Working Together to Care for Our Neighbors
The Chicago region has a long and valued tradition of community organizations working alongside government to deliver essential services and enhance residents’ lives.…
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
-
-
Bob Crawford’s Journey from Business Leader to Philanthropic Changemaker
Individual giving remains the driving force behind philanthropy in the United States. Even amid market uncertainty, giving increased by 3.3 percent in 2024…
-
Young Leaders Fund Awards $100,000 in Community-Based Grants
Young Leaders Fund (YLF), an initiative of The Chicago Community Trust, provides young professionals with an innovative way to make a difference in Chicago…
All Stories
-
City Housing Plan to Tackle Challenges Fueled by Segregation
Last week, the City of Chicago approved its next Five-Year Housing Plan, One Chicago: Housing Strategies for a Thriving City—the sixth of its kind. Over…
-
Lifeblood for Nonprofits: Why Donors Should Choose General Operating Support
As the year draws to an end, many donors are deciding how to make their final charitable gifts for 2018. No matter what cause they’re…
-
What a Difference a Year Makes: ADA 25 Advancing Leadership Fellows for 2019
Emily Harris is a senior director at The Chicago Community Trust and serves as executive director for ADA 25 Advancing Leadership, an initiative to build…
-
It’s Time: Advancing Economic Equity in Chicago
Since coming to Chicago and The Chicago Community Trust a little over a year ago, I have been spending a lot of time listening and…
-
Empowering Communities by Raising Up Latina Leaders
At a rally outside the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago, an impassioned speaker in a purple t-shirt takes the mic. “We believe in a state…
-
How the Public Charge Rule Could Endanger Illinois Families
On October 10, 2018, the Department of Homeland Security published a proposed new rule that would change who is considered a “public charge”—and could radically…
-
Designing a Space Where Chicago’s Youth Live Safely – and Authentically
On a quiet corner in Greater Grand Crossing, a former church daycare center is being transformed in both structure and purpose. By spring 2019, after…
-
How Small Arts Nonprofits Lead Neighborhoods Forward
Across the city of Chicago, small arts and culture organizations serve as vital neighborhood assets—responding to local needs ranging far beyond the arts. That’s according…
-
West Englewood Tells Complex Truths about Health, Race and Violence
“If we’re constantly slammed with these images, we will be looking over our shoulders rather than reaching out to each other.” Englewood is often depicted…
-
California Wildfires: How You Can Help
A series of deadly wildfires is raging across California, forcing the evacuation of entire communities as businesses, homes and lives are lost. Now the deadliest…
