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
Bethel New Life Inc
Helmed by Bethel New Life Inc, developed by OASES, and programmed in partnership with the K and Sesenergi Eco Solutions, Harvest is a multifaceted initiative spearheaded by Bethel New Life, a long-standing community organization with a 50-year history of service in West Garfield Park. Harvest aims to be a transformative economic catalyst within the Madison-Pulaski corridor. The primary services Harvest will offer are twofold: food service operations and workforce development programs focused on sustainable systems certification. Food Service: Harvest will operate a farm-to-table diner, serving light fare and offering catering services. This diner is designed to fill a market gap in the neighborhood and provide a community gathering space. The food service aspect is also intended to support local food entrepreneurs by making the kitchen space available for catering businesses and sourcing ingredients from local farms and food processors through partnerships like the Austin Food Ecosystem Initiative. Workforce Development: In partnership with Sesenergi Eco Solutions, an accredited renewable and sustainable systems facilitator, Harvest will provide a comprehensive certification program in sustainable systems that covers everything from solar systems install and maintenance to sustainable leadership development. This program, and others launched in the space, are designed to equip community members, particularly young professionals aged 16-25, with industry-recognized credentials for high-paying careers in the renewable energy and sustainability sectors (jobs in the $80,000-$150,000 range). The project aims to certify 100 community members annually. These programs are directly linked to career pathways and entrepreneurship through a partnership with The K business hub. The primary customers and beneficiaries of Harvest are: Residents of West Garfield Park and surrounding communities: They will be served as customers of the diner, participants in the workforce development programs, and beneficiaries of increased economic activity and community vibrancy. Local Entrepreneurs and Chefs: Harvest will provide a platform for them to launch catering businesses and gain access to a commercial kitchen. Young Professionals (16-25 years old): The certification programs are specifically designed for this demographic to provide pathways to high-paying careers, addressing youth disenfranchisement and lack of career opportunities. Resident Elders in Bethel New Life's Apartment Complex: They will have opportunities for part-time employment in the diner, creating intergenerational connections and supplementing their income. The K's entrepreneurs and co-working space users: They will become a natural customer base for the diner and participants in joint workshops and programs. Participants of Sankofa Wellness Village programs: They will have access to a food service provider in Harvest's diner and potential pathways to career certification through Harvest's programs. Students and staff of nearby educational institutions: They will be customers of the diner and potential participants in youth-focused sustainability education initiatives. Activities that will occur in the Harvest space include: Diner Operations: Daily food preparation, service, and customer interaction in the farm-to-table diner setting. Catering Operations: Food preparation and management for catering orders, potentially run by local chefs utilizing the kitchen space. Workforce Development and Certification Programs: Classroom instruction, hands-on training, and certification processes for sustainable systems programs. Workshops and Training Sessions: 75 workshops annually in partnership with local organizations, the AFEI, Sesenergi and The K Entrepreneurship Support Activities: Business development, technical assistance, and entrepreneurial training in partnership with The K, potentially including mentoring and networking events. Community Events and Markets: Potential for hosting outdoor markets and events in partnership with the West Garfield Park Sanctuary Development Plan’s next door our Sanctuarii space, as well as existing outdoor places such as PopGrove! Community Plaza and Garfield Park Community Plaza. Intergenerational Activities: Opportunities for resident elders and youth to interact through employment and mentorship. Partnership Meetings and Collaborations: Regular meetings and collaborations with partners like The K, Sisenergi Eco Solutions, Austin Food Ecosystem Initiative, Garfield Park Right to Wellness Collaborative, and others. The Harvest space will be a dynamic hub of activity, combining food service, education, entrepreneurship, and community engagement to create economic growth and opportunity in West Garfield Park.
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Grant Recipient
The Night Ministry
The Night Ministry (TNM) is a Chicago-based organization whose mission is to provide human connection, housing support, and health care to those who are unhoused or experiencing poverty. Founded in 1976, TNM began with one staff member, Tom Behrens, hired by 18 diverse congregations in the Lakeview and Lincoln Park neighborhoods. Behrens’ mission involved reaching out to unhoused people in these communities at night. Behrens offered what TNM calls a ‘ministry of presence’, listening, empathizing, and sharing resources: acts that turned into our core service area of human connection. With his guidance, TNM grew from a one-person operation touching hundreds of lives to a diverse organization serving thousands of individuals, each year. Our programs fall under two categories: Youth Services and Outreach and Health Ministry (OHM). The programs operate on a continuum, offering low- to high-touch housing support; case management; food, hygiene, and survival supplies; and social support for unhoused and precariously housed Chicagoans. The Youth Outreach Team connects with youth who are not engaged in programs in fixed locations or who need additional support. The Crib, TNM’s low-threshold emergency overnight shelter, offers food and a safe place to sleep on an as needed, nightly basis. The Interim Housing Program provides up to 120 days of shelter alongside case management, health and supportive services, including life skills instruction to young people ages 14 – 21. Parenting with Purpose and Pathways represent the longest levels of housing engagement (up to two years) for TNM clients between the ages of 16 and 24. Finally, TNM supports young people who live in subsidized, scattered site apartments throughout Chicago through the Flexible Housing Pool (via a partnership with Center for Housing and Health). Aftercare services are offered to all former clients, lasting well beyond their exit from our programs. OHM serves all people who are unhoused, in poverty, or otherwise in need. While the program is open to everyone, most OHM clients are adults. OHM demonstrates TNM’s signature approach to caring for unhoused people; OHM staff proactively visit the places where individuals who are unhoused live, to help meet their most basic needs and rebuild their social safety nets. TNM serves young people and adults who are unhoused and/or struggling with poverty in Chicago. Youth come from across the city to shelter in our housing programs. We also meet people where they are with our outreach programs. Most of our clients come from racial or ethnic minority backgrounds (85%) and are male (71%). 60% of the clients we serve are black. 69% of clients are between the ages of 15 and 24. Most people who receive our services come from areas of Chicago with high crime and low economic opportunity, including the far South and West sides of Chicago.
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Grant Recipient
Outwest Gallery & Cafe
Outwest Gallery & Cafe is a cultural and community hub under development on the Westside of Chicago, dedicated to fostering artistic expression, entrepreneurship, and economic revitalization in the Austin community. This project builds upon ongoing efforts to create a vibrant, community-centered arts corridor along Chicago Avenue, offering a space where artists, residents, and visitors can gather, create, and engage in meaningful cultural experiences. To advance the development of Outwest Gallery & Cafe, we are requesting predevelopment funding to cover essential soft costs associated with the build-out of the space. These funds will support architectural and other critical preconstruction expenses necessary to ensure the successful execution of the project. Investing in these foundational elements will allow us to move forward with construction efficiently, securing a solid framework for the long-term sustainability of the gallery and cafe. As part of our vision, we are actively exploring a worker-owned cooperative business model, ensuring that the space not only serves as a cultural hub but also fosters shared ownership and economic empowerment. We will provide training for staff on cooperative principles while also engaging the broader community in conversations about cooperative economics, collective ownership, and sustainable business models. With the support of this grant, Outwest Gallery & Cafe will become a cornerstone for creative placemaking and economic opportunity in the Austin community. This investment in predevelopment will help bring this vision to life, strengthening the cultural and economic fabric of the Westside.
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Grant Recipient
South Shore Chamber Community Development Corporation
1735 Collective will be the first property acquired and redeveloped for the South Shore We The People Community Investment Vehicle (CIV), a resident-driven ownership model that enables local stakeholders to collectively invest in their neighborhood’s revitalization. The property is a mixed-used development that will be transformed to bring a full-service restaurant, community office space, naturally affordable housing and short-term rentals via Airbnb to capture the economic benefits of tourism near the Obama Presidential Center. 1735 Collective is a transformative mixed-use development located at 1735 E. 71st Street, aimed at contributing to the revitalization of South Shore’s 71st Street Corridor. This project features a full-service restaurant, community office space, and a mix of naturally affordable residential units, including short-term Airbnb accommodations designed to capture economic benefits from tourism. By fostering sustainable economic growth and preserving community ownership, the development aligns with South Shore’s vision of creating a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly commercial district that attracts visitors, strengthens local businesses, and provides high-quality, attainable housing. Strategically positioned near public transit, key retail corridors, and cultural landmarks such as the upcoming Obama Presidential Center, this project will help establish South Shore as a thriving hub for commerce, hospitality, and community engagement. This project is the first property within the We The People Community Investment Vehicle (CIV), a resident-driven ownership model that enables local stakeholders to collectively invest in their neighborhood’s revitalization. The CIV is designed to promote wealth-building and economic empowerment, ensuring that South Shore’s redevelopment benefits long-time residents rather than external investors. Through partnerships with community organizations, development advisors, and local businesses, this project will serve as a replicable model for equitable real estate development, reducing blight while creating commercial spaces and quality housing. The incorporation of shared ownership will minimize long-term debt, making the project financially sustainable and maximizing economic returns for community members involved in the CIV. By addressing gaps in capital, securing critical funding, and implementing a community-centered development strategy, the 1735 Collective will act as a catalyst for broader economic revitalization. This project directly advances the objectives outlined in the South Shore Quality of Life Plan (QLP) and CorridorLive! South Shore, aligning with key strategies to revitalize underutilized commercial properties, create job opportunities, and enhance tourism-driven economic activity. With strong community support, strategic location advantages, and a focus on shared economic prosperity, this project represents a major step toward ensuring that South Shore remains a thriving, self-sustaining neighborhood for generations to come.
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Grant Recipient
Love Unity & Values Institute
The Love, Unity & Values (LUV) Institute is the lead organization for the Chicago Community Trust’s Pre-Development grant as a part of a coalition of eight youth-serving not-for-profit organizations that work on Chicago’s South Side. Together, we hope to build the BEACON (the Bronzeville Empowerment and Community Outreach Network Center) Youth Center. The eight organizations in the collaborative identified Bronzeville as a neighborhood of high need, however, one with community resources that could be utilized to support a community center focused on youth and their families, that, in turn, would support the overall community. The organizations identified the building at 4150 S. Martin Luther King, Jr., Drive, currently owned by the Centers for New Horizons, as one that could be renovated to meet the agencies’ requirements and provide additional space for community gatherings. Our premise is that by locating these organizations together in an area of high need, we will be better able to serve youth and families and strengthen the community surrounding the center. The mission of the BEACON Youth Center is to create a holistic environment where young people and their families can access resources and programs that promote academic performance, mentorship, personal development, health, wellness, and career readiness, thereby empowering youth to become resilient and active community members. By providing programs that support young people socially, emotionally, and academically, we hope to help youth stay in school. With workforce training programs, we hope to help youth find employment that can put them on the first rung of a career path in a high need industry. Together the programs of the proposed BEACON Youth Center cover academics, art, social and emotional healing, mental and physical health and wellness, and workforce training. Having all of the services of all of the organizations in one building means that youth can easily access the resources they need. Supporting youth means also supporting their families and their communities. The BEACON Youth Center will have a large space for community gatherings. In addition, member organizations felt strongly that bringing people together to plant, tend, and harvest a community garden would help build relationships between family members and between community members while supporting good health with fresh produce and mental health with a green space in which to be restored. Replacing a flat roof with plants is also healthy for the environment. Because the building currently has only one story, the organizations plan to add another floor to the building to create more space for programs and for holding community meetings. Our collective goal is for the BEACON Center to become a hub for the surrounding community by offering services to youth and families, providing community gathering spaces, healthy food options, and a restorative green space. We believe that the BEACON Center will become a draw to local business corridors and help build local businesses through increased consumer traffic.
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Grant Recipient
QUAD COMMUNITIES DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION NFP
Oakland, Kenwood, Grand Boulevard and Douglas
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Grant Recipient
Southeast Chicago Chamber of Commerce
South Shore, Calumet Heights, Avalon Park, Greater Grand Crossing
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Grant Recipient
Street Vendors Association of Chicago
Street Vendors Association of Chicago Seeks Pre-Development funding for architectural and design renders for the expansion of the currently owned shared kitchen workers cooperative in North Lawndale to increase service capacity to fulfil city requirements of cleaning, storage and maintenance. Additionally, a farm and fresh market cooperative and training facility designed to combat food and employment insecurity while providing economic advancement and professional development. This project seeks to provide infrastructure and walkable amenities while preventing displacement by registering the land parcels in a Community Land Trust.