Working Together to Care for Our Neighbors
The Chicago region has a long and valued tradition of community organizations working alongside government to deliver essential services and enhance residents’ lives.…
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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Bob Crawford’s Journey from Business Leader to Philanthropic Changemaker
Individual giving remains the driving force behind philanthropy in the United States. Even amid market uncertainty, giving increased by 3.3 percent in 2024…
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Young Leaders Fund Awards $100,000 in Community-Based Grants
Young Leaders Fund (YLF), an initiative of The Chicago Community Trust, provides young professionals with an innovative way to make a difference in Chicago…
“Experts & Opinions” Stories
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Building Financial Stability for Households and Communities
Efforts to grow household wealth in Black and Latinx communities are vital to the well-being of our region. By increasing incomes, building assets, and reducing…
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Investing in Youth Leadership Development is Essential for Community Safety
Safe spaces allow hope to thrive, visions to be realized, and youth to find their voices. Whether it is young women learning about media literacy…
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Accelerating Meaningful Change in Chicago: How the Trust Hopes to Work with the Johnson Administration
On May 15, Brandon Johnson will be inaugurated as the 57th Mayor of Chicago. As with any mayoral transition, this is an opportunity to press…
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Investing for Impact: How to Maximize, and Measure, the Impact of Your Charitable Dollars
In 2020, the Trust launched our Impact Investing Program to help donors generate greater impact through their donor advised funds (DAFs). Impact investments mobilize capital with…
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Paving Different Paths to the Desired Result
In 2013, I was teaching cross multiplication to my Algebra II students when I noticed one child getting frustrated at how I did the work.…
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Affinity Funds: Philanthropy through Shared Identity, Community, and Purpose
The first time I heard of The Chicago Community Trust was in 2015, when the nonprofit I worked for received a grant from the Asian…
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The Future of Our City Depends on All of Us, and It Is Time to Redouble Our Efforts
Chicago is a city with limitless potential. We are the center of the nation’s transportation network, headquarters to diverse Fortune 500 companies, and we have…
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Leveraging Federal Economic Recovery Funds for an Equitable and Inclusive Economic Recovery
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began nearly three years ago, $4.5 trillion in federal funds have been appropriated for virus treatment and prevention, as well as…
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Our Journey to Acknowledge the Ancestral Homeland of Our New Office
As part of our move to our new office at 33 South State Street, The Chicago Community Trust worked with Starla Thompson, an Indigenous scholar,…
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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 at the…
