Trusted Voices: Reimagining How We Meet Critical Needs
Across the region, households are struggling to make ends meet amid rising costs, changes in federal policies and social service programs, and funding…
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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Giving Insights: Caring for Chicago Over Generations
Narcissa Niblack Thorne is best known as the creator of the beloved Thorne Miniature Rooms—68 of which are housed at the Art Institute…
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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…
“Grantmaking” Stories
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Chicago’s Hyperlocal Media is a National Model for Resident-Informed News
Chicago has been experiencing a media resurgence. Thirty outlets have launched in the last 20 years—many smaller newsrooms focusing on hyperlocal news. Some outlets, including…
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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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Q&A: Open Call for Ideas – Advancing Policy
The Trust launched the Open Call for Ideas – Advancing Policy in May 2021 as a vehicle to source and fund new policy and advocacy…
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An Intergenerational Approach to Community Wellbeing
The Chicago Community Trust wants to see Chicago families thrive. While we continue working to close the region’s racial and ethnic wealth gap, we know…
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"Collaborative Fund" is a New Source of Capital for Groups Advancing Neighborhood Investment
In 2020, the Trust’s Catalyzing Neighborhood Investment team launched the Flexible Funding Program. The program supports and builds the capacity of organizations to engage with community partnerships,…
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2021 Q4 Grants Highlight Trust’s Dual Focus on Wealth Gap and Pandemic Recovery
Throughout The Chicago Community Trust’s 2021 fiscal year—October 2020 to September 2021, including 347 discretionary grants totaling $29.1 million—COVID-19 remained a persistent challenge.* The year’s…
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Trust Cohort Identifies Key Barriers and Potential Solutions for Equitable Homeownership
In 2020, the Trust’s Protecting & Advancing Equitable Homeownership grant initiative brought together nine local housing organizations to identify key barriers and potential solutions for…
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2021 Q3 Grants Foster Partnerships for Equity
More than a grant maker, the Chicago Community Trust aims to close the region’s racial and ethnic wealth gap by being a changemaker. Change at…
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The Collaborative: Bringing Together Advocates, Policymakers, and the Voices of the Formerly Incarcerated
There are so many nonprofit organizations and activists engaged in changing the Illinois criminal legal system that it often is challenging to keep track of…
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Promoting Wellbeing by Building an Infrastructure of Care
Each one of us is both in need of care and a caregiver. Sometimes we are both at once, as many have acutely experienced during…
