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
Featured
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.
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Grant Recipient
Jewish Council On Urban Affairs
JCUA is a community of changemakers working to build a world where everyone can flourish. We harness our values and lived experiences as Jews to work in collaboration with directly impacted communities, using multiple strategies to transform unjust systems and bring material improvements to people’s lives. The Community Ventures Program (CVP) is one of the tools JCUA enlists to achieve housing and economic justice in the Chicago region. Through CVP, JCUA partners with community-aligned organizations to build vibrant and affordable neighborhoods by providing zero-interest loans for housing and community development projects. CVP targets housing projects serving households earning less than 60 percent of area median income. Our project partners are creating and preserving transitional housing units for individuals experiencing homelessness, affordable rental apartments for working class families, and cooperative homeownership opportunities for Black and Latinx households. CVP also partners with organizations developing facilities that provide for the physical, social, cultural, or intellectual welfare of the local community in disinvested neighborhoods, and with BIPOC-owned small-to-mid-sized local enterprises that prioritize social and communal well-being. Since CVP’s inception in 1991, we have provided more than $9.6 million in zero-interest loans for 72 projects in 31 neighborhoods, leading to the creation or preservation of approximately 5,300 affordable housing units and 1,600 quality jobs. In 2024, CVP revolved $2,875,000 to 19 projects, primarily located in Chicago’s south and west sides, serving low-income households, immigrant households, returning citizens, residents with disabilities, households at risk of displacement, and those experiencing homelessness. Over the last five years, CVP’s zero percent interest loans have ranged from $50,000 - $200,000 with terms averaging two years. CVP typically invests in projects during the early pre-development stage. Our funds have been used for site acquisition, architectural fees, environmental assessments, and other related expenses. For several projects, funds disbursed through CVP have been among the first financing obtained by our partners. Many of our BIPOC and community-based partners have been systematically excluded from traditional capital resources. In addition to covering project costs before permanent financing or public reimbursement is available, CVP’s commitment bolsters projects’ credibility to pave the way for additional investment. JCUA believes strongly in the power of partnership. Like JCUA’s community organizing work, we approach our relationships with CVP partners with care and authenticity, striving to follow their lead in addressing the needs of their communities. CVP’s enduring, strategic, and collaborative impact is supported by the leadership of our program’s Advisory Committee. Composed of volunteers with diverse expertise, the CVP Advisory Committee assists JCUA staff to ensure that CVP loans are made to viable community-backed projects, have responsible repayment plans, and are in line with JCUA’s overall mission. JCUA employs a comprehensive assessment process with an equity lens when reviewing projects and CVP has not had a loan default in over 20 years. We are requesting a three-year grant of $415,000 to be distributed as: Year 1: $130,000 total ($105,000 capital grant; $25,000 administrative grant) Year 2: $140,000 total ($105,000 capital grant, $35,000 administrative grant) Year 3: $145,000 total ($105,000 capital grant; $40,000 administrative grant) Through a grant to JCUA in support of CVP, you are investing in the brick and mortar that provides stability, safety, and dignity for individuals and families across Chicagoland. Your generosity and partnership are critical in this collective effort.
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Grant Recipient
Chicago Community Justice Foundation
This project, located at 3845 W. North Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60647, will allow Chicago Community Justice Foundation (“CCJF”), the Alliance of Local Service Organizations (“ALSO”) and other community-based social service agencies to co-locate under one roof to provide violence prevention, legal, mental health, educational and workforce development services to residents of Humboldt Park and surrounding communities. The co-location model which is envisioned for this project is unique in Humboldt Park and will allow the various agencies to seamlessly refer individuals between providers, allowing those obtaining services to do so under one roof which significantly reduces participant attrition due to issues such as transportation and scheduling conflicts. Further, this model reduces wait times for services and allows the agencies to share back-office support which reduces the costs associated with the provision of services. The services will help community members by reducing barriers to employment and housing, reducing community violence and directly addressing issues faced by the most at-risk youth population. The project will also provide much needed community space for meetings, creative arts, and both indoor and outdoor physical activity.
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Grant Recipient
Borealis Philanthropy
Disability Inclusion Fund: DIF was launched in 2019 by a group of philanthropic leaders seeking to advance inclusion of people with disabilities both internally at their institutions and in their grantmaking. Our priorities are as follows: 1. Strengthen the disability movement by building the power of representative organizations and elevating the voices of people with disabilities within public life 2. Boost the capacity of disability justice groups to fundraise, communicate a more unified narrative, and other priorities as determined by the grantmaking committee and grantee partners 3. Build bridges between disability justice groups to learn from one another, complement and strengthen advocacy and mobilization approaches We meet these objectives through a disability-led strategy including grantmaking, relationship building, peer engagement and support, capacity building, and collaborative learning. The DIF is aligned with the legacy of disability rights and justice movement principles that understands the liberation of disabled people is interconnected with all social justice movement struggles. Disability justice is about justice for all people—it offers a better way forward; one which centers collective care and mutual aid, ensuring equitable access to all we need to experience and live into our joy, freedom, and humanity. To that end, we are continuing to expand grassroots infrastructure, and to strengthen relationships between disability communities and funders to achieve this.
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Grant Recipient
Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Inc.
General Operating Support
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Grant Recipient
Illinois Partners for Human Service
Illinois Partners for Human Service is applying for a grant to support the Human Service Workforce Initiative as set out in the collaborative fund documentation we created in partnership with the Chicago Workforce Funder Alliance (CWFA). For this initiative we are developing and pursuing strategies to activate philanthropy and aligned sectors to elevate, support, and sustain a thriving human service workforce.
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Grant Recipient
AMPT Advancing Nonprofits
AMPT: Advancing Nonprofits is rooted in the belief that small, community-based nonprofits—especially those led by Black and Latine leaders—are critical to building thriving, equitable communities. Since our founding in 2020, AMPT has worked to ensure that these organizations have the resources, relationships, and infrastructure they need to succeed. As a BIPOC-led organization, we launched Crisis Management Consulting during the COVID-19 pandemic as a direct response to the urgent needs of nonprofits navigating an unprecedented crisis. AMPT saw first-hand how community-based Black and Latine-led organizations were the first to mobilize, showing up with resources, information, and direct services for those who were most impacted in our city, and we were prepared to support their work. Since 2020, AMPT has continued to respond to the real-time needs of our nonprofit partners. In 2025, we are implementing a strategic pivot to ensure our programming remains responsive and impactful. This includes reinstating free Crisis Management Consulting, restructuring our AMPT Up Your Org workshop series to focus on emerging financial, operational and policy issues, accelerating the distribution of general operating grants, and deepening our cohort model curricula on compliance, financial planning, and strategic communications. With this grant from the Chicago Community Trust, AMPT will be able to expand access to high-priority resources and remain nimble in evaluating and adjusting our support to nonprofit organizations on a quarterly basis. These iterations ensure that we steadfastly meet nonprofits where they are, with the right tools at the right time.
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Grant Recipient
Fresh Taste
North Lawndale Fresh (NLF) is a collaborative grantmaking program to increase access to healthy affordable food; support community gardens and local food production; grow food enterprises; and protect and strengthen food assistance programs in the North Lawndale neighborhood. The vision is an equitable Chicagoland region where all people have knowledge of and access to healthy food. The funders involved with North Lawndale Fresh have committed to a minimum $1M for each of five years to support the neighborhood (2022-2026). 2025 is the fourth year of the five-year commitment to North Lawndale Fresh. This project aligns with the building supply-side skills and attracting capital strategies of Food:Land:Opportunity while also reducing fragmentation. It also fits squarely within the newly announced Access to Capital/Pooled Funding Resources strategy.
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Grant Recipient
Network for Young Adult Success
UtmostU empowers young adults to achieve their professional aspirations by supporting degree attainment and career preparation. The Bridges to Brighter Futures two-year grant will sustain our post-secondary coaching model, providing direct coaching and critical wraparound services to 100-125 fellows in the City Colleges of Chicago, as well as those who have transferred to four-year institutions or other credentialing programs. We will also support coaches from partners across Chicago and the greater Chicagoland area to support approximately 120 two-year pathway fellows with their degree attainment. By equipping young adults from under-resourced neighborhoods with the tools and guidance to earn degrees and pursue meaningful careers, UtmostU fosters long-term economic and social mobility. Through strong partnerships, structured fellow engagement, and technology-driven support, Bridges to Brighter Futures will build upon past successes to drive economic mobility and opportunities for fellows, their families, and communities.