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. Today, that means confronting the racial and ethnic wealth gap.
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Grant Recipient
True Star Foundation Inc
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Grant Recipient
Coderdojo Chicago NFP
2022 STEM Robotics Course; Funding will be toward required equipment for the students
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Grant Recipient
Mindfulness Leader NFP
Mindfulness Leader (ML) centers around education by providing a first-of-its-kind high school elective and after-school program in the City of Chicago dedicated to creating positive changes in the lives of our youth through teaching them the art of Mindfulness. Activities also provide Social and Emotional Learning classes that can be ingrained in their everyday lives. The program currently has over 2,000 children on the waiting list, which is on a first-come-first-serve basis, and the list is growing daily. By the end of 2022 (with the proper funding), we hope to reduce this number significantly. Your generous funding will allow for program expansion so that every child can benefit from Mindfulness Leader.
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Grant Recipient
Saturday Place
If awarded this grant it will be used to create a lending library for our third and fourth-grade students. Our students are enrolled in our program in the third grade being behind 1 or more years academically. They attend classes on Saturdays with us and during this time our reading teachers work with the students who need the most help in a one-to-one setting. The rest of our students attend class in small group settings of no more than 10 students per teacher. The lending library will include high-interest multicultural stories to motivate our students to read at home. It is imperative that our students continue to learn more phonics patterns and sight words and the best way is for them to practice reading independently to be able to read more expressively and fluently.
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Grant Recipient
Fly Black Girl Education & Theatre
Founded by Sydney Chatman, a theater director, educator and playwright, Fly Black Girl Education and Theatre (FBG) creates and supports intergenerational theater for Black women and girls, with performances open to all community members. We use theater as a medium to conjure hope, justice, freedom and joy. We are asking for technical support to bridge the local community to an international one.
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Grant Recipient
Chicago Undersea Explorers Society
The Chicago Undersea Explorers Society is applying for funding to be used toward purchasing scuba equipment and maintaining the equipment we already have. CUES partners with local organizations to offer low- and no-cost scuba dives and certifications to people from historically excluded communities. We have been using donated gear since our launch two years ago. However, much of this equipment needs to be repaired or replaced. Our events and classes are currently limited to 6 participants due to a lack of gear, and these funds would allow us to double the number of people we could serve at any given event. This grant would help us ensure that our equipment receives proper maintenance and servicing, to keep our students and members safe.
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Grant Recipient
Music Box Foundation
Music Box Foundation is a family run 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established in 2011. Our mission is "To be a catalyst for building healthy communities and enriching lives through the power of music and the arts." We provide music education, dance, audio/video recording technology, mentoring and workforce development programs to underserved youth, young adults, and students with disabilities. Since our founding, we have served over 10,000 youth primarily from low-income communities giving access to and participation in music instruction as a creative endeavor, building critical thinking skills, team building and leadership development. The students learn music literacy, music theory, and how to perform popular songs as well as compose their own music and songs on a variety of instruments including percussions, woodwinds, guitar and keyboard. Students also have an opportunity to shadow engineers where they learn how to use sound boards and other equipment both in a studio environment and during live performances. Students learn how to operate video cameras, learn about lighting, production, reproduction and storytelling. Our goal is to unify and strengthen our communities, provide inspiration and purpose to our youth and promote violence prevention by providing a safe space for our students to be their creative selves. We are seeking funding to continue supporting our video/band program located at the Woodlawn facility which is an old Fire station located 6843 S. Harper Ave.
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Grant Recipient
Hello Baby NFP
HelloBaby is a not-for-profit organization with a mission is to support, empower and inspire families raising young children in underserved neighborhoods in Chicago. Our completely free drop-in play center helps underprivileged families enjoy play in a safe and secure center. We have successfully created a culture of community that offers babies a safe and nurturing environment to play.nnHelloBaby was created in 2016 to meet the needs of underserved families in the City of Chicago. Since then, the organization has successfully created a culture of community that offers parents the tools that they need and babies a safe and nurturing environment to play. HelloBaby is the nation’s first (and only) independent, free-of-charge drop-in play space.nnOur proposed project is to develop a play patio area for visitors to enjoy during our warmer seasons. Currently, our center is bright, friendly, and very inviting but our patio area is underdeveloped. We anticipate that this will lead to positive health benefits, both mental and physical, for all that visit.