Grants

Grant Recipient

The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Awarded: February 2024 Awarded Amount: $108,257

This proposal addresses the unique socio-medical needs of high-risk Black birthing people. We propose to develop and pilot an innovative integrative model of maternity care for Black mothers with high-risk pregnancies. Melanated Group Midwifery Care Plus (MGMC+) will build upon our current PCORI-funded pregnancy and postpartum care model for low-risk women, Melanated Group Midwifery Care (MGMC), and adapt it to our high-risk Black population. MGMC+ merges five evidence-based interventions to foster greater trust and engagement and improve pregnancy and postpartum experiences: 1) Racial concordance between patients, maternal fetal medicine (MFM) physicians and certified nurse-midwives (CNM) fosters trust and communication; 2) Group prenatal care sessions with women who share a high-risk diagnosis (i.e., hypertension, diabetes, risk of pre-term birth) tailored to address health literacy, self-advocacy, and peer support reduces power hierarchies; 3) Complex care coordination, including nurse navigation and social work, minimizes the burden of multiple appointments and also facilitates access to mental health and other supportive services; 4) Provider training for all OBGYN physicians, nurses and midwives ensures patient interactions across the healthcare system are patient-centered and supports shared decision making; 5) Community-based doula support throughout pregnancy, birth and postpartum improves birth outcomes and experiences, as well as increases breastfeeding and decreases postpartum depression. Integrative and concordant obstetric care for Chicago’s Black birthing community is an innovative concept whose time has come. We are currently in our third year of successfully implementing MGMC for low-risk Black mothers at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Based on our implementation data, we realize there is much need to adapt this model to high-risk pregnancy as well as to train providers to function as part of a multidisciplinary team to deliver evidence based respectful care. Funding from the Chicago Community Trust will allow us to adapt our highly successful low risk model to meet the needs of a growing population of Black mothers with high-risk pregnancies.

Grant Recipient

University of Chicago Urban Labs

Awarded: February 2024 Awarded Amount: $20,000

For nearly 10 years, the UChicago Inclusive Economy Lab has engaged in a research-practice partnership with homeless service providers, homeless advocates, and the Chicago Continuum of Care (CoC). Through its Housing Stability Program, the Inclusive Economy Lab generates knowledge on the scale of housing instability in Chicago and its disproportionate impact on communities of color, particularly Black Chicagoans. Through its work to provide housing supports to returning residents and cash assistance to families experiencing homelessness, the Inclusive Economy Lab aims to promote equitable housing, education and health outcomes in Chicago and alleviate human suffering.

Grant Recipient

Renew Lawndale Acquisitions LLC

Awarded: February 2024 Awarded Amount: $1,250,000

The Steans Family Foundation (SFF) is redeveloping a 5-story, 168,000 square foot building at 4100 W. Fillmore Street in the North Lawndale neighborhood to create space for anchor tenant, Fillmore Linen Services, a 45,000- sf commercial laundry facility, and space for various small businesses including a coffee roastery and a wholesale flower distributor. SFF closed on the building acquisition in November 2022. The 168,000 sf, 5-story brick industrial building has been predominantly vacant for over 10 years. Deeply rooted in the North Lawndale community, the Steans Family Foundation is committed to reviving this 110-year property in collaboration with neighborhood and financial partners to rehabilitate and repurpose The Fillmore Center in order to created a new economic hub in the community that will help created over 200 new jobs for residents. North Lawndale has a population of approximately 34,800. 80.2% of residents are Black, 12.8% are Hispanic or Latino, and 5% white. However, 53% of North Lawndale’s jobs are held by people who identify as white. Only 15% of residents have a bachelor’s degree but 21% of the jobs in the community require a bachelor’s degree or higher. This employment paradox leads to a 14% unemployment rate in North Lawndale and forces almost 12,000 residents to leave the community for work.

Grant Recipient

Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights

Awarded: February 2024 Awarded Amount: $200,000

Grant Recipient

Alivio

Awarded: February 2024 Awarded Amount: $1,250,000

Alivio Medical Center at Mosaic Square will transform the health landscape for residents of West and South Chicago by providing a whole-person, holistic care model, that is culturally competent and accessible, connecting the community to a wide range of health care and supportive services. Alivio Medical Center at Mosaic Square will be a collaborative comprised of eight organizations who have proudly and effectively served their communities for a collective 550+ years and include Alivio Medical Center (lead applicant), UI Health, Lurie Children’s Hospital, Healthcare Alternative Systems, Inc. (H.A.S.), Bienestar Pharmacy, City Colleges of Chicago, National Louis University, and Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU). Providing comprehensive health care services where patients live and work will improve the health and wellness not just of the individual but for the entire community allowing them to live their healthiest lives.

Grant Recipient

Invisible to Invincible

Awarded: February 2024 Awarded Amount: $500

Grant Recipient

World Relief Corp of National Association of Evangelicals

Awarded: February 2024 Awarded Amount: $42,350

Grant Recipient

Onward Neighborhood House

Awarded: February 2024 Awarded Amount: $35,000