www.cct.org | Our Region's Community Foundation

The Stories Behind the Grants

Our grants are not just checks, not just points on a map. Our grants are lifelines, connecting individual donors with individual men, women, children, families striving for a better life. These connections stretch across history, so that a visionary donor of yesterday is providing food, shelter or health care for a Chicagoan today. Here are a few of the faces from 95 years of grant making at the Trust.

National Museum of Mexican Art

Mythical creatures open the door to imagination—and a love for painting, reading and critical thinking too.

Centro de Salud Esperanza

This health clinic is giving the children of Pilsen and Little Village a prescription for lifelong academic success.

Concordia Place

Innovative curriculum for children and parents alike has made this preschool a national model—but it's the personal touch that families appreciate most.

El Hogar del Nino

A speech and language pathologist helps children find their voice.

Erie Neighborhood House

A network of caring, qualified in-home child care providers gives parents more workplace opportunities—plus peace of mind.

Onward House

At this school in Belmont Cragin, intensive speech therapy gives children isolated by language delays a new sense of connection.

Family Focus

Prepare parents for success, and they will raise successful children. That's the idea at the heart of this program, now expanding to serve Melrose Park.

Korean American Community Services

In a multicultural environment, families find excellent child care that keeps them engaged each step of the way.

Mano a Mano Family Resource Center

Recruiting community members to educate their neighbors helps boost health and education in Lake County.

Centro San Bonifacio

Low-income, Spanish-speaking mothers gain knowledge and empowerment through the guidance of comadres, who have experience to share.

St. Columbanus Food Pantry

What can your dollars do? At Feeding Illinois, they're going eight times as far—and helping this pantry keep Park Manor's families on their feet.

Cabrini Green Legal Aid

Medical debt, bankruptcy, foreclosure—legal actions often push struggling families further into poverty. CGLA is knocking down legal barriers, thanks to your donations to the Unity Challenge.

Irving Park Community Food Pantry

As hunger increases, this community pantry and hundreds of others received 2.8 million pounds of food to feed 700,000 people, thanks to your donations to the Unity Challenge.

Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

From U.S. Marine to "bionic woman," Claudia Mitchell is now helping pioneer a new generation of prosthetics.

Kids Off The Block

Diane Latiker was determined to save her children from a future of violence. With the help of the African American Legacy, she built a safe place for an entire generation.

Connecting the Stories

Donors at the Trust

Meet our donors and hear about philanthropy in their own words.

Flip through the years with our online flash cards, capturing 95 years in 95 stories of impact.

Tell us how you've helped the Trust touch our region. Our story is not complete without yours.