Rethinking What It Means to Be Civically Engaged
Every single one of us participates in public life—whether you’re reporting a pothole on the city’s 311 app, attending Ward night, or volunteering…
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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Virginia Oviedo on the Power of Uniting to Advance Community
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15), the Trust is featuring a series of conversations with Latinx philanthropists and…
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An Early Boost Gives Community Developers a Huge Leg Up
How an innovative Trust grant program helps neighborhood visions for growth become reality The Chicago Community Trust believes all Chicago neighborhoods are assets,…
“Partnerships & Initiatives” Stories
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COVID Recovery: What We Need to Set Us Up for Future Success
There is so much we can learn from a crisis. Crises reveal the weaknesses in our systems, but they also have a way of augmenting…
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Community Desk Chicago: Unlocking Access to Capital
I grew up on the South Side of Chicago in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood. It was and still is a predominately Black community. I remember…
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Young Leaders Fund Capacity-Building Grants Focus on Digital Divide and Wealth Gap
Last year, The Chicago Community Trust asked the Young Leaders Fund (YLF), one of the Trust’s affinity funds, to identify and support 10 past grant…
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The Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund: Lessons in Collaboration Amid Crises
This week marks the one-year anniversary of the Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund (CCRF). The moment is not lost on us. To date, 5,056 Chicago…
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We Rise Together: For an Equitable and Just Recovery for Metropolitan Chicago
*As of March 2021, the initiative has changed its name to “We Rise Together: For an Equitable and Just Recovery.” The Chicago region is at…
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Nuestro Futuro Grant Helps Latinx Families Prepare for Kindergarten in a Virtual Setting
This past year, the Highwood Public Library launched Camino a la Escuela (“Path to School”) to teach an initial cohort of 16 Latinx families from…
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The Chicago Community Trust Launches On the Table Conversations with Racial Healing Theme
On the Table is Oct. 12, 2020 – Jan. 31, 2021. Register to host an On the Table discussion at https://onthetable.com/. The Chicago Community Trust…
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How to Build an Equitable COVID Recovery for Chicago
This op-ed appeared in Crain’s Chicago Business on October 8, 2020. Before the pandemic upended our lives, Chicago appeared to be on the upswing from…
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Nuestro Futuro Grant Helps Foster Community in Hermosa
Drive along the “Armitage Avenue Welcoming Corridor” between Pulaski Street and Kostner Avenue in Hermosa, a vibrant Latinx community on the city’s Northwest side, and…
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A Tribute to a 'Beautiful Soul': How the LGBT Community Fund Honored a Donor Family with a Memorial Grant
Cindee and Bill Dietz want to make a difference in the world, and their long-time philanthropy is a reflection of those values. Whether giving back…
