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.
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Grant Recipient
YEAR UP INC
Year Up respectfully requests $150,000 from Bridges to Brighter Futures to support Year Up’s workforce development program, which removes systemic barriers to opportunity in the tech field and moves young adults toward financial security and economic mobility. The program combines job skills training and education in Information Technology and Data Analytics, work-based experiences with local employers, and wraparound student support. In just one year, without accruing any student debt, graduates obtain jobs in major companies where there are vast possibilities for career advancement and increased earning potential. As a result, more young people from under-represented, low-income communities are finding viable employment pathways in high-growth fields. During the grant period, Year Up Chicago aims to train 96 young adults for careers in the tech sector.
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Grant Recipient
Seven Generations Ahead
The project drives policy, infrastructure and collaboration to reduce wasted food and build a market for food scrap composting to advance a local, sustainable food shed in Illinois and protect the health of Illinois residents and natural resources.
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Grant Recipient
Enlace Chicago
Enlace Chicago will continue to support and respond to the college and career needs of Little Village students. In response to the impact of the pandemic on students’ postsecondary and career trajectory, Enlace created and implemented a holistic strategy to strengthen the organization’s college and career support programs. In collaboration with Little Village Chicago Public Schools high schools and local colleges and universities, we are supporting the college enrollment and persistence of Little Village students. We worked with our partnering high schools to identify high needs students to provide them with wraparound services and support their transition and persistence in college (primarily focusing on three City Colleges: Malcolm X, Harold Washington, and Richard J. Daley College and three 4-year institutions: UIC, NLU, and NEIU, that have a high rate of Little Village high school students who attend their institution). Through the implementation of Equity Response Teams, the Peer Mentor Program and Future Forward, Enlace Chicago and its partners are working to build on the strengths and community cultural wealth of Little Village students and their families, and address the specific challenges they face in getting to and through college. As well as supporting gap year participants to enter the workforce, choose a postsecondary plan, and/or register for a trade or certificate program.
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Grant Recipient
Fresh Taste
This application is a request for $270,000 ($135,000 for each of two years) to support the Illinois Regenerative Agriculture Initiative (IRAI), a collaborative project to grow the sustained research, education, and outreach effort in regenerative agriculture at the University of Illinois, with goals of facilitating foundational knowledge and experience needed to position UIUC for regenerative agriculture leadership; reducing fragmentation in Illinois regenerative agriculture by creating shared understanding, language, vision, and content (teaching and outreach materials); and leveraging resources and grants to normalize regenerative agriculture within UIUC, Illinois, and the Midwest. [NOTE: The UIUC team will announce a name shift for the project work at the University later this year. For the purposes of this application, we continue to use “IRAI.” However, the attached document refers to new name, I-Regen.]
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Grant Recipient
The Chicago Community Trust
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Grant Recipient
LATINOS PROGRESANDO
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Grant Recipient
Trap Door Productions
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Grant Recipient
Steans Family Foundation
Steans Family Foundation is thrilled to be a leader in community wealth building models to set up a community benefit trust for the Fillmore Center. We appreciate the support provided by the Chicago Community Trust through covering Upside’s consulting costs and agreeing to contribute $200,000 to the community benefit trust treasury. We respectfully request $30,000 for community engagement to support the live pilot of the Upside community benefit trust. The Steans Family Foundation would receive the funds and then contract with community-based providers to provide services.