Engaging Grassroots Organizations Are Essential for Large-Scale Impact

Have you ever encountered a situation that filled you with triumph, grace, and determination, or experienced someone’s passion in a way that reignited your own? If so, you can understand the profound impact I felt while serving as the Project Specialist for the Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities. Since 2022, I’ve had the privilege of meeting hundreds of organizations, visiting dozens of programs, and touring numerous communities on the South and West sides.  

Yet, I’ve never ceased to be inspired by the civic leadership of our grant partners. The hyperlocal work they undertake, the safe spaces they create, underscore the importance of funding grassroots organizations, which are essential to helping our communities thrive. 

Last year, Chicago Fund disbursed $3.3 million to support 253 grassroots organizations, marking the largest community investment in its eight-year history. This historic milestone was achieved through a collaborative effort with the City’s Office of Community Safety, aiming to increase safe spaces for Chicago’s youth during the transition gap from the school year to the start of the park district’s summer programming and Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.  

Given the opportunity to serve more youth and expand their programming, Chicago Fund grant recipients mobilized their teams to meet this challenge. They extended program dates, times, and capacities to accommodate youth seeking safe spaces where they could be inspired by positive programming and supported by caring adults. According to our grant recipients more than 100,000 people were engaged through their work last summer and early fall.  

The nimbleness of grassroots organizations in responding to on-the-ground actions and community needs makes them invaluable partners in advancing shared agendas, creating effective community engagement models, and inciting action when necessary. Real-time responsiveness serves as the catalyst for systemic change, and large-scale solutions are not attainable without the mobilization of hyperlocal leadership as strategic partners. 

For example, Chicago Fund grant recipient Jehovah Jireh played a crucial role in distributing PPE and delivering food to food-insecure families during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Since then, their organization has expanded to serve hundreds of families weekly through their food pantry and has joined Austin Eats, a coalition working to improve the food ecosystem in Austin. Additionally, Jehovah Jireh organized youth and families for positive loitering in response to violent activities during the summer, fostering community cohesion in times of insecurity. 

Effective community engagement is often led by those closest to the issue: residents. Elevating their voices, investing in their ideas, and providing space for incubation brings equity to the sector. 

As the Chicago Fund enters its ninth year, we are excited to continue partnering with civic leaders and grassroots organizations rooted in the 24 communities we serve. Further, this grantmaking ensures that the experts, equipped with nimbleness, agility, and a heap of passion for thoughtful community engagement, are given the chance to make a difference.