RFP: Resilient Chicago Fund – Open Call

The goal of this funding opportunity is to enable nonprofits and government partners to adapt, rethink and redesign how essential benefits and services are delivered within food, shelter, healthcare and safety systems amid federal funding and policy changes.

RFP Release: March 10, 2026
Information Sessions: March 20, 2026, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. CT (Click here to join the webinar.)
Application Deadline: April 17, 2026, 11:59 p.m. CT
Interviews: May 10-May 15, 2026
Funding Decisions: By the end of May 2026

Download the full RFP TO APPLY

Need/Opportunity Statement

In Chicago and Cook County, organizations providing basic human needs—including food, shelter, healthcare and safety—are facing federal policy and funding uncertainty, rising demand for services, and increasingly complex rules. Nonprofit organizations and public agencies are doing heroic work to continue delivering essential benefits and services while adapting to a changing landscape.

Even before 2025, the region’s safety net was strained in ways that hindered effective, dignified, people-centered service delivery. Today’s changes have only heightened those pressures—and created an opening to rethink and redesign what the system could be. Nonprofits and public agencies bring deep expertise, trust and understanding of how the system works. What they often lack is dedicated time and resources to step back, reimagine long‑term solutions, and design and test new models that move beyond adapting old systems to new rules.

Resilient Chicago Fund (RCF) is a collaborative philanthropic initiative created to support innovation for basic human needs. Co-chaired by The Chicago Community Trust and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the fund is guided by a Steering Committee that includes Crown Family Philanthropies, Polk Bros. Foundation, Pritzker Traubert Foundation, Schreiber Philanthropy, Steans Family Foundation, RRF Foundation for Aging, and United Way of Metro Chicago.

Priority Strategies & Activities

This RFP is designed for organizations or partnerships that want to rethink, redesign or test new ways of delivering essential benefits and services within food, shelter, healthcare or safety systems.

RCF is especially interested in proposals that go beyond small adjustments and explore how services are structured, financed and delivered in practice. Proposals should show a willingness to challenge long‑standing assumptions and explore models that offer a better experience for the people who rely on these systems. RCF is looking for ideas that not only address current challenges but also point toward a stronger, more resilient system in the future.

Proposals may include efforts to:

Simplify or remove steps that create delays or roadblocks for people seeking help
Redesign how services are delivered or coordinated across organizations and sectors to improve effectiveness, efficiency or user experience
Develop new operating or financing approaches that strengthen long-term sustainability
Develop, test and/or implement policy that adapts to federal changes and strengthens access to benefits and services.

About This Grant Opportunity

Resilient Chicago Fund will support a small number of organizations with multi-year, multi-million-dollar grants to pilot or implement redesigned service models.

Most grant recipients will begin with a design and testing grant, which will generally range from $100,000 to $300,000, depending on the scope and timeline of the work. Selected organizations will work with a dedicated design coach (approximately 5 hours a week) to help gather insights, test ideas, and refine a model that could be implemented in the future. The coaching process is designed to meet organizations where they are—whether developing an early concept or refining a plan that is further along. Grant funds may be used to support staff time needed for this designing and testing. Grant recipients also will participate in a learning community to share progress and challenges with peers.

At the conclusion of the design and testing phase, RCF will invite a small number of organizations to submit proposals for pilot or implementation funding. Selection for implementation funding will be based on readiness, evidence gathered, and alignment with RCF’s goals. Participation in the testing phase does not guarantee an implementation grant.

Who Should Apply

Organizations or partnerships with significant experience in basic human needs systems and a clear understanding of how those systems operate.
Applicants should be prepared to commit time and leadership attention to exploring how benefits and services could function differently under new rules and changing conditions.
Collaborative proposals are highly encouraged and may include government agencies, community partners, or private‑sector organizations. Lead applicants must be nonprofit organizations based in Chicago or Cook County.

RCF encourages all potential applicants to complete the self-assessment provided in the RFP before deciding to apply.

For More Information

To submit an application, download the full RFP and use the link provided in the application.

Download the full RFP TO APPLY

For programmatic and application content questions, email rcf@cct.org.

For more information, please join us for a virtual information session via Zoom on March 20, 2026 at 12:30 p.m. CT. Please email rcf@cct.org by March 16, 2026 if you need accommodations or translation services for the RFP or webinar.

Questions?

rcf@cct.org 312-616-8000