Laying the Groundwork for Lasting Policy Reform

When the Trust decided to integrate policy change into our strategies, we did so recognizing that to achieve our mission of a thriving Chicago where opportunity and prosperity are within reach for all, we must also address systemic barriers that impede that goal.

In this time, we have convened partners, sponsored research, engaged in collaborative advocacy, and built relationships with policymakers and elected officials to help foster a robust landscape of policy leaders and advocates working on advancing systems-level reforms. Over the last five years, we have invested about $12 million in organizations working in coalition with others to advance policy and system reforms to benefit the entire region, especially for households and communities that have faced systemic barriers to building wealth.

Our grantmaking and engagement in policy reform efforts have led to policy wins like reforming of Cook County’s property tax sale system, expanding Illinois’ Earned Income Credit, creating an Illinois Child Tax Credit, and passing the Predatory Loan Prevention Act and Illinois Community Reinvestment Act. These reforms have opened opportunities to bring blighted and abandoned properties back to productive use, reduced tax burdens on low- and moderate-income working families, protected consumers from wealth stripping, and improved access to credit and affordable lending products that help Chicagoans grow their small businesses or purchase a home.

This work has not just shown us that engaging in and supporting policy advocacy is critical to achieving our strategic goals, it has also taught us that we must do this work in a manner that is inclusive of all aspects of policy reform. It’s not enough to just support organizations and coalitions advancing legislation. We must be a partner in the full journey, from policy development through legislative implementation.

But before getting to the point in the policy process where there is a piece of legislation for an organization to build a coalition to advance, much work goes into defining what the problem is and identifying what policy solutions might solve it. We recognize these early stages of the policy process also require support, to enable organizations to do the research and policy development that yields thoughtfully developed reforms that achieve their intended outcomes.

This year, we are dedicating resources to support the research and groundwork that leads to future legislative and policy opportunities. Specificially, we are working toward learning:

1. How can policy tools enable families to preserve intergenerational wealth built through homeownership?
2. Are there barriers that impede shared ownership models (e.g. housing and worker co-operatives, and community land trusts) from being a meaningful tool for people to build wealth?
3. How can we build public will to support the development of enough affordable housing to meet the region’s needs?
4. How can we build a robust workforce development system that puts people on a trajectory to wealth-building jobs?
5. What budgetary and tax reforms are needed to strengthen city and state avenues for fiscal sustainability and a growing economy?

While we haven’t formulated a position on any of these issues, we recognize these questions will inform future reforms that create pathways that build wealth to improve opportunities and well-being for all Chicagoans.