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…
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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
Workers Center for Racial Justice NFP
For the remainder of 2024 and into 2025, Workers Center for Racial Justice will continue our grassroots advocacy around a set of policies that serve to increase economic security for Black families, improve job quality and access to opportunities for Black workers, and support successful re-entry for Illinoisans returning from incarceration. We see each of these policy areas as essential to reducing the racial wealth gap in our state and advancing a liberatory vision of community safety. As a grassroots organization that centers the development of strong Black civic leaders, WCRJ contributes to the Trust’s vision of a fertile ecosystem of leaders and advocates focused on policy and systems change. Our grassroots leaders have conceptualized the Lift Up Workers & Families campaign, a slate of policies that our members have identified as priorities for their communities. Broadly, these policies fit together under the umbrella of improving economic security for Black Illinoisans. They include: The SAFER Communities Act: Our members conceptualized this job-creation program for formerly incarcerated people (FIPs) in Illinois, which will provide subsidies to employers that hire and retain FIPs into living-wage jobs, in the form of a Section 8-style voucher held by the individual jobseeker. The program also has provisions to ensure that subsidies benefit small to midsize businesses in zip codes most impacted by incarceration. SAFER passed out of the Illinois House in 2023; we are now working to ensure that it receives necessary funding appropriations in the Senate. One Fair Wage: In partnership with the national One Fair Wage organization and other local grassroots partners, we are leading a coalition effort to end the subminimum wage in Illinois, a relic of slavery that disproportionately impacts women of color and perpetuates the racial wealth gap. In late 2023, our work resulted in the Chicago City Council adopting an ordinance that phases out the sub-minimum wage city wide, a major win for Chicago’s restaurant and hospitality workers. Now, we are working to end the sub-minimum wage at the state level through One Fair Wage legislation. Child Tax Credit: We are building community engagement around the Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion legislation that is currently being considered in Springfield, and our leaders are urging decision-makers to include it in the state budget. Our team of Power Parents and Providers has traveled to Springfield every week of the current legislative session, sharing stories of how lack of access to affordable childcare and rising costs of living have impacted their families and communities. Governor Pritzker named CTC expansion as a priority in his most recent state of the state address. We feel that the political will for expanded CTC is there, and that now is the time to push for this investment in families. Clean Slate Illinois: WCRJ joined the Clean Slate Illinois coalition as one of four steering committee members this year, advocating for a policy that would enact automatic records relief in our state. While many formerly incarcerated Illinoisans are eligible for record sealing and/or expungement, the process is daunting and requires significant knowledge and resources to complete. With an automatic expungement system, Illinois would remove significant barriers to housing, employment, education, and much more for its FIP residents. Fund Our Futures: WCRJ is part of a multi-racial coalition of grassroots, labor, and advocacy organizations working to advance the revenue-generating policies that Illinois needs in order to fund our inclusive vision of a state where everyone’s basic human needs are met. We have worked together to identify a set of policies that can generate much-needed revenues for our state, recognizing that many of the policies we are seeking require public investment. We recently published a report, entitled “Funding our Futures - The Equitable Revenue Policies Illinois Families Need to Thrive.” It can be found here: https://sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com/itep/Fund-Our-Futures-Report-FINAL-1.pdf In terms of capacity building, current areas of focus include continuing to build our bases around each of our policy campaigns, with target constituencies including formerly incarcerated people (FIPs), tipped workers, parents/caregivers and childcare providers. Because much of our work is taking place at the state level, and in coalition, we are supporting the base-building efforts of our statewide partners and deepening our collaboration across different geographies. Additionally, we continue to grow our civic education and leadership development offerings, with frequent programs for members focused on the legislative process, community-driven advocacy, relational organizing skills, transformational narrative work, issues education, voter engagement, and Black political thought.
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Grant Recipient
The Garden of Love
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Grant Recipient
Legacy Disciple
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Grant Recipient
Invisible Institute
The Invisible Institute seeks general support for its ongoing journalism program.
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Grant Recipient
Something Good in Englewood Inc
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Grant Recipient
Metropolitan Planning Council
Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC), in partnership with Urban Institute, is advancing original research that quantifies impacts of the Chicago zoning code on equity, sustainability, and health. Assessment results will be informed by aldermanic and neighborhood-level conversations that help connect the citywide assessment to on-the-ground realities. Steering Committee members and other civic and community partners will remain active and engaged in the assessment and the results will be used to develop and advocate for zoning and land use policy and practice changes.
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Grant Recipient
Automotive Mentoring Group Inc
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Grant Recipient
Lugenia Burns Hope Center Inc
Lugenia Burns Hope Center is at a growth point for its organizing work, where increased capacity can translate into systemic change on issues such as housing and quality schools for its low-income, African-American members. A capacity-building investment from CCT would allow LBHC to strengthen three critical areas: senior organizing, communications, and fundraising. This will enable the organization to more effectively move a justice agenda on the South Side.