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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After the Crisis, Defining the New Critical Needs
In the grip of the Great Recession, Chicago fought back a rising tide of human need: mass layoffs and skyrocketing unemployment, rising homelessness, growing hunger.…
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How Transit-Oriented Development is Building More Equitable Neighborhoods
Chicago has lost more than 100,000 African-American residents in the past ten years. Logan Square alone has lost more than 20,000 Latino residents in the…
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City Investment to Help Homeless Chicagoans Secure Stable Housing
Late last year, The Chicago Community Trust awarded more than $500,000 in grants through its Housing+ program in an effort to strengthen the connections between…
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Investing in the Women of Color Leading Chicago’s Justice Movements
“Racial inequity harms the lives and prosperity of everyone, not just people of color. Curbing inequities is more than the right thing to do—it’s an…
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How the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act Changes Charitable Giving
On December 22, 2017, President Donald Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law. The legislation makes significant changes to corporate and personal…
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Building Your Personal Board
In my last article, I shared my secrets for expert networking, including the importance of developing a “personal board.” I heard from a lot of…
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Why Ephemera is Worth Saving
Ephemera. The word itself evokes romantic images of days gone by, or movie-scene flashbacks of simpler times and black-and-white nostalgia. It’s one of my favorite…
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Digital Learning Playlists Unlock Opportunities for Chicago Youth
The Hive Chicago Fund for Connected Learning at The Chicago Community Trust is thrilled to announce six winners of the LRNG: CHI Playlist Design Challenge.…
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The Ultimate Chicago Feel-Good Gift Guide
(updated 12.20.2018) Still scrambling to cross those final names off your holiday shopping list? Chicago’s do-gooders have got you covered. Check out these local social…
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Preparing Disenfranchised Communities to Thrive in Green Energy Careers
The 2016 Illinois Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA) marked a leap forward in renewable energy for our state—and set the stage for creating thousands of…
