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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We Can Tell Who’s at Risk of Youth Violence. Can We Reach Them?
Stopping the youth violence that plagues some of our communities can seem like an insurmountable challenge. However, research shows that the number of young people…
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John Massey: Visualizing the Trust
“Be classical or extraordinary; nothing else is acceptable.” – John Massey This August, downtown Chicago will brighten with rows of banners emblazoned with the…
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28 Years Later, the Fight for Disability Rights Continues
For the 21st century generation, it must be hard to imagine how anyone could manage with the restrictions on basic living that preceded the Americans…
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Segregation in Chicago: An Annotated Bibliography
The Chicago Community Trust’s library houses a number of reports, articles and books detailing the complex history and legacy of racial segregation in Chicago from…
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How You Can Support Immigrant and Refugee Families—at the Border, and Beyond
Since the April 2018 enactment of the ‘zero tolerance’ policy for border crossing, it has been reported that more than 2,000 families have been separated…
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Saturday Afternoon Backyard Jazz, Just Like the South Side Used to Do
By seven o’clock in the evening on a muggy Saturday in July, the backyard of Zenja Vaughn’s house at 7343 S. Paxton was filled to…
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Northern Trust’s Chairman on Leadership & Philanthropy, Chicago Style
Frederick H. Waddell, chairman of the board of Northern Trust Corp., considers the venerable asset management, asset servicing and wealth management firm “very good at…
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Disability and Justice: A Challenging Conversation
ADA 25 Advancing Leadership and the Disabilities Fund participated in On the Table to initiate dialogue about tackling our region’s greatest challenges. To be successful,…
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Simple Solutions for Corporate Philanthropy — and Corporate Execs
The importance of corporate philanthropy resonates today more than ever, as companies are expected to engage employees and give back to the communities in which…
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The True Scale of Family Homelessness in Chicago
Chicago’s emergency shelters and other homelessness resources served 1,300 families in the past year. But a new report finds that the true extent of homelessness…
