RFP: Neighborhood Capital Fund – We Rise Together

This two-year fund aims to support real estate projects that help local communities on the South and West sides of Cook County achieve their visions for thriving economies.

RFP Release: Monday, July 14, 2025
LOI Deadline: August 20, 2025
Funding Decision: February 2026
Announcement: TBD

Join the Info Session

Interested applicants can attend our virtual information session to learn more about this funding opportunity and gain clarity about the application process.

Tuesday, July 29, 2025
2:00 p.m. CT
Virtual via Zoom
Meeting ID: 892 2436 7936 | Access: 713194

Launch the Meeting

Neighborhood Capital Fund

This two-year fund aims to support real estate projects that help local communities on the South and West sides of Cook County achieve their visions for thriving economies. The fund will provide streamlined, late-stage capital grants for brick-and-mortar projects to help them complete their capital financing and move to and through construction.

Background

Decades of underinvestment in neighborhoods on Cook County’s South and West sides have starved too many communities of capital investment, services and resources—a detriment to residents’ well-being, thriving neighborhood economies, and a prosperous region. Through We Rise Together: For an Equitable & Just Recovery, we’ve seen that brick-and-mortar projects can bring positive ripple effects, including new jobs, improved services and amenities for residents, and tax revenue that benefits the city and region. Building on lessons learned through We Rise Together and other public and philanthropic capital investment initiatives, the Neighborhood Capital Fund is a pooled fund for capital investment in real estate projects in underinvested communities led by The Chicago Community Trust.

Know Before You Submit

To qualify for a Neighborhood Capital Fund grant, projects must:

Be late-stage, with at least 75 percent of the capital stack secured with documentation to prove financial commitments. Note: Projects facing unexpected cost escalations while under construction are also eligible to apply for this opportunity.
Be located within Cook County with a particular focus on neighborhoods on the South and West sides, especially communities that have historically seen a lack of investment.
Be proximate to local economic/community asset generating economic activity within a half-mile of the proposed development.
Prioritize community input, with community members involved in the planning of the development and including a nonprofit partner.
Have proof of site control (e.g., Letter of Intent, Purchase and Sale agreement, evidence of public land application/approval [Cook County Land Bank, City of Chicago Chi Blocker Builder]).

PLEASE NOTE: The Neighborhood Capital Fund will accept projects of all sizes and types, including commercial, retail, and residential. However, housing projects must include a non-housing component (e.g., mixed-use, ground-floor commercial). There will be a heavy emphasis on community-led, nonprofit projects for consideration. For-profit projects may apply, but they must have a nonprofit partner and fiscal sponsor.

Grant Type

Project Support

Grant Amounts Available and Grant Term

Up to $2,000,000 grants; One-year grant term.

For More Information

Visit the sample form here to access and complete this eligibility check form for this funding round.

Please Note: This is NOT a full application. This is an opportunity for project leaders to submit a project scope that will enable our team to assess their eligibility to be invited for a full application for the Neighborhood Capital Fund’s first round of funding. If your project is selected, you will be invited to submit a full application by September 20 for our February funding cycle. Full applications will be due the first week of November. We anticipate opening future funding rounds again in 2026.

Click here to Access Eligibility/scope form

If you have additional questions, contact Maryah Phillips at mphillips@cct.org, program manager of We Rise Together, or Christen Wiggins at cwiggins@cct.org, senior director of Community Wealth for The Chicago Community Trust.

Eligible geography is limited to communities within Cook County with a focus on neighborhoods on the South and West sides of Chicago.

For General Inquiries

info@cct.org 312-616-8000