Community Wealth

Addressing the wealth gap at the neighborhood level through more investment in community-led revitalization.

For our region to prosper, we need our Black and Latine communities to thrive.

That means safe neighborhoods with access to services that many take for granted—grocery stores, parks, transit systems, restaurants, and more.

  • Background

    The Trust’s Catalyzing Neighborhood Investment strategy focuses on creating the environment that allows investment to happen in historically disinvested Black and Latine communities.

  • The Opportunity

    When it comes to helping individuals, families, and communities build wealth, neighborhood investment is a force multiplier. Neighborhood development projects create businesses and jobs, bring in new services and amenities that make life better for residents, and increase the flow of dollars to and within the community.

  • Our Approach

    Because revitalizing neighborhoods will only be effective if we work together, collaboration is core to our approach. The Trust supports eight priorities across three major areas of the neighborhood investment landscape.

Learn more below.

How It Works

The Trust supports baseline activities for revitalization, including various flexible funding opportunities to meet the needs of Black and Latine community organizations, who are responsible for progress but typically face funding constraints.

Community stakeholders often come together to solve problems and pursue opportunities, from imagining a new use for a vacant building to revitalizing a commercial corridor. No matter the project, collaborative planning can be a complex process that requires time, resources, and coordination. The Trust supports a variety of planning solutions for guiding community investment.

Even the best-laid plans for neighborhood investment will falter on implementation without the fuel of financial capital or a supportive policy environment. The stakes are especially high in disinvested communities where financial capital investment—specifically, private capital—pales in comparison to affluent communities. The Trust supports finance and policy solutions that effect systemic change.

  • The Trust supports baseline activities for revitalization, including various flexible funding opportunities to meet the needs of Black and Latine community organizations, who are responsible for progress but typically face funding constraints.

  • Community stakeholders often come together to solve problems and pursue opportunities, from imagining a new use for a vacant building to revitalizing a commercial corridor. No matter the project, collaborative planning can be a complex process that requires time, resources, and coordination. The Trust supports a variety of planning solutions for guiding community investment.

  • Even the best-laid plans for neighborhood investment will falter on implementation without the fuel of financial capital or a supportive policy environment. The stakes are especially high in disinvested communities where financial capital investment—specifically, private capital—pales in comparison to affluent communities. The Trust supports finance and policy solutions that effect systemic change.

  • Community Wealth

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How You Can Take Action

Interested in learning more or partnering with us?

Please contact Christen Wiggins, Interim Senior Director of Community Impact, at cwiggins@cct.org, or Adele Nandan, Director of Donor Engagement, at anandan@cct.org.

Our Team

  • Christen Wiggins

    Senior Director of Community Wealth

    Christen Wiggins is senior director of Community Wealth at The Chicago Community Trust. Prior to this role, she oversaw grant making and program strategy at…

  • Sienna Campbell

    Impact Coordinator for Community Wealth

    Sienna Campbell is an impact coordinator for the Community Wealth team at The Chicago Community Trust.  In this role, she supports Community Wealth’s internal team…

  • Edwin Tobar

    Program Manager for Community Wealth

    Edwin Tobar (he/him/his) is a program manager for Community Wealth at The Chicago Community Trust.  In this role, Edwin leads conversations and grantmaking around development…

  • Mariah Van Ermen

    Program Manager for Community Wealth

    Mariah Van Ermen is a program manager for the Community Wealth strategy at The Chicago Community Trust. Her professional experience has focused on systems change…