Grants

Grant Recipient

SERVING PEOPLE WITH A MISSION

Awarded: May 2023 Awarded Amount: $4,900

Serving People with a Mission, SPM, is a youth-led, non-profit organization based in Chicago, Illinois, specializing in professional development education and community service. SPM’s unprecedented holistic form of leadership has proved to be effective in two high schools thus far, and the organization has its sights set on executing two additional program iterations in the upcoming fiscal year. SPM is seeking financial support for its Hand-n-Hand Leadership Program to expand its reach in an effort to uplift more of Chicago’s underserved teenage youth. The Chicago Community Trust’s financial assistance will help make that goal possible and act as a foundation on which SPM and the Trust will build a long-term relationship.

Grant Recipient

Community First Foundation Inc

Awarded: May 2023 Awarded Amount: $2,500

Community First is committed to executing its mission by providing healthy cooking and eating classes, informative sessions on how to treat and manage chronic medical conditions, and offering courses on how to create your own garden so we all can access fresh produce. During the pandemic, we saw a decrease in connection in our communities and the isolation that many of us experience because of Covid-19. To help address these problems, Michelle created The Community First Foundation, which seeks to strengthen the bonds of community in Chicago’s most vulnerable areas, and to spread knowledge about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Our amazing team of giants is committed to helping others. We take our convictions and turn them into action..

Grant Recipient

Chicago Urban Art Retreat Center

Awarded: May 2023 Awarded Amount: $5,000

Chicago Urban Art Retreat Center (CUARC) is registering youth & adults for our FREE summer programming, offering a variety of programs from Memorial Day through September 16. Our programming will be on Saturdays plus some Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays. We will offer special daily programming during Memorial Day weekend & through the middle of June 2023. We are planning a big Memorial Day Party for teen youth at our site on May 26 & 27 in our outdoor space. These dates are Friday and Saturday evenings. We will have food and music. There will be an open mic stage. We will have adult mentors on hand. Youth will be able to eat, drink, dance, and have fun. We will have adult mentors on hand. The following days of our programming, we are encouraging adults and youth to be involved and offering stipends. Youth will be students and adults will be mentors. The adults from the neighborhood learn valuable skills and experience as will the youth. Daily opportunities to have fun, learn new skills, have chances to meet new people, and make an impact in the neighborhood will bring people together. Everyone loves murals, and during this time we will be creating a mural that encourages the Hispanic community and supports the Ukrainians. Together we will create a large sculpture in the Peace Park that honors a black hero. We will also be creating masks that people will be able to take home and hang on their walls. At other times, we will play in the garden pools of water and cool off when not gardening, playing games, making art, and writing poetry.

Grant Recipient

Golden Street, LLC

Awarded: May 2023 Awarded Amount: $5,000

We have a space Downtown Chicago with youth programs. We will be working with youth from ages 6 and up. We invite families to join us to create in our community space on 55 E Randolph, in the Chicago Pedway.

Grant Recipient

The Chicago Community Trust

Awarded: May 2023 Awarded Amount: $1,000,000

Grant Recipient

8000 Constance Block Club Association

Awarded: May 2023 Awarded Amount: $3,500

We The Constance Block Club Association Plan on having a weekend basketball tournament with young men and women along with Gaming, arts and crafts, along with a block wide BBQ.

Grant Recipient

GS Youth Community Development Organization NFP

Awarded: May 2023 Awarded Amount: $5,000

Geek Squad Elite is a non for profit youth basketball organization serving the Southside of Chicago, Illinois. According to statistics, 4.6 million children have access to loaded and unlocked guns. In the City of Chicago, this reality is even more pronounced. To be a change agent and to make the City of Chicago a safer place to live, Geek Squad Elite offers an intentional space for school-age boys to develop behavioral competence by increasing their capacity as student-athletes and positive contributors to their community. As an organized program, Geek Squad Elite teaches its participants self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-efficacy. Geek Squad Elite enriches the community through project-based learning, community fairs, community services, school-based initiatives, and restorative justice. Geek Squad Elite partners with school leaders to enhance the student experience by demonstrating a holistic approach to basketball and learning. Because our participants are active Geek Squad Elite members, their opportunities to engage in gang activities and violence is decreased- this is our goal.

Grant Recipient

Mentor Teacher Brother Inc.

Awarded: May 2023 Awarded Amount: $5,000

Mentor Teacher Brother plans to have a host of weekly group activities during Memorial Day weekend and the month of June. We have provided individual and group mentoring services to young men in need of guidance for over two decades. MTB mentors have years of professional experience and extensive training in various areas including but not limited to: legal, education, social service, and criminal justice. The mentors are able to provide out-of-school support during the summer; and more specifically, Memorial Day weekend and the month of June. Participants will engage in weekly group activities that include recreational and educational experiences. Most of the activities will take place at the MTB Center – a two story building that MTB purchased and rehabbed in 2010 in the Roseland community. Mentor Teacher Brother, Inc. will also host a community event – a picnic that will consist of other community partners, youth and their families. MTB will host at least 4 recreational group outings.