Trusted Voices: Addressing Hunger in Chicago
Families throughout Chicago are struggling to put food on their tables. Rising grocery and housing costs continue to strain household budgets, and pending…
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
-
-
Giving Insights: Stepping Up for Chicago
Below are a few suggestions on ways you can further help our neighbors: Give More to the Organizations You Already Support Make a…
-
From the Archives: 2004 – The Creation of the Disabilities Fund
December 3rd is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which celebrates the achievements of people with disabilities and raises awareness of the challenges…
All Stories
-
Why We Serve: Reflecting on 104 Years of Commitment to the Region
In the early 1900s, the Chicago region was undergoing a great transformation. The expansion of the railroad system and a boom in manufacturing made the…
-
National Philanthropy Day: Celebrating Private Action for the Public Good
Philanthropy has been defined as goodwill to members of the human race. I like that classic definition, but one of my favorites is from a…
-
Closing the Wealth Gap: Chicago’s Moonshot
Dear friends, Today the Chicago Community Trust is embarking on a transformational journey that is as formidable—and challenging—as the drive to achieve space travel. Just…
-
Collaborating on Community-Driven Investment
A native of Waukegan, I was born into a community grappling with deindustrialization. Just 21 miles north of the border of the country’s second largest…
-
Love With Impact: Philanthropy and the Act of Community Caretaking
Helping people have a positive impact in the world has been my life’s passion—although not through an obvious path. In my college yearbook I mused…
-
Taking on the Racial Wealth Gap? Isn’t That Risky?
Disinvested neighborhoods. Segregation. Sluggish economic growth. African Americans leaving the Chicago region in droves. All these phenomena are exacerbated when we factor in race, and…
-
Connectedness and Power: Seeing Chicago’s Black and Latinx Communities
Bruce Springsteen wrote and recorded a song about my hometown, Youngstown, Ohio. When I first heard the track, it was instantly familiar. Springsteen’s raspy voice…
-
We All Benefit When Everyone Reaches Their Potential
At the young age of 18, my mother left South Korea for Wuppertal, Germany to study nursing. How did a young woman from a rural…
-
Twelve Innovative Partnerships to Help Businesses of Color Grow
Small business owners drive economic empowerment, both through their direct economic impact and as anchors and job-creators for the communities they serve. We know that…
-
Helping Latinx Families Build Healthy Habits that Sustain Generations
For nearly 150 years, Erie Neighborhood House has been an institution for Chicago’s immigrant families. Originally founded as a settlement house to help Dutch immigrants…
