RFP: Community & Civic Leadership – Collective Power & Policy Change

Background

At The Chicago Community Trust, we believe that people are our region’s greatest asset. Yet systemic policies and practices, fueled by the misconception that economic inequity is due solely to individual choices, have prevented many Chicago residents from accessing the tools to build economic mobility, family stability, and community vitality. To address the barriers limiting social and economic mobility in the region, we need community, public and private sector leaders who have the skills, tools and networks necessary to effect systemic change. This funding opportunity will support organizations and leadership programs that cultivate community and public sector leaders who are ready to advance efforts that build wealth and improve opportunities for all Chicagoans.

Need/Opportunity Statement

The Trust’s Collective Power and Policy Change teams are seeking proposals for leadership development programs that advance the Trust’s efforts to: 

1. Activate and elevate voices of Chicagoans who are leading grassroots efforts that reflect our communities’ priorities and make our region more equitable and inclusive. 
2. Invest in leaders who are developing, advancing and implementing system-based solutions to increase economic mobility by increasing homeownership, incomes and assets, and neighborhood investment.  

To achieve policy and system reforms that will address the Trust’s strategic goals to increase residents’ income and financial assets, increase residents’ homeownership and home equity, and increase neighborhood investments while minimizing displacement, leaders from every sector, and all parts of the city, must work together.  

The Community & Civic Leadership funding program will support leadership development programs that reduce silos, cultivate emerging and established leaders from all parts of the Chicago region, and foster greater engagement and civic participation.  

Goals & Outcomes

The Community and Civic Leadership program will support programs that align with the Trust’s goal to advance economic mobility through policy change, cross-sector collaboration, and civic action. By investing in the leadership development of residents from all parts of the city, and across sectors, we can increase community-level efficacy and action, increase civic participation and representation, and help drive policy and system-based reforms that will lead to a thriving Chicago region for all residents.

Priority Strategies & Activities

The Community and Civic Leadership funding program continues The Chicago Community Trust’s long-standing tradition of supporting leadership development in the region. Over our 110-year history, the Trust has played a key role in launching several of the leadership development programs that exist today. These programs have cultivated some of Chicago’s most prominent leaders, including those who have gone on to lead community-based organizations, serve at all levels of government, and effect lasting change through civic institutions. Many of these leaders have been instrumental in developing and implementing programs, initiatives and policies that aim to make the Chicago region a place where all can thrive.   

This funding opportunity will support organizations or programs that identify, train and promote leaders within all sectors—public, private and nonprofit—at “grassroots” and “grasstops” levels. Organizations that receive grant support under this funding opportunity will train and support the following types of leaders:   

• Emerging community leaders that include, but are not limited to, parents, young adults, low-wage workers, community organizers, and early career professionals. 
• Established leaders working in nonprofit, civic, policy, or public-serving roles who are no longer considered early career professionals.    
• Leaders with lived experience who represent communities most proximate to the issues or have experienced the systems in need of reform first-hand. 

This funding opportunity is best suited for leadership development programs with an established history of cultivating leaders from and within the Chicago region. Programs supported by this opportunity will also share the following characteristics: 

• An established leadership curriculum that trains participants to influence policy or effect change at the community or systems level and teaches key leadership skills such as strong communication, strategic thinking, and the ability to build relationships and engage with diverse audiences.  
• Impact measurement tools that measure participants’ growth from the beginning to the end of the program. While not a disqualifying characteristic, applicants that can demonstrate some level of alumni impact are especially desirable.   
• A focus on collaborative leadership that encourages program participants to reduce silos, increase collaboration, and drive collective action towards shared goals. 

As a project-based grant, funds from this award may be used to support qualified expenses of the project or program, including an indirect cost rate of up to 15 percent of the total grant budget. 

Grant Type

Project Based, Multi-Year

Grant Amounts Available & Grant Term

The Civic & Community Leadership RFP is open to organizations that provide leadership training and development to residents in the Chicago region. This funding program will provide project support to selected applicants.  

Grant amounts will be awarded from a total grant budget of $500,000. Applicants may request $25,000 – $75,000 per year for up to two years. The final award amount, as well as the grant term, will be determined by Trust staff and based on the size and scope of   the proposal. Applicants should calibrate the requested amount to the actual cost and impact anticipated during the grant term.