As 2025 Winds Down...
A Note from Our CEO As 2025 winds down and we gather for holiday celebrations, I’ve been reflecting with friends and colleagues on…
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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Turning Houses into Homes: The Impact of 3C’s First Three Years
Launched in April of 2022 as a three-year program, Connecting Capital and Community (3C) Chicago is a collaborative effort between lenders, developers, and…
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Trusted Voices: Addressing Hunger in Chicago
Families throughout Chicago are struggling to put food on their tables. Rising grocery and housing costs continue to strain household budgets, and pending…
“Grantmaking” Stories
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Data Backs the Benefits of Guaranteed Income
Since 2021, more than 150 guaranteed income pilots have launched across 35 states across the U.S., aiding upwards of 55,000 people. Between 2022 and 2024*,…
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Neighborhood Development Champions: Bolstering the Capacity of Community Development Organizations
A Q&A with Edwin Tobar and Mariah Van Ermen The Trust established the Flexible Funding program in 2020 to fund key community development organizations whose…
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Paving the Path to Homeownership for Housing Choice Voucher Holders
Since the mid-20th century, homeownership has been one of the most important vehicles for building wealth in the United States. According to research from the…
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Income Growth Solutions: Building Pathways toward Wealth through Postsecondary Education, Quality Jobs, and Financial Health
The Chicago region’s household wealth gap is stark, stifling the entire region’s economic potential. According to the Color of Wealth in Chicago, the median net…
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Sustainable Solutions for Housing Stability: Fulfilling Underserved Housing Needs
Amid an affordable housing shortage, skyrocketing rent, and COVID-era protections disappearing, rising homelessness has become one of the most prominent issues this decade. According to…
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A Collaborative Approach to Impact
The Trust is committed to collecting data and applying what we learn to bring people together, spark innovation, and inform decision-making. We also seek to…
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Committed to Solving Homelessness
Responding to Chicagoans’ urgent needs has always been a vital part of the Trust’s mission — and right now, one of the most pressing needs…
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Community Voices + Policy Change Are Powering Neighborhood Investment
For over 20 years, Florence Spann and her husband have spent their time and resources maintaining not just their own property (a two-story corner home…
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The Changemakers Network: Four Years of Coalition and Trust-Building
In 2020, The Chicago Community Trust launched the Changemakers Network to bolster grassroots organizations and groups organizing around issues that mattered most in their communities.…
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Building a Network of Diverse Developers
City environments are made up of buildings, transit stations, streets, parks, and other man-made structures. Also called the “built environment,” these systems shape our lives…
