Unity Fund: A Look at Impact in 2025
The Chicago Community Trust’s Unity Fund is a testament to the power of collective giving. Since its founding in 2008 at the height…
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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Financial Health in Cook County: Why it Matters and How Policy Impacts Financial Well-Being
In 2025, The Chicago Community Trust, with support from JPMorganChase, commissioned the Financial Health Network to update the findings of its Financial Health…
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Responding to Chicago’s Urgent Needs in 2025
As the region’s community foundation, The Chicago Community Trust exists to respond to the needs of our region and the people who call…
All Stories
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The Complex Challenge of Police Reform: Three Takeaways from our Policing Series
In late 2020, The Chicago Community Trust and Illinois Justice Project co-hosted, The Past, Present, and Future of Policing in Chicago, a four-part series that…
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Series Recap: The Past, Present, and Future of Policing in Chicago
Towards the end of 2020, The Chicago Community Trust and Illinois Justice Project co-hosted, The Past, Present, and Future of Policing in Chicago, a four-part…
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A Chance at Meaningful Police Reform
Since this Insights piece first ran, the Illinois General Assembly has passed many of the police reforms referenced below. The Trust and Illinois Justice Project…
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14 Grant Recipient Partnerships Expected to Reach over 1,000 Entrepreneurs in the Chicagoland Region
The Fund for Equitable Business Growth is a multi-funder collaborative designed to support partnerships between Business Support Organizations (BSOs) in the region that provide coordinated, accessible,…
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Beyond Food, Trust-Funded Organizations Working to End Hunger in Our Region
During the holiday season, many people think about those who are going hungry and deliver food to pantries and soup kitchens in their communities. This…
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Advancing Systems and Policy Innovations in Human Services
Every individual plays several different roles to be their full, authentic selves. My identity as an aunt is one I hold in high regard. I…
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Building the Pathway for Economic Equity: How the Trust is Developing a Policy Agenda
For decades, the disparate economic fortunes between Black, Latinx and white Americans have become a growing problem. As a young sociology student, the data that…
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Year-End Planning – Doing More with Your Giving
In a year defined by new challenges and complexities, donors committed to doing more in 2020. As this tumultuous year draws to a close, the…
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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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2020 Grant Making: The Chicago Community Trust
In Fiscal Year 2020, The Chicago Community Trust made 293 discretionary grants totaling $20,477,287. Following are some highlights of how this year’s grant making embraced…
