Our Community

When our neighbors do better, we all do better. Together, we show what is possible when we act as one for the good of all.

Chicago’s philanthropic spirit and the energy of our civic and corporate communities are second to none.

For over a century, Chicago-area residents who believe in our region’s potential for greatness have found a partner and ally in The Chicago Community Trust. The Trust is an enduring platform for change, a place where people come together to shape and pursue visions for our region’s future that none of us could realize alone. 

The work we do in partnership with our community partners, dedicated donors, and civic leaders is bigger than any one person, one institution, or one grant. Together, we pool our collective talents and resources to put equity and opportunity in reach for every resident of our region. 

Check back often as we spotlight the work + voices of those in our community building a stronger Chicago region, for all of us.

AGC Receives $600,000 MacArthur Grant

Asian Giving Circle (AGC), an affinity fund of The Chicago Community Trust, received a three-year, $600,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Chicago Commitment. The funding will support planning and grant making in economic development, as well as expand AGC’s support for organizations serving the local Asian American community. 

AGC was among six Asian American Pacific Islander-led and -serving organizations to receive a total of $3,650,000 from the Chicago Commitment. In response to the Chicago region’s growing AAPI population, the Chicago Commitment is aiming to increase funding support for AAPI organizations over the next five years.

Founded in 2002, AGC supports nonprofit organizations addressing the challenges of the region’s Asian American communities. AGC is composed of members who are committed to pooling and directing their financial resources to organizations advancing social justice. To date, it has given more than $550,000 in grant funding to 70+ nonprofit partners.  

“We are excited to use this MacArthur grant to strengthen Chicago’s Asian American neighborhoods, renew a sense of pride, belonging, and safety in these communities, and spur economic and social investments that benefit the most marginalized and vulnerable families and individuals. This funding will also strengthen the Asian Giving Circle so that it can continue to be a valuable resource for the community,” said Eric Wu, AGC Co-Chair. 

For more information, click here.  

#TrustTalks: A Podcast by The Chicago Community Trust

Each episode of Trust Talks highlights a different strand of The Chicago Community Trust’s strategic priority to close the region’s racial and ethnic wealth gap, including growing household wealth, catalyzing neighborhood investment, and building collective power, or its foundational commitments to addressing critical needs and connecting philanthropy to impact.

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Photo: Block Party in Little Village. Credit: Eddie Quinones.

The Chicago Community Trust

Building a Chicago region where equity is central—and opportunity and prosperity are in reach for all.

What We Do

Every day the Trust helps passionate donors connect their philanthropy to impact.

Learn how our donors are changing lives and strengthening communities.

Our Community in Action

From providing essential resources such as food and supplies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to unlocking access to capital for entrepreneurs to expand their business, our committed nonprofit partners show that the Chicago region can be greater than the challenges we face.

The Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund

The Chicago Community Trust and United Way of Metro Chicago came together to establish the Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund (CCRF), with support from the City of Chicago, foundations, businesses, and individuals. By the time the fund closed in early 2021, we had raised more than $35 million from 6,000 donors to support more than 400 nonprofit organizations providing emergency services to people most impacted by COVID-19.

Community Perspectives on COVID-19 Recovery

In fall 2021, BECOME hosted seven Community Conversations with people living in the communities of Cicero, Austin, South Lawndale, Chicago Lawn, West Englewood, Dolton, Harvey, Humboldt Park, Roseland, Pullman, Riverdale, and Altgeld. The goal was to understand how the pandemic impacted Black and Latinx communities in the Chicago region and hear from residents what their community needs to recover and prosper. The project was commissioned by We Rise Together: For an Equitable and Just Recovery and The Chicago Community Trust, in partnership with New America Chicago, to help guide advocacy efforts for a more equitable and inclusive recovery.

PODER Learning Center

A Pre-Development Fund grant from the Trust will allow PODER to complete its plans for redeveloping the building into Chicago’s first community center combining immigrant integration and job services. Located at 55th Street and Homan Avenue, the center will be an economic catalyst, bringing beauty and vibrancy to this Gage Park corridor.

Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago

Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives, and strengthen their neighborhoods. They do this by educating and preparing new homeowners for success, lending to help people buy, fix and keep their homes, sustaining homeownership through foreclosure prevention services, preserving, rehabbing, and investing in housing, and building robust and enduring community partnerships.

Chicago United for Equity

Today, Chicago United for Equity (CUE) champions the use of community-led Racial Equity Impact Assessments. The organization has trained more than 200 people to use the tool in their own communities and works to encourage the use of REIAs by government agencies across Chicago.