African American Legacy Awards $280,000 in 2023 Grants

African American Legacy (AAL), an initiative of The Chicago Community Trust, is a philanthropic initiative led by African American civic and community leaders who share the common goal of improving the quality of life among African Americans throughout metropolitan Chicago. Since its founding in 2003, AAL has granted around $4 million to over 250 nonprofit organizations.

In Spring of 2023, AAL released their annual open-call application requesting proposals from organizations working within the Black community of the Chicago region, with projects within one of four focus areas: mental health, wealth creation, arts and sciences, or community and civic engagement.

This year, AAL awarded grants totaling $280,000 to 18 organizations. They are as follows:

• A Step Ahead Chess: For general operating support, to help increase the number of chess coaches and program participants.
• Automotive Mentoring Group: For general operating support, including a 3- to 6- month auto restoration training and job placement program for gang members and returning citizens.
• Black Alphabet: For general operating support, including growing current programs such as an annual film festival, year-round Black LGBTQIA+ curated film screening events, Collective Power Artist-in-Residence, and Art Therapy and Transcendental Meditation classes that support Black LGBTQ+/SGL people throughout Chicago.
• D-Composed: For general operating support, to enhance and amplify youth and community engagement programming such as public programming, arts education workshops, and training for youth and their families interested in Black orchestral music.
• Ecowomanist Institute: For project support for Chicago metro mental health and healing activities for Black women who work in the environmental justice field.
• Girls 4 Science: For project support for the Saturday STEM Academy for Black girls ages 10 – 18.
• Girls Like Me: For general operating support, including media training to positively change the images of Black girls, ages 11 to 17.
• Light of Loving Kindness: For general operating support, including specialized programming that supports young people to develop mental wellness practices.
• Lugenia Burns Hope Center: For general operating support, including resident-led efforts to save public housing, develop student members of Local School Councils, and activate a food distribution network in Chicago.
• Musical Arts Institute: For general operating support, for a nonprofit music school.
• New Life Knew Solutions: For general operating support, for a community health agency that provides free mental health services.
• Of Color, Inc.: For project support for employment training and placement for youth, veterans, and families.
• Osmosis Education Mentoring Institute (Project Osmosis): For general operating support, including a citywide design competition, summer design camps, and mentoring for youth interested in the design/arts field.
• Project One Ten: For general operating support, including mentorship and other academic support that help Black and Brown boys achieve academic success when transitioning to high school.
• Provident Foundation: For project support for a mentoring program that seeks to increase the number of Black and Brown students working in the medical/health care field.
• Reflection Foundation (Polished Pebbles): For project support for the Pink Hard Hats Program, which seeks to introduce 30 students at Simeon High School to the trades.
• Sista Afya Community Care: For general operating support, including free mental health counseling for Black women.
• Urban Male Network: For general operating support, including a mentoring program for young Black men at 7 sites in Chicago.