Unity Fund: A Look at Impact in 2025
The Chicago Community Trust’s Unity Fund is a testament to the power of collective giving. Since its founding in 2008 at the height…
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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Financial Health in Cook County: Why it Matters and How Policy Impacts Financial Well-Being
In 2025, The Chicago Community Trust, with support from JPMorganChase, commissioned the Financial Health Network to update the findings of its Financial Health…
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Responding to Chicago’s Urgent Needs in 2025
As the region’s community foundation, The Chicago Community Trust exists to respond to the needs of our region and the people who call…
All Stories
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Leadership: The Power is Within Us
Grishma Shah is a mass media consultant, artist and co-director of the Chicago ReelAbilities Film Festival. This year her exhibit, The South Asian Perspective, has…
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Why Philanthropy Can’t Replace Government in Helping Illinois Thrive
The demand for human services is greater today than ever. At the same time, ongoing funding cuts at the state and federal level continue to…
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The Youth Soccer Program Building Health, Teamwork—and Neighborhood Trust
The soccer field at Cornell Square Park is filled with parents. Little kids trail paleta vendors and peer over tables loaded with pizza and cupcakes.…
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The Most Welcoming City: Reflecting on One Year in Chicago
This week I mark my first anniversary with The Chicago Community Trust. It is hard to believe a year has gone by! As I reflect…
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Chicago’s Cultural Spaces Talk Access and Inclusion
ADA 25 Advancing Leadership and the Disabilities Fund participated in On the Table to initiate dialogue about tackling our region’s greatest challenges, inclusive of the…
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The New Generation of Philanthropists Investing in Chicago’s Rising Stars
This summer, young philanthropists from across the Chicago region gathered at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower to celebrate 11 nonprofits working on the front…
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Unlocking the Potential of Chicago’s River System
This week, the Executive Committee of The Chicago Community Trust approved $810,000 for neighborhood-based projects helping to unlock the potential of Chicago’s river system, transforming…
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Nurturing Creativity, Building Accessibility: Meet Chicago Theater’s Biggest Fans
Michael and Mona Heath prefer to sit in the front row. “We like our theater really up close and personal,” says Michael. “Our best theater…
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Hurricane Florence: 10 Community Foundation Relief Funds You Can Support
Days after Hurricane Florence reached land, its effects are continuing across the southeastern United States. Record rainfalls have reached 36 inches in some areas; with…
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The Disability Conversation in Every Conversation
The Disabilities Fund created the Inform and Act factsheet series to initiate dialogue about tackling our region’s greatest challenges. To be successful, the disability community…
