"This Work Is Personal": A Q&A with Luis Roman on Identity, Advocacy and Community
Luis Roman didn’t plan to become a changemaker. But what began as a post-college internship focused on LGBTQ+ immigrant integration quickly evolved into…
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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Pre-Development Fund: Helping Communities Realize Their Visions for Thriving Neighborhoods
When I first arrived at The Chicago Community Trust, I was really focused on understanding the place-based factors driving the region’s wealth gap.…
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Dreaming Beyond the Boundaries: Jennifer Hodges Awarded Sixth Donald Stewart Fellowship
Jennifer Hodges is the co-founder and vice president of KIPP Chicago’s Whole Child Initiative, a program that supports students, teachers and families through…
“Partnerships & Initiatives” Stories
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Supporting Efforts to Expand Worker Ownership Models
The Fund for Equitable Business Growth, a funder collaborative committed to creating a marketplace of services for entrepreneurs of color in the Chicago region to…
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Connecting Community Through Equitable Transit-Oriented Development
Proximity to reliable transit makes a big difference for the well-being of people and communities — physically, socially, and economically. Good policies and leadership can…
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Stories of Impact 2022: We Rise Together
In the wake of the pandemic and the inequities it exposed, the philanthropic community has the chance to make transformational investments to strengthen long-disinvested communities…
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LGBTQ Community Fund Grants Support Community Safety and Employment
The LGBTQ Community Fund (the Fund), an affinity Fund of the Trust, unites donors to support Chicago’s LGBTQ community. Since its founding in 2010, the…
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Reflecting on Women’s History Month with the Affinity Funds
March is Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate achievements and milestones made by women throughout history. To commemorate the month, we reached out to…
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A Nuestro Futuro Grant Enhances Mental Health Support for Former Detainees
Every day, Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD) works tirelessly to stop deportation cases across Chicago. Comprised of “undocumented, unapologetic, and unafraid organizers,” OCAD grew out…
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A Nuestro Futuro Grant Helps Latinx Families Prepare Their Children for Kindergarten
The families Mano a Mano Family Resource Center serves in Lake County have big dreams for their children’s futures, and they understand that education is…
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Advancing Equity: What is the Homeownership Gap?
Homeownership is one of the most important vehicles for building household wealth, creating a pathway for families to increase their economic security, and passing down…
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Wealth Building through Worker Cooperatives
As the recognition of the racial and ethnic wealth gap has grown, worker cooperatives have emerged as a promising strategy to close the gap. These…
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Coming Together for National Day of Racial Healing
When people talk about closing the racial and ethnic wealth gap, conversations tend to focus on reforming discriminatory policies and systems, as well as increasing…
