Community

At Magnetar Capital, we believe it is important to give back, especially to the communities in which we live and work. Our grants are strategically focused on helping to improve the lives of economically disadvantaged youth, with emphasis on financial literacy. We give both financially and of our time.

Here are a few of the projects Magnetar supported in the past year:

Magnetar Youth Investment Club

We are currently piloting the Magnetar Youth Investment Club at a Chicago Charter Public High School in Englewood. In addition to learning about basic money management and financial literacy skills, the students participate in a stock market portfolio competition and can ultimately earn a college scholarship.

Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship

Magnetar underwrote the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) Advanced Business Camp at University of Illinois at Chicago. This intensive five-day program focuses on helping economically disadvantaged high school students who are serious about business expand and strengthen their existing business plans. In addition to providing the financial support to underwrite the Camp, Magnetar employees served as speakers and mentors to the students.

KaBOOM!

Each year, our employees volunteer in our community on a local project. In 2011, our employees joined with nonprofit partner, KaBOOM!, to spend a day building a playground at the LEARN Hunter-Perkins elementary school on the South Side of Chicago. The school, which opened in 2011, was originally planned without a playground until Magnetar stepped forward with the majority of the funding and much of the volunteer labor to help build the playground.

Holiday Drives

Each year, our employees give back with year-end community service holiday drives across our offices

  • In Evanston, employees have partnered with Connections for the Homeless to make the holidays a little brighter.
  • In New York, employees work with The Family Center, which supports families in crisis.
  • In London, employees have partnered with Refuge, which works to end domestic violence and build a world that is safe for women and their children.