2025 Illinois General Assembly Recap
I came to The Chicago Community Trust in March after spending years as chief of staff to Illinois State Rep. Kelly Cassidy. I…
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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Trust Talks, The Podcast – Episode 19: Confronting Homeownership Barriers
While homeownership is often viewed as a pathway to building wealth, a range of challenges can hinder its effectiveness, particularly for specific groups.…
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Transforming the College Transfer Experience
In the Spring of 2006, my mother and I walked into a meeting with a public state university admissions counselor to discuss my…
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Pre-Development Fund: Urban Equities, Inc.
Urban Equities, Inc., is a full-service real estate development and project management firm with a 28-year track record of adding beauty and vitality to disinvested…
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Pre-Development Fund: PODER Learning Center
Since 1997, PODER Learning Center has served as a launchpad to good jobs and better futures for more than 13,000 Latinx immigrants and first-generation residents…
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Pre-Development Fund: Allies for Community Business and Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago
Allies for Community Business (A4CB, formerly Accion Chicago) is the region’s largest nonprofit microlender. It is also, along with the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago…
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Chicago Residents Transform Our Communities by Strengthening Connections
Social cohesion is defined as bonding, feelings of connectedness and solidarity, or a closeness and affection within groups. These are essential qualities to building trusted…
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Trust Helps Align Donors’ Giving with Their Values
During 2020, charitable giving rose five percent to a new all-time high, according to a recent report by Giving USA. Building on that momentum, the…
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A Family’s Commitment to Serving Those Most in Need
One of the greatest challenges of philanthropy is how to address the most critical needs, especially in tough economic times. In 1984, donor Kathleen Busse…
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Giving Insights: Unlocking the Value in Businesses to Fuel Philanthropic Passions
The past year-and-a-half has been a period of rapid innovation and transition for businesses. Despite myriad challenges, many companies have survived—and even thrived—during the pandemic.…
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LGBTQ Community Fund Provides Critical Grant Making During the Pandemic
Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the LGBTQ Community Fund provided its largest annual grant making total in 2020, awarding $813,000 in total grant…
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2021: Coalitions for Equity in Wealth Policy Leverages Efforts to Address Inequity
The Chicago Community Trust launched the Coalitions for Equity in Wealth Policy funding strategy in 2020 just prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.…
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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…
