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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How Microaggressions Keep Hurting—and How to Interrupt
At the end of September, colleagues and I attended the YWCA Madison Racial Justice Summit—an annual event designed to provide expertise and facilitate discussions about…
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The Five Leadership Languages
On August 31, Becky Brasfield was a featured speaker at a BMO Harris executive roundtable luncheon on diversity, equity and inclusion. As a Leadership Fellow…
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Six $1,000 Ideas to Counter Violence in Chicago
When violence touches our communities, Chicago residents summon up our determination and creativity to respond. Supporting survivors, engaging youth to help them find a more…
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My High School: Challenging, Eye-Opening, Empowering
My eighth grade year was all about preparing to go to high school. My mind was set to go to Whitney M. Young Magnet High…
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Much More Than Conversation: Three Years of On the Table
The first time one tries something, it is about figuring out how to get it done. The second try is often about making adjustments to…
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A Real Estate Firm Unites to Fight Homelessness
It’s no surprise that a real estate company with a history of fighting racially discriminatory home sale laws during the Civil Rights era would embrace…
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Expanding Horizons for Chicago's Young Leaders
Matthew Brewer grew up in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood of Chicago. And for most of his childhood, he didn’t have much reason to leave…
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Seizing a Health Care Opportunity: County Jail
Debra, 32, hadn’t had medical insurance for a while when she was detained at Cook County Jail in 2014 after her arrest for retail theft.…
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Creating a Local Culture of Inclusion
All the world’s a stage, Shakespeare wrote. But what are theaters, concert halls and other cultural institutions doing to make sure that everyone can see…
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Mapping the Next Agricultural Revolution
Farming in Illinois is big business—and not just for the farms that are big. Accounting for nearly 10 percent of the state’s total economic output,…
