From the Archives: 1973 – James Brown IV & the Community Service Award
April marks National Volunteer Month, celebrating those who dedicate their time and resources to community service. Few in the Trust’s history embody volunteerism…
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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Nuestro Futuro Awards $250,000 in 2025 End-of-Year Rapid Response Grantmaking
Nuestro Futuro, an initiative of The Chicago Community Trust, elevates Latine philanthropy to support Chicago-area organizations and programs aimed at improving the quality…
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Lisandra Lao, and How She’s Inspiring the Next Generation of Young Philanthropists
For 30 years, The Chicago Community Trust’s Young Leaders Fund (YLF) has empowered young adults to actively participate in philanthropy by interacting with…
“Grantmaking” Stories
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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…
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Stay in Place: New Initiative to Preserve Homeownership in Underserved Chicago Communities
As Chicago neighborhoods continue to evolve, long-time residents face challenges to remain in communities they’ve helped shape. Research has shown that for many South and…
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A New Era: Urban Growers Collective Opens National Blueprint for Sustainable Agriculture and Economic Revitalization
In Chicago, one in five households currently experiences food insecurity, a challenge that is even more prominent in underinvested South and West Side communities, many…
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Boosting Impact: The Amplification Fund
The Amplification Fund is an opportunity for donors to participate directly in the Trust’s grantmaking and join a community of philanthropists with similar goals. Donors…
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Uniting to Address Violence
Because we believe our region can’t truly thrive until all communities are free from violence, the Trust is proud to support SC2 (Scaling Community Violence Intervention…
