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.
Explore Our Discretionary Grants
Showing 1841–1848 of 4447 results
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Grant Recipient
UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
Much like 911 and 311, 211 is a vital, free service accessible to most Americans by simply dialing 3 numbers. There are more than 200 211 agencies across the United States, each equip with local experts that make finding help easier. Currently, 96% of the US population has access to a locally operated 211 service. Unfortunately, Chicago and Cook County residents do not. United Way of Metro Chicago seeks to close this gap. Every Day, 211 specialists help individuals and families access free and reduced- cost food, housing, financial assistance to pay utility bills, employment resources, mental health support, elderly and disability support, childcare, and more. United Way seeks diverse funding, 70% public and 30% private, building the budget at the state, county, and city levels to ensure greater sustainability. *Note - the total project budget displayed below is only for one year.
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Grant Recipient
NORTHWEST SIDE HOUSING CENTER
The Northwest Side Housing Center’s (NWSHC's) holistic financial wealth building program (our Housing Counseling and Financial Opportunity Centers) focuses on building household wealth by improving the economic well-being of our community through an anti-racist, intergenerational, and community-led lens. We have learned, to best serve our community, we need comprehensive, integrated approaches that align resources to support households. Our current programmatic work serves over 5,000 families annually and has four established tenets: (1) holistic financial coaching for program participants, (2) leadership development opportunities for program participants, (3) inclusive workforce development services for participants, and (4) comprehensive income support services for participants. Our core housing services include; foreclosure prevention counseling, first-time homebuyer counseling, and rental counseling.
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Grant Recipient
JACKSON ACTION COALITION
Austin is a community on the move. One of Chicago’s most historic neighborhoods, Austin is now proving it can overcome the challenges of disinvestment, deindustrialization, and crime by building on its strengths: community, creativity, and caring. Centered on Chicago Avenue, the Soul City corridor is a new public-private partnership using tax increment financing to envision and build a new westerly gateway for Chicago - - linking the neighborhood’s proud culture to the prosperity of western suburbs, and inviting visitors and residents to enjoy the music and food that are unique to Austin’s resilient African-American community. Already, signs of progress abound. New businesses are opening, and home prices in Austin in 2020 are up nearly 25% over the previous year. Proudly situated at one of the flagship intersections in the Soul City corridor, Soul City Studios is designed to embody and promote these community values. Soul City Studios occupies a special place in the heart of the Soul City corridor -- singled out within the February 2020 Chicago Avenue Soul City Corridor Commercial Development Study Neighborhood Revitalization Plan as the “Entertainment Hub” of the neighborhood’s “Soul Center”. Enthusiastically supporting and promoting this vision, we believe the Austin community needs access to the arts, opportunities to pursue healthy lifestyles, and a space where it can gather and let its voices be heard. That is our guiding vision for Soul City Studios. To meet these community needs, we intend to tastefully rehabilitate our historic corner building near the western entrance to Soul City. The ground floor will be occupied by upscale entertainment-related services, such as a wellness lounge and an art gallery. One of the existing second-floor apartments will be retrofitted as a state-of-the-art recording/podcast studio while the second unit will be upgraded and updated, lending the corner a vital community-supporting residential presence. Soul City Studios has already secured advance tenancy commitments from community-based creative partners, including the show “The Brunch Bunch” on Inspiration 1390AM radio, an iHeartMedia station based in Chicago, Sweet Vegan Bakes dba Sweet Vegan Wellness Lounge, as well as Soul City Art. We are honored to have the support of $250k in grant funding from the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund. We are requesting a PDF grant to pay for architectural schematic drawings, holding costs, engineering plans, loan application and appraisal fees and legal costs necessary to launch a mixed-use rental building. Once the pre development is complete we plan to start rehabilitating the building in June, with an expected construction phase of three-to-six months. During the rehabilitation, we will invest our $250K of NOF Grants for construction & implement commercial leases. When the building is ready in early 2023, our tenants will move in and occupy the space. Which will Create Local resident-led businesses that improve local quality of life, Employment Opportunities & Offer community amenities through our commercial tenants such as Healthy cooking classes, Art Workshops, and Radio/Podcast Training.
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Grant Recipient
Johns Hopkins University
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Grant Recipient
Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT)
FACT began the Fund-a-Farmer Grants Program in 2012 in response to a clear need among humane livestock and poultry farmers for capital in order to transition from conventional to pasture-based systems. There are very few resources available for small and mid-size farmers who want to make this transition. After a decade of grantmaking, there is no doubt that our Fund-a-Farmer Grants are significantly benefiting farmer livelihood, animal welfare, and environmental health. We here at FACT believe that partnering with - and investing in - humane farmers is one of the best ways make a difference in the lives of food-producing animals. We trust that the innovative, ethical farmers in our ever-expanding network know what is best for their land, animals and communities. In 2023 FACT will distribute a total of $220,000 to at least 74 farmers. The FLO grant will enable us to allocate a portion of the grants to farms that market their products within the greater Chicago area.
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Grant Recipient
Sunshine Gospel Ministries
The Housing Equity Initiative (HEI), a program of Sunshine Gospel Ministries, serves families through home retention, home ownership, and home revitalization. For families that own their homes but owe back taxes, HEI’s tax benevolence program seeks to empower them through financial assistance towards alleviating their current back taxes and financial literacy training to support staying on time with future property tax bills. Since launching HEI in August 2021, the initiative has assisted 12 families with another 10-12 families being supported through the current tax sale season. Due to the positive, timely growth, HEI is now in a place to hire its first dedicated staff member to lead the day to day management of the tax benevolence program as well as targeted involvement with the other facets of HEI. The presence of this staff member will allow HEI to grow its capacity to serve 25 families over the next 12 months through this program. This Chicago Community Trust grant opportunity, and associated $50,000, would allow for the growth of a variety of areas of HEI, including the hiring of this staff member. In addition to the tax benevolence program, HEI seeks to train and position Woodlawn residents to become homeowners through a focused training curriculum and down payment assistance program. Thirdly, HEI is working to revitalize the Woodlawn community one block at a time through purchasing, renovating, and selling homes at a redefined affordability. To this end, HEI has recently acquired a single family home through the Cook County Land Bank in the 6400 block of Eberhart Street which will be the first project under this aspect of HEI.
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Grant Recipient
REVOLUTION WORKSHOP
Revolution Workshop (RW) is seeking a grant of $150,000 to deliver our Alumni Services programming focused on supporting graduates of our Pre-Apprenticeship Construction Job Training Program as they advance in their careers. Trainees in our program receive middle-skills certifications and are placed into entry-level, union and non-union jobs, with an average starting wage of $18. Our Alumni Services initiative provides multi-pronged programming aimed at engaging graduates in ongoing educational and network-building opportunities that will help them not only grow in the construction field but also build wealth and break cycles of poverty.
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Grant Recipient
Crossroads Fund
Crossroads Fund – as part of the Neighborhood Organizing Funders Group – is requesting $300,000 over two years for the Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund. The CRJP Fund seeks to raise and distribute $10 million to organizations in the Chicago metropolitan area that address structural racism through power based-organizing and trauma-informed practices.