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
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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
SANKOFA SAFE CHILD INC
Sankofa Safe Child Initiative (Sankofa) would like to offer cultural engagement and health/hygiene awareness programming, during August 6- 21, for 15 African American and Latino youth ages 5-18 years in the North Lawndale, Garfield Park, and Austin Communities. During this time, Sankofa will conduct 4 field trips on Tuesdays and Thursdays to the Underground Railroad Memorial; Brookfield Zoo; Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn; and the Museum of Science and Industry. Each trip will be supervised by 3 parental volunteers and 1 Sankofa staff member. These trips are designed to expose youth to interesting, popular, and relevant cultural institutions to increase community engagement and cohesiveness. In addition, on Mondays and Wednesdays, Sankofa will work with the IL Caucus for Adolescent Health to facilitate participant information sessions on HPV awareness, as well and personal hygiene and wellness. Sankofa has noted that many youth have very poor hygiene, etiquette, and self-care habits. Sankofa wishes to ensure that youth can start the 2023-24 academic year with the best possible information for their personal wellness and overall self-esteem.
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Grant Recipient
Golden Street, LLC
We will utilize our space Downtown for a series of 2 weekly events, Golden Street Sketch Stage on Monday, August 14th, and Golden Street Health Report on Monday, August 21st. We will host a Golden Street Back to School Concert in collaboration with Far South CDC on Sunday, September 3 at Pop Heights Park in Roseland, Chicago, IL. We will invite the youth and families to join us in enjoying these community events.
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Grant Recipient
Chicago Chess Foundation
We plan to engage youth in the West Humboldt Park community over Labor Day Weekend, on September 2nd or 3rd. We will use this funding to host a community chess, 3x3 basketball, and 5x5 soccer tournament for youth in the community at Kedvale Park. Partnering with local schools West Park Academy, Nobel Elementary, and Cameron Elementary as well as community organizations the Bloc and RCity we will host this day-long community competition. Breakfast snacks and lunch will be provided for all participants. Our organization works closely with each of the schools and community organizations during the school year, so this will be a great collaboration to get the year kicked off and bring the community together.
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Grant Recipient
Peace Runners 773 NFP CO
Peace Runners 773 is a health education and activation non-profit organization serving the Garfield Park community through fitness forums, youth outreach, and free community events. Our outcomes include transforming our community’s health and wellness, reducing health care costs and increasing the safe spaces in Chicago. During the month of August, Peace Runners 773 will run our youth program, We Run Too youth in the Garfield Park and Lawndale communities. We Run Too teaches youth ages 12-18 about their physical and mental health through the sport of running. Additionally, Peace Runners 773 will host a Community Run Block Party during the Labor Day weekend. This one day event will feature free community workouts, children activities, a DJ, and food. Our goal is to provide a safe space for the community to enjoy Chicago while receiving valuable health and wellness tips.
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Grant Recipient
ULON
ULON propose to host a remarkable Labor Day Weekend Art Extravaganza held in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood on September 2nd, and 3rd. at the ULON Resource Center located at 7401 S Cottage Grove, Chicago Illinois 60619. As well as open our doors daily for community youth to engage in activities in a safe environment August 6th-21st (Basketball, art and craft, movies, literature, computer lab).
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Grant Recipient
83rd Street Block Club
The 83rd and Elizabeth Block Club will host a Block Club Celebration on 8/19/23. We would like to Rent a Video Game Truck for 2 hours for the youth. Labor Day weekend have a Friends and Family Fishing Derby, Serve food, beverages and have educational materials. Also Birding watching, Nature walks.
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Grant Recipient
Community First Foundation Inc
Community First Foundation, Inc will create a Community Labor Day Block Club event for youths 5yrs-14yrs. old. We will provide free food and school supplies to school age children at this event. We will have music and celebration for the community members in the surrounding area. This event will serve as a connection medium in the community and foster interactions between people who would not otherwise communicate. More importantly, youths expressed how much they enjoyed the previously sponsored community activities and submitted a special request for another event that would allow them to play as well as eat delicious food whilst in the safety of their own neighborhood.
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Grant Recipient
Focus Fairies Mentoring
Darryca Brim-Mims and Kenya Conley established Focus Fairies Mentoring (FFM) in 2017 to provide young ladies from under-resourced neighborhoods on Chicago’s South and West Sides with the guidance and support they were not necessarily getting at home or in school. In their quests to become better servants, the two women began volunteering in their communities but observed the need to do more. In particular, they noticed an immense impact on pre-teen and teenage girls in the neighborhoods where they themselves spent most of their childhoods. Young ladies were exposed to domestic violence and sexual abuse at alarming rates. This was the turning point that would change their lives. Wanting to be the change they wished to see, Darryca and Kenya organized Focus Fairies Mentoring. Now, by sharing their own life experiences and how they overcame them, the co-founders teach young women that just because they were born into poverty does not mean they have to be a product of their environment. Focus Fairies Mentoring aims to provide a multi-phased mentoring experience that serves as a safe space to help increase the mentee's levels of self-confidence, spirituality, emotional health, and personal development. At-risk girls have countless challenges, such as abuse, anxiety, low self-esteem, teen pregnancy, teen parenting, gang membership, and trauma. FFM wants to reduce violence and increase economic opportunity among at-risk young women ages 7-21 living in North Lawndale, Englewood, Fuller Park, West Garfield Park, Bronzille, Near North, and Washington Park. Over the last five years, FFM has served more than 250 at-risk girls throughout the Chicagoland area.