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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Fighting the Most Urgent Need in Chicago's LGBT Community
When Illinois’s Bill of Rights for the Homeless was signed into law, it outlawed discrimination against homeless individuals, guaranteeing the right to remain employed, to…
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The Man Who Made the Chia Pet Gives Back
Joseph Pedott is the advertising legend behind the Chia Pet and the Clapper—two of the most iconic products in American pop culture. But he navigated a rough road…
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The Evolution of ADA 25 Advancing Leadership
Disability is a natural part of the human experience. Using the broad definition of disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), one in five…
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Impact Investments Provide $12M of "Patient Capital" in Chicago Neighborhoods
A year after its launch, the local impact investing initiative Benefit Chicago has announced its first round of loans. Six Chicago-area nonprofits and social enterprises…
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A Coloring Book Helps Kids Support Sexual Assault Survivors
For students at the Village Leadership Academy, understanding consent and sexual violence is a weighty but important topic. Talking with teachers and experts inspired the…
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Five Ways Family Dinners Build Stronger Kids (and Adults)
With ever-busier schedules and demands for our time and attention, the family dinner can feel like an outdated idea that’s better off left to families…
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The Erika Lyn Huie Downs Fund
Erika Lyn Huie Downs was one of those people who always went out of her way for others. Inspired by a passion for service, Erika…
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“Generate New Power Out of Thin Air”: Eric Liu on Organizing, Rehumanizing Politics and Starting a Movement
On Thursday, April 27, Eric Liu, founder and CEO of Citizen University and executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Citizenship and American Identity Program sat…
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Driving Neighborhood Growth by Surveying Local Spending Power
Launched in 2016, Chicago TREND works to strengthen neighborhoods by accelerating retail development in communities whose retail markets have often been overlooked, but where appropriate…
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Making 'Civic Connections' for Leaders with Disabilities
Approximately one in five Americans has a disability of some kind. Like employers, civic organizations are quickly recognizing that disability is an element of diversity…
