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. Today, that means confronting the racial and ethnic wealth gap.
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Grant Recipient
League of Chicago Theatres Foundation
The Theatre Industry Career Fair is a free event connecting job seekers with 30+ theatre companies through panels, resume reviews, interviews, and headshots, and the League seeks support to expand it into a two-day conference.
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Grant Recipient
AKOJOPO INCORPORATED
Joyful Sounds at the Park is a cultural initiative fostering community, dialogue, and well-being through Pan-African music and arts in Hyde Park, Chicago.
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Grant Recipient
Together Chicago
Partner orgs come together to unify for education equity for Chicago students - including but not excluded to Greater Chicago Food Depository, Communities In School, Youth Guidance, Brilliance & Excellence/MBK Backbone Organization and more
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Grant Recipient
Hustle Mommies
The Hustle Mommies Prosperity Summit is an empowering event designed to provide a safe space for collaboration, mentorship, and strategies for thriving in business while prioritizing self-care and balancing motherhood.
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Grant Recipient
IL Muslim Civic Coalition
The Illinois Muslims report states that our state - in particular our city of Chicago - has the largest per capita Muslim population in the nation. Layer on that they are of every race, ethnicity, and background - mostly Black, Asian, Arab, and Latino. Then add that over 50% of Illinois Muslims are under the age of 35. And finally, add that they are struggling as we live in today’s deeply troubling environment of hate, underemployment, government suspicion, and deep mental duress. This is the gap in the community’s ability to be successful we are bridging and focusing on at the Muslim Civic Coalition. In 2024, the Muslim Civic Coalition trained approximately 100 young adults on communications and crisis management. It was a collaboration with media organizations, community centers, and schools - and was one of the most powerful experiences we have offered to date to empower and change the trajectory of individuals. The high demand for the training last year, the feedback from surveys and discussions, the Coalition staff observations of the Gen Z/young adult attendees, and the dangerous environment for young adults of color - all make this a deeply relevant and urgent imperative to expand; to support, protect, and help our young adults thrive. In 2025, we know we must not only offer this program again, we must also expand this successful initiative in hybrid form to include civil right protections training, financial and economic empowerment, and professional habits of success. The outcomes this year will also include developing a network between the young adults to ensure they have ongoing resources and support. Two Fellows/Organizers and one intern will be trained to execute the programming and grow the young adults network. Their lived experiences will ensure empathy and partnership in the professional and personal growth of our program participants. The Muslim Civic Coalition requests Chicago Community Trust funding to upskill and compensate one Organizer and add a Fellow/Organizer to ensure the staffing and execution of this critical series of trainings and resources is successful and changes the trajectory of our young adult attendees’ personal, professional, and economic success.
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Grant Recipient
The German Marshall Fund
Launched in 1982, the Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF) prepares individuals from both sides of the Atlantic for leadership at the local, state, national, and international level. The yearlong program is comprised of over six months of virtual programming culminating in a 24-day, immersive transatlantic travel component across five cities that cultivates strong international bonds, exposes participants to diverse perspectives, develops professional and leadership skills, and promotes democratic values and public diplomacy. The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is submitting a proposal to support one Chicago-based emerging grassroots, civic, or public sector leader to be selected for the 2026 Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF) cohort in addition to the travel of a delegation of European grassroots, civic, or public sector leaders to Chicago as part of the 2026 MMF program. Upon completion of the fellowship, the 2026 Chicago-based MMF fellow will become a member of GMF's alumni community that boasts over 4,000+ global leaders, many of whom hold elected positions at the city, state, and national level or are prominent leaders in their local communities. GMF strongly believes that by partnering with CCT to invest in local leaders from underinvested communities, MMF will focus on bringing in leaders from the Trust’s target communities, such as the Latine and Black communities, to create pathways to empowerment, increased human capital, individual agency, and provide inspiration for increased civic engagement within the Chicago-region. Cities are vital in mitigating the perpetuation of global inequities and governance downfall. In addition to investing deeply in one Chicago-based leader annually, GMF would biannually select Chicago as a city that European leaders travel to as part of their MMF experience therein routinely exposing Chicago-based businesses, non-profits, and local leaders to international leaders from across all sectors. By connecting Chicago's leadership to the global stage through MMF, this partnership will strengthen the city's capacity to address local challenges within a broader international context and contribute to more effective global governance.
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Grant Recipient
Edgar Fellows
The requested $35,000 grant will support the Edgar Fellows Program in two ways. 1. $25,000 will be used to pay for the expenses associated with the nomination and selection and Executive Leadership Training for the 2025 program. The costs associated with this are approximately $10,000 per Fellow. Each class of Edgar Fellows includes 40 participants, selected in a manner closely aligned with the state’s racial demographic makeup and thoughtful inclusiveness. Additionally, the program is intentional about selecting a cohort that is reasonably reflective of the state in terms of gender, political affiliation, and geography. The Selection Committee is also diligent about selecting a varied group of professionals such as elected officials, business and labor leaders, educators, social service providers, and community advocacy representatives, among others. 2. $10,000 will be designated for a Silver Sponsorship for the 2025 Edgar Fellows Fundraising Dinner in Chicago on September 9. This sponsorship includes 10 tickets to the dinner. Estimated goods and services to be received as a Silver Sponsor are valued at $1,150, with the remaining $8,850 considered a charitable contribution.
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Grant Recipient
Crossroads Fund
Cultivate: Women of Color Leadership, organized in cooperation with The Chicago Community Trust, Chicago Foundation for Women, Walder Foundation, & Woods Fund Chicago, is designed for women of color (this includes women, women-identifying, non-binary, and two-spirited leaders of color) social justice advocacy organizations to strengthen their individual leadership, their organizations, and the fields in which they work. Cultivate brings together women working on women’s rights, labor rights, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, immigrant rights, gender-based violence, & more. The program was initiated to equip women leaders of local social justice groups with the tools to consider their work through a gender lens. The collaborative nature encourages participants to learn & grow from each others professional and personal experience. Cultivate provides participants with the skills, knowledge, tools, and experiences necessary for their leadership to be sharpened and amplified and allows for justice, investment transformation for our families, underserved communities, and society as a whole. Through skills building workshops, Executive coaching, and alumni programming we actively fortify our leaders and provide Cultivate members with the tools to better serve, invest in, and support communities made vulnerable or navigating manufactured poverty. The leadership training provided by Cultivate has lead to numerous skills gained, campaign wins and the individual promotions and successes of Cultivate participants including winning a position on the Chicago Board of Education, being promoted to the Executive Director of Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL), being hired into prestigious progressive organizations, joining the staff of progressive Alderpeople, joining the leadership team of Cultivate, and progressing in PhD candidacies, all of which have a direct impact on the income and financial assets of members and their communities and has also lead to homeownership and the ability to materially invest in their communities.