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.
Explore Our Discretionary Grants
Showing 5841–5848 of 4719 results
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Grant Recipient
Revolution Institute
Revolution Institute (RI) will partner with Project Equity (PE) to raise awareness of worker-owned cooperatives as a strategy to strengthen and retain local businesses and build meaningful wealth for workers in the Chicagoland area, and will provide technical assistance to help local businesses pursue and complete transitions to cooperative models. The objective is to facilitate the purchase of a manufacturing or energy company and convert it to employee ownership on behalf of distressed families and communities.
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Grant Recipient
18th Street Casa de Cultura NFP
¡Son Chiquitos! - “They Are Little Ones,” provides music and art-based programming that draws upon cultural traditions and Spanish language resources, embedded within the community, to guide healthy bilingual, bicultural child development. Son Chiquitos began in 2010 as an artist, educator and family network to provide culturally relevant music education for young children, ages 0-6. Over 15 years, the program has developed multiple formats for creating impactful learning experiences that strengthen children’s multilingual awareness and early bilingual literacy, and healthy multicultural identity development. Children and extended families often participate for several years, in some cases, from birth as participants, into related school-age programs we developed as an outgrowth, to older youth and young adults who volunteer with the program. In Fall, 2021, we incorporated Son Chiquitos and related programs into the 18th Street Casa de Cultura organization and 5,000 ft2 physical space, where we host and continue to grow Son Chiquitos programs; the physical space also allows us to provide access to an extensive, curated children’s multilingual reading collection, and areas for didactic displays and exhibits that rotate with the cultural themes. During the past 2024-25 season, 18th Street Casa de Cultura has been hosting and organizing the Son Chiquitos Foro Musical - Saturday morning immersion programs with art stations and a highly interactive live music presentation, designed with themes aligned to a cultural calendar. Curriculum and activities engage children in the construction of meaning and understanding of happenings around them, examining the roots of cultural traditions and activities in relationship to their community and cultural identities. The Son Chiquitos program presentation is currently a monthly community-family engagement event, generally with 50-100 attendees, where young children participate in art making, movement and singing. The program has also been provided to schools, Chicago Public Library branches and other community organizational events. Currently in our 4th year as 18th Street Casa de Cultura, and aligning to our current strategic planning process, we are excited to expand Son Chiquitos programming, increasing the frequency and type of offerings, so that ultimately, young children have more opportunities to engage in Son Chiquitos curriculum. Our goal is to maintain the Son Chiquitos Saturday Foro Musical, large community programs, and to begin offering weekly, size-capped classes providing early childhood music and literacy in small groups, with children able to attend regularly for deeper concept and fluency development. Other short term goals for Son Chiquitos include building our relationships with area schools and centers, where we can bring programs into early childhood classrooms, and support family engagement through music. With this program, we will be measuring our progress on these goals through two key indicators for expanding the scope and scale of our services. By increasing the frequency and type of programs we offer, we will grow the number of programs and number of constituents, expanding enrollment in programming, specifically for constituents to be participating more frequently in greater numbers of activities, increasing the impact of Son Chiquitos programming on children's development.
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Grant Recipient
El Valor Corp.
El Valor is requesting $50,000 from The Chicago Community Trust to support our high-quality, dual-language Head Start and Early Head Start programs, which serve more than 3,000 children and families across Pilsen, Little Village, South Chicago, and Cicero. Our early education model integrates STEAM learning, technology access, and holistic support, including wellness initiatives such as the CALM Classroom method, to promote school readiness and overall well-being. Additionally, we provide over 300,000 nutritious meals annually to support children's health and development. We recognize that early childhood education is a critical investment in both individual and community health. Through wellness screenings, family engagement, and culturally responsive services, El Valor strengthens family stability and helps close opportunity gaps for low-income households. This funding will help us continue delivering consistent, impactful programming despite sector-wide funding challenges.
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Grant Recipient
The Experimental Station: 6100 Blackstone
Since 2008, Experimental Station’s 61st Street Farmers Market in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood has been a pioneering model in serving an under-resourced and under-represented community. One of the first markets in Chicago to accept SNAP, the 61st Street Farmers Market was the first in Illinois to match SNAP purchases, making the Market’s foods accessible by making them more affordable. The Market has also provided a model to markets throughout Illinois in best practices for engaging under-represented populations and building connections among both children and adults to nutritious foods. Experimental Station is requesting general operating support to sustain our 61st Street Farmers Market and the Market's educational offerings, fostering a healthy food culture and better health and wellbeing for more than 1,000 members of our South Side community.
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Grant Recipient
Black Researchers Collective
We're building capacity of Chicago communities with community organizers and movement builders by advancing civic education, increasing research and data literacy, involving residents in state and local policy, and actively engaging folx in a participatory process to activate what they've learned for the benefit of their communities. This work primarily lives in our Community Education & Action Research pillar, and is fully executed in partnership with a number of our Community Anchor Organizations. For FY2025-26, we're working with the following communities and anchor organizations to actively contribute to the economic vitality of Chicago neighborhoods: (1) West Garfield Park: Garfield Park Community Council, (2) Grand Boulevard: Community Assets Builders Association, (3) South Shore: Real Men Charities, and (4) Washington Heights: Elevated Survivorship.
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Grant Recipient
Chicago Torture Justice Center
With renewed support from the Chicago Community Trust, the Chicago Torture Justice Center (CTJC) will continue to offer free healing and wellness services to survivors and families impacted by police violence in connection with advocacy for systems change. That work includes individual and group counseling sessions, community healing initiatives, and trainings in mental health, race-based trauma, and Know Your Rights. General operating funds will allow us to grow our capacity to offer individual- and community-based healing interventions to meet this quickly changing moment.
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Grant Recipient
Taskforce Prevention and Community Services
Task Force Prevention and Community Services (TaskForce) respectfully requests $50,000 in general operating support to sustain and expand our vital, life-affirming programs for LGBTQ+ youth of color in Chicago. Based in the heart of the Austin community—a neighborhood deeply affected by systemic disinvestment—TaskForce serves as one of the only safe, affirming hubs for over 3,500 LGBTQ+ youth, offering integrated services that address the intertwined challenges of HIV prevention, mental health, gender-based violence, and food insecurity. This application will outline: Our Mission and Values: A community-rooted commitment to the sexual health, wellbeing, and empowerment of LGBTQ+ youth of color through a trauma-informed, culturally responsive model of care. Organizational History and Urgency: Founded in 1990, TaskForce operates in one of Chicago’s most underserved areas. As demand for our services surges—up 40% from 2023—we face rising costs and urgent needs from youth navigating housing insecurity, violence, and limited access to affirming healthcare. Core Programs and Services Including: Health Services: Free, on-site HIV/STI testing, PrEP navigation, hormone therapy, and wraparound care. Mental Health and Violence Prevention: Referrals, expressive therapies, youth mental health training, and case management for survivors of gender-based violence. Essential Needs: A growing food pantry, gender-affirming clothing closet, legal aid, and warm meals. Community Engagement: The Vogue School, CPS outreach, and employment readiness programs rooted in cultural pride and identity. Impact and Reach: In 2024 alone, we provided 600+ HIV tests, distributed 2,400+ produce bags, served 1,100+ families through our food pantry, and engaged over 2,000 youth in our Vogue School—all at no cost to participants. Vision for 2025: With your support, we aim to reach 4,000 youth, deepen partnerships for on-site care, grow food access by 10%, and expand trauma-informed, gender-affirming programming citywide. Why Now: LGBTQ+ youth of color—especially Black and Latinx youth—face unprecedented barriers to basic healthcare, safety, and stability. Amid rising attacks on gender-affirming care and widening health disparities, TaskForce is often the only place many youth feel safe, seen, and supported. Without increased funding, our ability to meet this moment is at risk. We ask for your partnership to protect and expand access to services that save lives, affirm identities, and build brighter futures for LGBTQ+ youth of color in Chicago. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.
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Grant Recipient
Brightpoint
As a leader in early childhood education in Illinois, Brightpoint has continued to provide quality early childhood care and education to young children from families facing poverty-related challenges while also offering wrap-around support, so families have the help they need to overcome financial barriers. We operate five centers in the Chicago Metropolitan region including: the Mitzi Freidheim Child & Family Center in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, the Marletta Darnall Child & Family Center in Schaumburg, Community Child Care Center of Palatine Township in Palatine, El Hogar Del Niño in Pilsen/ Little Village, and Brightpoint Child & Family Center in Carpentersville. These centers reach over 1,000 children 0-6 and their families each year. All of Brightpoint’s Early Childhood Centers (ECE’s) support the unique needs of children who are at high risk of academic failure. Each center maintains priority of enrollment for children considered at-risk, including children of adolescent parents, victims of child abuse or neglect, and children from households experiencing low-income. Staff work hard to provide a comprehensive range of care that is designed to foster cognitive, social, physical, and emotional development. In recent months, news of funding freezes for essential programs, mass deportations, and ICE raids have put additional strain on families and program staff at our Metro early childhood centers. In the first couple of weeks of January, attendance at our Pilsen center decreased by 30% due to growing fears of being targeted by ICE. Our staff and families report feeling overwhelmed, afraid, stressed, and helpless. In this uncertain and scary time, it is imperative that we continue to provide our early education and support services to families in each community. Brightpoint respectfully requests a grant of $100,000 from the Chicago Community Trust in support of our Early Childhood Education Centers in the Chicago Metropolitan region. In the face of threats to federal funding for early childhood, this grant will bolster our ongoing programming and provide essential capital improvements including kitchen repairs, classroom and bathroom repairs, re-painting interior spaces, and enabling the installation of new phone lines and intercom to our outdated system at the Mitzi Freidheim Englewood Child & Family Center. Replacing and repairing damaged flooring and walls in kitchen, classroom, and bathroom spaces and applying fresh coats of paint will create a cleaner, safer and more nurturing environment for children and families. A new phone and centralized intercom system will allow for more stable, reliable communication, which will improve daily operations and increase safety, especially in emergency situations. Private funds are essential as our public funding does not cover the costs needed to keep our Early Childhood Centers open and safe for our families. A generous grant from Chicago Community Trust will allow us to continue providing high-quality care to the children and families we serve.