On July 9, 2024, a Cook County judge gave final approval to a $2.4 million deal resolving claims that Crate & Barrel required store employees to scan their fingerprints for timekeeping without first obtaining their written, informed consent under Illinois’ biometric privacy law. The allegations were resolved by settlement, not a finding of liability.
By Celeste Bott ( July 9, 2024, 4:41 PM EDT) -- A Cook County judge on Tuesday gave his final signoff to a $2. 4 million deal ending litigation accusing Crate & Barrel of violating Illinois' biometric privacy law by requiring employees at its stores to scan their fingerprints to track their time worked without first securing their written, informed permission. . . .
The Segal Family Foundation, founded by Crate and Barrel founders Gordon and Carole Segal, supports Chicago-area organizations across education, youth, arts, health, human services and Jewish causes. Its reported giving includes a $10 million gift to Northwestern University in 2014, as well as support for schools, museums and cultural institutions. It does not accept unsolicited proposals, according to the profile.
PROFILE: Established in 2000, the Segal Family Foundation is a family foundation based in Northbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Chicago area couple Gordon and Carole Segal founded Crate and Barrel as a family business in 1962. Today, Crate and Barrel is one of the most successful furniture and housewares retailers in the nation. The Segals have put some of their wealth towards philanthropy and move their charitable contributions through the Segal Family Foundation, which steadily supports Chicago area organizations. Grantmaking includes education and youth, arts and culture, health and human services and Jewish causes.
OVERVIEW: The Segal Family Foundation is the philanthropic vehicle of Crate and Barrel founders Gordon and Carole Segal, who support Northwestern University, their alma mater, as well as health, education, youth, human services, arts and culture and Jewish causes.
OpenSecrets says Crate & Barrel itself did not donate; reported contributions came from individuals associated with the company and their immediate families. For the 2024 election cycle, it lists $32,545 in contributions, all from individuals, with 95.6% of congressional-candidate giving going to Democrats. It reports no company lobbying or outside spending in that cycle.
imore infoNOTE: The organization itself did not donate, rather the money came from the organization's individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate family members. Organizations themselves cannot contribute to candidates and party committees. Totals include subsidiaries and affiliates.
The Segal Family Foundation has supported health-related work, including seed funding for young medical investigators and a project that developed an MRI for breast imaging. Reported grantees include the University of Chicago Medical Center, Lurie Children’s Hospital and a pancreatic cancer research initiative at the University of Chicago. Grant amounts and recent giving vary.
Health is another interest of this family foundation. According to a profile of Carole, the family engages in Venture Philanthropy, and they seek to support “young medical investigators with great ideas who need seed money to get their research started,” including the project that developed an MRI for breast imaging.
The Segal family has supported Jewish organizations locally and nationally. Chicago-area recipients include Congregation Bene Shalom, the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center and the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago; American Friends of Tel Aviv University and PEF Israel Endowment Funds have also received grants.
The Segals also support Jewish causes, both locally and nationally. In Chicago the family has supported the Congregation Bene Shalom, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center and The Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago.
The Human Rights Campaign’s corporate listing for Crate & Barrel and CB2 displays a rating of 5/5, alongside component figures of 35/50, 10/25 and 0/20. The supplied listing does not explain what the components measure or provide further context for the score.