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
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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…
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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…
“Community Spotlight” Stories
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Pre-Development Fund: Urban Juncture Foundation
Urban Juncture Foundation is dedicated to working alongside its neighbors to spark revitalization and economic growth in Chicago’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood. In 2011 the organization…
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Pre-Development Fund: Obsidian Collection Archives
The Obsidian Collection Archives is dedicated to preserving Black history, memory, and culture through an expansive online collection of documents, photographs, film, and other artifacts.…
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Pre-Development Fund: Urban Equities, Inc.
Urban Equities, Inc., is a full-service real estate development and project management firm with a 28-year track record of adding beauty and vitality to disinvested…
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Pre-Development Fund: PODER Learning Center
Since 1997, PODER Learning Center has served as a launchpad to good jobs and better futures for more than 13,000 Latinx immigrants and first-generation residents…
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Pre-Development Fund: Allies for Community Business and Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago
Allies for Community Business (A4CB, formerly Accion Chicago) is the region’s largest nonprofit microlender. It is also, along with the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago…
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Get My Payment Illinois: The Coalition Helping Illinois Residents Access Their Economic Impact Payments
As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government provided Economic Impact Payments (EIP), also known as stimulus checks, to individuals and families to help mitigate the impact…
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Little Village Emergency Fund Helps Nearly 800 Families Access Emergency Cash During COVID-19
The zip code that contains most of Little Village—a predominantly Latinx neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side—has, as of early 2021, seen more COVID-19 deaths than…
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Community Organizations Help Families Build More Stable Financial Futures
Since 2001, Family Independence Initiative (FII) has been in the business of direct cash transfers—depositing money right into the bank accounts of families living in…
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Our Great Rivers Reimagines Chicago River System as Vital Lifeforce
What if Chicago’s rivers were seen not just as waterways, but as treasured cultural and economic assets, similar to Lake Michigan? In 2016, the Metropolitan…
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Fast-Growing Food Enterprise Run by Entrepreneurs of Color Secures New Home
The founders of ChiFresh Kitchen never expected their worker-owned, commercial kitchen cooperative would launch early due to a pandemic-fueled demand for quality meals for people…
