulary Acquisition for English Language
Learners.

"This is truly an exciting and transformational time for us," said Erikson
Institute president Samuel J. Meisels. "Erikson's growth is an indicator of
the value we offer to this city, state and nation. With this new campus we
are doubling our space and launching our newest clinical service, the Center
for Children and Families. As our growth continues, Erikson will be able to
create new programs and expand existing ones, uncovering new ways to
contribute to children, families and the child development professionals who
work with them."

About Erikson Institute. Erikson (http://www.erikson.edu) is the nation's
only graduate school to focus exclusively on child development from birth to
age eight. An independent institution of higher education, it prepares child
development professionals for leadership through academic programs, applied
research and community involvement. For more than 40 years, the Institute has
advanced the ability of educators, practitioners, researchers and
decision-makers to improve the lives of children and their families. Erikson
alumni are active in many different fields, including education, infant mental
health, child care, social policy and research, family and social services and
health services.

SOURCE Erikson Institute

Lauren Hames, +1-312-558-1770 ext. 118, lhames@pcipr.com, for the Erikson
Institute; or Pat Nedeau of the Erikson Institute, +1-312-893-7160,
pnedeau@erikson.edu