Community Visions Brought to Life

In October 2025, we celebrated the culmination of We Rise Together: For an Equitable & Just Recovery, a five-year initiative supporting resilience and revitalization in underinvested South and West Side neighborhoods. Guided by community voices and visions, the collaborative philanthropic initiative created a model for focused investment, anchored in real estate development and strengthened by support for local workforce development and businesses. The results are tangible and will be felt for generations: vibrant community centers where residents and visitors gather, play and learn; modern spaces where local businesses and nonprofits grow and provide vital services; and workforce development hubs where people network, build skills, and connect to greater economic opportunity.

This work, in partnership with community leaders and fueled by donor support, is generating momentum – both through increased economic activity and the greater sense of hope residents feel about their communities. Moving forward, We Rise Together has set the stage for continued investment in Chicago’s underinvested communities and the people who make them thrive through its next iteration: Neighborhood Capital Fund.

• $47M invested
• 160+ donors
• 40 projects funded
• 21 real estate developments open and serving their communities, with many more under construction
• At least 4x increase in local spending
  • Communities with two or more We Rise Together investments experienced a fourfold increase in local spending compared with communities without similar investments, based on Mastercard data alone.
• 1,450 jobs created by new real estate developments
• 2,600 residents hired after participating in workforce development programs
• 1,045 entrepreneurs served by local business grants

“This building shows there are hardworking people here who want to do things right. It gives us the chance to feel seen as a community, to feel there are opportunities, that there’s a good, clean, new, and beautiful space for us.”

COMMUNITY MEMBER
PODER, an immigrant integration and career services center in Gage Park on Chicago’s Southwest Side

The Work Continues

Building on the success of We Rise Together, Neighborhood Capital Fund supports sustained investments in real estate projects in underinvested neighborhoods, which are predominantly on Cook County’s South and West sides. The Fund will provide approximately $20 million in late-stage capital grants over two years. Funding partners include:

• Anonymous
• Development Now for Chicago
• The Joseph Pedott Legacy Fund at The Chicago Community Foundation
• JPMorganChase Foundation
• Knight Impact Partners
• The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation
• Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation
• The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation
• Robert R. McCormick Foundation
• Schreiber Philanthropy
• Target Corporation