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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Why Nonprofits Aren't Merging
With the persistent funding crisis that has faced Illinois nonprofit human service providers since the start of the recession, the question is increasingly asked: Why…
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The Music Coalition Creating Peace Through Jazz
On a blustery Tuesday evening, a small group of musicians are gathered in a three-story greystone at 38th and Michigan, tuning their instruments and warming…
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An Elvis Lunchbox Sparks “Life-Changing” Club for Fans with Disabilities
Jeanne Curtin has worked for many years as a cashier at Jewel-Osco. Throughout the years, she became friends with many of her coworkers who lived…
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Planting the Seeds of Chicago’s Backyard Garden
The city of Chicago was incorporated in 1837 as “Urbs in Horto”: a “city in a garden.” In 1972, with the assistance of the Trust,…
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Across Industries, Low-Wage Workers Unite for Justice
On December 9, the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen hosted a milestone event in the fight against poverty. The celebration officially launched the…
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Raising the Floor Through Collaboration
Low-wage workers in warehouses, restaurants, car washes, day labor, temp agencies and domestic settings struggle with common problems of violation of wage/hour laws, difficult and…
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An Earthquake Inspires Expat to Launch Her Dream Museum
Though Haiti’s Jean Baptiste Point du Sable is widely recognized as the first permanent resident of what would become Chicago, many Chicagoans know very little…
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Lighting the Way Out of Poverty for Young Moms
Helping a poor young mother get a start on a better life can actually lift two generations of a family out of poverty. Because if…
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A Mid-Century Champion for Equality, Green Space, New Media
James Brown IV became the Trust’s second executive director in 1949. By developing warmer relationships with donors and by listening more closely to their needs…
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How a Glenview Retiree Defeated Unjust Housing Laws
Nancy Mullarkey describes herself as a “happy, active retiree” who spends much of her time working with her church, Glenview Community Church. She also volunteers…
