Paving the Path to Homeownership for Housing Choice Voucher Holders
Since the mid-20th century, homeownership has been one of the most important vehicles for building wealth in the United States. According to research from the…
Grants
Featured
Our Grantmaking Strategy
For more than 100 years, The Chicago Community Trust has convened, supported, funded, and accelerated the work of community members and changemakers committed to strengthening the Chicago region. From building up our civic infrastructure to spearheading our response to the Great Recession, the Trust has brought our community together to face pressing challenges and seize our greatest opportunities.
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Grant Recipient
LITTLE VILLAGE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATION
LVEJO, in partnership with CNT, will advance plans to transform the Collateral Channel, an abandoned and stagnant waterway on the Chicago River’s South Branch. With a nickname of “Ass Creek” due to its methane emissions and poor water quality, the Channel is in urgent need of remediation and revitalization. This project will hold MWRD accountable to remediate the Channel and partner with the Little Village community to collectively envision a new future for the Channel and surrounding land. The result will be a blueprint for collaborative planning in a community where toxic land becomes a driver for health and economic opportunity benefitting Latinx residents, and an amenity for recreation, public health and pollution reduction.
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Grant Recipient
CHICAGO COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS
In support of general operations.
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Grant Recipient
Chicagoland Streets Project/Streetsblog
The Chicagoland Streets Project (CSP) is grateful for The Chicago Community Trust's pledge of a grant for our 2021 budget. Along with the $50,000 we are currently trying to raise by January 1, 2022, a $75,000 grant would guarantee that CSP can publish the transportation news website Streetsblog Chicago (SBC) at full strength next year. The Trust recently offered CSP a $50K grant for 2022, less than the $75K awarded in 2021. As discussed with Lauren M. Woods, raising money through ads, smaller grants, and reader donations is always challenging, so if a $75K grant is not available for 2022 so we would probably need to cut staff time and/or greatly reduce our freelancer budget. CSP greatly appreciates The Trust's ongoing support.
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Grant Recipient
NORTH RIVER COMMISSION
Confluence is a river-focused community development project in Albany Park begun in 2020, where it focused on Ronan Park. During the initial period, over $7.5m in public funding was allocated to local riverfront projects, including $3.5m to fund a vision developed for the Ronan Park area as a river-centric neighborhood gateway at Lawrence Avenue. Confluence will continue to support the development of Ronan Park and adjacent streetscape as a dynamic public space that creates a new, river-centric neighborhood gateway for Albany Park. The project will also expand to also support the other funded projects in the River Park system, to bring community voice and vision to each process, and to infuse each with the priorities of Our Great Rivers; to enhance habitat and environmental quality, encourage utilization of the River as a park, and catalyze local equitable investment.
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Grant Recipient
Forefront
In support of general operations.
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Grant Recipient
The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
UIC Great Cities Institute (GCI) is partnered with the National Park Service (NPS), Calumet Collaborative, NeighborSpace, and Active Transportation Alliance (ATA) to continue its project to create community access on the Calumet River between the Chicago Skyway and 100th Street. The Southeast Side communities identified this site because it presents a strong opportunity to provide public access to the river. To date the project team has initiated conversations with the owners of the site and the City of Chicago, conducted ongoing community outreach as well as started to develop community stewardship for future site management. In addition, the team has undertaken an initial environmental analysis of the site and its immediate surroundings.
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Grant Recipient
Community Residential Solutions
I was born and raised on the West side of Chicago in the Austin Community. I own my own portfolio of Multi Unit Buildings in the Austin Community. In 2009 I obtained my General Contractors License and took multiple foreclosed multi unit buildings that were boarded up and torn up, I rehabilitated them. Many in which I still own today. When an opportunity to purchase a commercial property located at 5936 W. Chicago Ave., I jumped at the chance. I rehabbed this building from top to bottom and a New Business in the Austin Community was born at 5936 W. Chicago Ave. It was at this time the owner of 5938 W. Chicago Ave. offered me a chance to purchase her property located directly next door to me. I immediately took her up on her offer. After many months of being on the City of Chicago Round table monthly discussions for the Austin Community. I realized the desire from many of the Stakeholders in the Community was to have more of a entertainment district in the Austin Community. More restaurants, A Jazz club, Karaoke Bar, Coffee shop, sandwich shops and etc. This building will consist of first floor Commercial and two floor of Residential units. The Commercial Tenant will be "Chef Royce" owner of Kiss My Dish a Restaurant that was located in Oswego IL. Chef Royce was born and raised in Chicago and will be returning to Austin area to Open her Elegant Soul Food Restaurant. I have saved $250k of my own funds and I will received $250k via the Neighborhood Opportunity Funds Grant from the City of Chicago. I am very excited about this New Construction project. I will be one of the first Developers to bring a New construction Mix Used project to the Austin Community. I am a Board Member of AAABNA Organization where I have been a member for over 5 years. The Austin community is very resilient, the property values in Austin since the last recession have more than doubled and new Construction along the business corridor will only add to the values and to the community. Bringing a sit down restaurant to the community along with Luxury Condo Rentals will also be an addition and will start a trickling up affect where other developers will want to come to the community to build New Construction along the Corridor.
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Grant Recipient
RAISE YOUR HAND FOR ILLINOIS PUBLIC EDUCATION
RYH wants to build parent power on the South & West sides of Chicago by hiring part time parent organizers, who are current CPS LSC parent leaders in their community, to grow a network of parent leaders in areas that have been historically underserved and have the highest LSC vacancies. Through the LSC election, we will recruit and engage parent leaders in North Lawndale, Auburn Gresham, Englewood, and the Far South Area on how to run for the one of the most powerful positions a parent can have. As we cultivate a network of parent leaders in each community, we will provide leadership development training and support their advocacy on local and district level issues.