Trust Talks, The Podcast – Episode 26: Building Opportunity, Block by Block
From 2021 to 2025, We Rise Together: For an Equitable & Just Recovery (We Rise Together), a funder collaborative led by The Chicago…
Stories
Spotlights on community issues, the people, and the organizations who contribute to effective philanthropy as well as a stronger Chicago region and world.
Recent Stories
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Young Leaders Fund Awards $105,000 in its 2026 Grantmaking Cycle
Young Leaders Fund (YLF), an initiative of The Chicago Community Trust, has been paving the way for start-up nonprofits and the next generation…
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Pride, Progress, and Purpose: A Conversation with Jennie Brier & Ray Crossman
Each June, Pride Month offers a time to celebrate the achievements, contributions, and resilience of LGBTQ communities. An important vehicle for that work…
“Grantmaking” Stories
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A Place to Stay, A Path to Stability
A home is more than bricks and mortar — it’s where we find safety, stability, and a sense of belonging. For many, owning a home…
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Making Big Ideas Real, Together
When it comes to solving complex challenges, what can philanthropy do? How do we build spaces where funders and nonprofit partners can dream, experiment, and…
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South and West Side Neighborhood Revitalization Starts with its Residents
Community development in neighborhoods that have long faced underinvestment begins with the people who know their communities best. On Chicago’s South and West sides, community-based…
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How Restricted Funds Can Support Chicago’s Creative Community
For many donors, a love of the arts is deeply personal, shaped by formative experiences in classrooms, concert halls, neighborhood theaters, and community centers. That…
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Responding to Chicago’s Urgent Needs in 2025
As the region’s community foundation, The Chicago Community Trust exists to respond to the needs of our region and the people who call it home.…
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TRP’s Forgivable Loan Supports Longtime Homeowners on Chicago’s West Side
Homeownership has been a cornerstone of financial security and wealth for many families, but aging housing stock, costly repairs, and market pressures threaten that stability.…
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Strengthening Chicago’s Shared Ownership Ecosystem
For generations, Chicago’s neighborhoods have been shaped by the people who call them home. Historically, many communities like Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Little Village, Pilsen, and…
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Neighborhood Development Champions Support a Strong Pipeline of Community-Led Projects
For the Chicago region to thrive, all communities must prosper. Disinvestment in the South and West Sides has limited wealth-building and harmed neighborhood wellbeing. These…
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The Power of Collective Advocacy & Collaboration
In communities across Illinois, families work hard to build stable lives, but the systems meant to support them often fall short. Whether it’s the rising…
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Planting Seeds of Change
The front door creaks open as the late afternoon sun spills into a small apartment on Chicago’s West Side. Backpacks hit the floor. A child’s…
