LGBTQ Community Fund Releases 2026 Stakeholder Conversations Report
The LGBTQ Community Fund, an initiative of The Chicago Community Trust, is proud to announce the release of its latest report, We Are…
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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Trust Talks, The Podcast – Episode 26: Building Opportunity, Block by Block
From 2021 to 2025, We Rise Together: For an Equitable & Just Recovery (We Rise Together), a funder collaborative led by The Chicago…
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Young Leaders Fund Awards $105,000 in its 2026 Grantmaking Cycle
Young Leaders Fund (YLF), an initiative of The Chicago Community Trust, has been paving the way for start-up nonprofits and the next generation…
“Experts & Opinions” Stories
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Philanthropy, Mobilized: Behind the Scenes of Grants Management
What does it take to mobilize charitable dollars across the Chicago region? We sat down with the Trust’s grants management team—director of grants management Katie…
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Why We Serve: Reflecting on 104 Years of Commitment to the Region
In the early 1900s, the Chicago region was undergoing a great transformation. The expansion of the railroad system and a boom in manufacturing made the…
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Closing the Wealth Gap: Chicago’s Moonshot
Dear friends, Today the Chicago Community Trust is embarking on a transformational journey that is as formidable—and challenging—as the drive to achieve space travel. Just…
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Collaborating on Community-Driven Investment
A native of Waukegan, I was born into a community grappling with deindustrialization. Just 21 miles north of the border of the country’s second largest…
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Love With Impact: Philanthropy and the Act of Community Caretaking
Helping people have a positive impact in the world has been my life’s passion—although not through an obvious path. In my college yearbook I mused…
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Taking on the Racial Wealth Gap? Isn’t That Risky?
Disinvested neighborhoods. Segregation. Sluggish economic growth. African Americans leaving the Chicago region in droves. All these phenomena are exacerbated when we factor in race, and…
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Connectedness and Power: Seeing Chicago’s Black and Latinx Communities
Bruce Springsteen wrote and recorded a song about my hometown, Youngstown, Ohio. When I first heard the track, it was instantly familiar. Springsteen’s raspy voice…
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We All Benefit When Everyone Reaches Their Potential
At the young age of 18, my mother left South Korea for Wuppertal, Germany to study nursing. How did a young woman from a rural…
