The Power of Collective Advocacy & Collaboration
In communities across Illinois, families work hard to build stable lives, but the systems meant to support them often fall short. Whether it’s…
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
-
-
We’re Stronger Together
Since joining The Chicago Community Trust three years ago, I’ve been thinking about ways to ensure those most affected by our decisions are…
-
Disabilities Fund Awards Over $355,000 in Community-Based Grants
Disabilities Fund, an initiative of The Chicago Community Trust, recently restructured and piloted their first ever open call Request for Proposals (RFP) grant process.…
“Partnerships & Initiatives” Stories
-
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…
-
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…
-
A Nuestro Futuro Grant Helps El Hogar del Niño Provide Mental Health Support for Latinx Families
El Hogar del Niño (“the Home of the Child”) has been serving Latinx families on Chicago’s Southwest Side for 50 years. The organization provides a…
-
Helping Immigrants and Refugees Feel Safe, Supported, and Welcomed: Illinois Immigration Funders Collaborative Awards $450,000 in Grants
Over the past year and a half, Illinois has seen an influx in immigration. An estimated 3,000 refugees from Afghanistan and 8,800 refugees from Ukraine…
-
Moving Equitable Development to the Front of the Bus: ETOD as Policy in Chicago
I like to call myself a product of the public transportation system. My hometown, a mid-size city in the north of Spain, runs a network…
-
Centering Community Experts and Voices are Essential to Violence Prevention Strategies
I want to honor everyday Chicagoans making changes where they call home. The ones who roll up their sleeves in the face of adversity when…
-
A Departing Supporting Organization Helps Two Affinity Funds with Special Grant Cycles
When deciding to take its philanthropy in a new direction last year, the Glasser Rosenthal Family Foundation (GRFF), a supporting organization at The Chicago Community…
-
3C Helps Communities Unlock Innovation in Affordable Housing
Homeownership is the single largest source of household wealth in the Chicago region, and it also plays an important role in building flourishing neighborhoods. However,…
-
10 Years of the LGBTQ Community Fund
2020 marked the 10th anniversary of the LGBTQ Community Fund (the Fund) at The Chicago Community Trust, and 2021 marked the beginning of the Fund’s…
-
Bending the Curve of Recovery to Achieve a Stronger, Equitable Chicago Region
Two years ago, the world was facing an unprecedented unknown: a deadly global pandemic that was shutting down life as we knew it. But one…
