Feeding Change in Our Region
The Chicago Region Food System Fund is a group of funders and community partners working together to build a more resilient local food…
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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Cultivating a Bright Future in Little Village
Little Village, or La Villita, has a long history of welcoming immigrant communities, starting with the German, Czech and Polish residents who flocked…
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Boosting Impact: The Amplification Fund
The Amplification Fund is an opportunity for donors to participate directly in the Trust’s grantmaking and join a community of philanthropists with similar…
All Stories
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Taking the Sting Out of Re-Entry After Incarceration
It can take the employees at Sweet Beginnings a while to get used to their co-workers. The bees, that is. But as Johnny Patterson quickly…
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After 'The Super Bowl Shuffle'
“We’re not doing this because we’re greedy / The Bears are doing this to feed the needy!” “The Super Bowl Shuffle” was the Chicago Bears’…
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Through Depression, a High School Student Finds Her Voice
Elizabeth Einig will say she is “terrified” of putting herself in the spotlight. But this Schaumburg teenager regularly faces down her fears, if she thinks…
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Mourning a Teenage Son, Fighting Back Against Asthma
Christopher Redding had only had one asthma attack before the one that killed him. Christopher died in 2003 while jogging near his home in Lake…
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Chicago Colleges Unite as Citywide Campus, Global Destination
Chicago has long been known as a center of commerce and transportation, and for its world-class public museums and soaring architecture. Now, it’s moving to…
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Barn Dances and Prairie Picnics Build a Publishing Empire
The broadcaster of the prairie, Burridge D. Butler, transformed a farm media empire into a permanent legacy. Born in 1867, Butler was the son of…
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Teen Dance Festival Builds Bridges Across Neighborhoods
On a Saturday morning in August, teens streamed into the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. Instead of sleeping in on a lazy summer morning,…
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Elevating Chicago’s Buoyant Dance Community
In fall 2015, Audience Architects honored Sarah Solotaroff Mirkin with its inaugural Distinguished Service to the Dance Field Award. Under her leadership at The Chicago…
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Arts Teachers, Time & Quality Increase in Chicago Public Schools
More than 30,000 students in Chicago Public Schools now have greater access to arts instruction than in previous school years. That’s according to data from…
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‘Soul Train’ to Stock Exchange: Chicago’s Barrier-Breaking Black Entrepreneur
When he became the first African-American to sit on the Trust’s Executive Committee in 1976, George E. Johnson, Sr. was the most prominent black businessman…
