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…
All Stories
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Philanthropy, Mobilized: Behind the Scenes of Grants Management
What does it take to mobilize charitable dollars across the Chicago region? We sat down with the Trust’s grants management team—director of grants management Katie…
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2019 End-of-Year Charitable Giving: Important Dates and Deadlines
We at The Chicago Community Trust are committed to making your year-end giving easy and meaningful. Please review these important deadlines to ensure that all…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
