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…
All Stories
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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, each one…
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Moving Equitable Development to the Front of the Bus: ETOD as Policy in Chicago
I like to call myself a product of the public transportation system. My hometown, a mid-size city in the north of Spain, runs a network…
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Selling Distress: How the Tax Foreclosure System Exacerbates Disinvestment in Cook County Communities
Following a comprehensive study of the Scavenger Sale, a national multi-jurisdiction analysis offers communities a roadmap for improvement. Property taxes are the largest source of…
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NatureConnections: The Legacy of Ellen Thorne and Hermon Dunlap Smith
In the late 1980s, the Chicago Public Library collaborated with a network of zoos, museums, and science centers throughout Chicago to design a groundbreaking collection…
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Trust Talks, The Podcast - Episode 8: Building Neighborhood Wealth w/ Community Investment Vehicles
In this episode of the Trust Talks podcast, learn about what Community Investment Vehicles (CIVs) are and the wealth building opportunities they could create for neighborhoods…
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Let’s Work Together Now to Close Chicago’s Racial and Ethnic Wealth Gap
For over a century, the Trust has partnered with donors, nonprofits, and other stakeholders to strengthen the Chicago region. If you think about it, that’s…
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Legacy in Action: A Fund for the Future of Chicago’s Green Spaces
Donors who have named The Chicago Community Trust as a beneficiary in their wills and trusts have made a lasting mark on the region for…
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"To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required": Connie Lindsey on Her Passion for Giving Back
In celebration of Black Philanthropy Month in August, the Trust is featuring a series of conversations with Black philanthropists making their impact across the Chicago…
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Centering Community Experts and Voices are Essential to Violence Prevention Strategies
I want to honor everyday Chicagoans making changes where they call home. The ones who roll up their sleeves in the face of adversity when…
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Cynthia Plouché on Using Her Voice to Level the Playing Field
In celebration of Black Philanthropy Month in August, the Trust is featuring a series of conversations with Black philanthropists making their impact across the Chicago…
