Planting Seeds of Change
The front door creaks open as the late afternoon sun spills into a small apartment on Chicago’s West Side. Backpacks hit the floor.…
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
-
-
Working Together to Care for Our Neighbors
The Chicago region has a long and valued tradition of community organizations working alongside government to deliver essential services and enhance residents’ lives.…
-
Bob Crawford’s Journey from Business Leader to Philanthropic Changemaker
Individual giving remains the driving force behind philanthropy in the United States. Even amid market uncertainty, giving increased by 3.3 percent in 2024…
All Stories
-
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…
-
‘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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
