Protecting the Rights & Dignity of All: National Immigrant Justice Center
Founded in 1984, the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) believes that immigrants’ rights are human rights, and that every individual deserves to be…
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
-
-
Feeding Today, Changing Tomorrow: Greater Chicago Food Depository
Many people know the Greater Chicago Food Depository, founded in 1979, as Chicago’s food bank. Last year alone, it partnered with more than…
-
Turning Compassion into Action: New Life Centers
For more than 20 years, New Life Centers has partnered with communities on Chicago’s Southwest and West sides to respond to urgent needs…
All Stories
-
Chicago’s Housing Future Is in Its Past: Look to the “Missing Middle"
Like the rest of the country, Chicago is facing an affordable housing crisis. Some neighborhoods boast houses that are too pricey for many residents. Other…
-
South and West Side Neighborhood Revitalization Starts with its Residents
Community development in neighborhoods that have long faced underinvestment begins with the people who know their communities best. On Chicago’s South and West sides, community-based…
-
Neighborhood Capital Fund Fuels South and West Side Corridor Revitalization
Underinvestment has limited economic mobility and contributed to higher rates of poverty across Chicago’s South and West sides. Combined with depopulation, it has left vacant…
-
What Illinois Data Reveals about Promising College and Career Pathways
For more than a decade, a deceptively simple question has shaped conversations about economic mobility: Is college still worth it? Skepticism about a four-year degree…
-
Building Housing Stability in Chicago: What We’re Learning and Funding
A new report from Housing Action Illinois and the National Low Income Housing Coalition finds our region is short 225,000 affordable rental units for low-income…
-
Trust Talks, The Podcast – Episode 25: Transforming College Transfer Pathways in Illinois
In Illinois, nearly 80 percent of community college students say they plan to transfer and earn a bachelor’s degree, yet only about 35 percent actually…
-
How Restricted Funds Can Support Chicago’s Creative Community
For many donors, a love of the arts is deeply personal, shaped by formative experiences in classrooms, concert halls, neighborhood theaters, and community centers. That…
-
From the Archives: 1973 – James Brown IV & the Community Service Award
April marks National Volunteer Month, celebrating those who dedicate their time and resources to community service. Few in the Trust’s history embody volunteerism more than…
-
Nuestro Futuro Awards $250,000 in 2025 End-of-Year Rapid Response Grantmaking
Nuestro Futuro, an initiative of The Chicago Community Trust, elevates Latine philanthropy to support Chicago-area organizations and programs aimed at improving the quality of life…
-
Lisandra Lao, and How She’s Inspiring the Next Generation of Young Philanthropists
For 30 years, The Chicago Community Trust’s Young Leaders Fund (YLF) has empowered young adults to actively participate in philanthropy by interacting with grassroots nonprofits,…
