As 2025 Winds Down...
A Note from Our CEO As 2025 winds down and we gather for holiday celebrations, I’ve been reflecting with friends and colleagues on…
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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Turning Houses into Homes: The Impact of 3C’s First Three Years
Launched in April of 2022 as a three-year program, Connecting Capital and Community (3C) Chicago is a collaborative effort between lenders, developers, and…
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Trusted Voices: Addressing Hunger in Chicago
Families throughout Chicago are struggling to put food on their tables. Rising grocery and housing costs continue to strain household budgets, and pending…
All Stories
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Protecting Oak Tree Ecosystems, One Partnership at a Time
Catherine Game is the director of communications and engagement for Chicago Wilderness, a 200-plus-member alliance of conservation groups, government agencies, businesses and faith groups. Founded…
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In Mt. Greenwood, One Lawyer Carries on Boxing’s Tradition of Giving Back
On Chicago’s South Side, behind a small law office, sits Celtic Boxing Club. Mike Joyce, an attorney by day and boxing instructor by night, started…
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LGBT Youth and Senior Services Gain New Support
The Chicago Community Trust’s LGBT Community Fund kicked off its first round of community grant making at a reception on October 1. The Fund—founded in…
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Young Boxers Gain Leadership, Respect—and the Support of the Chicago Cubs
Professional boxers and players from the Chicago Cubs were in the house on September 2 for “Respect the Main Event,” a charity event hosted by…
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An Army of ‘Angels,’ Making Sure No One Fights Cancer Alone
In 2001, Jonny Imerman was 26, living in Detroit, earning an MBA and working in commercial real estate. He soon found out he had cancer.…
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An Urban Gardener Builds a ‘Plot to Plate’ Movement for Chicago
LaManda Joy grew up in a gardening family. Her parents were of the generation whose legacy included the Great Depression and victory gardens in the…
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A Winter Hat Inspires Help for Chicago’s Homeless
“If you can’t feed a hundred people,” Mother Teresa once said, “then feed just one.” In feeding just one homeless man, 17-year-old Carlos Leon, a…
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Making Chicago Stronger, After ‘Operation Peter Pan’ Made it Her Home
Maria Bechily is keenly aware of how generosity transforms lives. In 1961, she immigrated to Chicago from Cuba as part of Operation Pedro Pan, an…
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Chamber Music in Your Home? It's On the House.
Music connects people in a way that sitting around a table for a dinner party can, but it’s even better when you can bring the…
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Volunteer Runners Help Homeless Chicagoans Take Their Next Steps
It’s just before dawn on a rainy morning on Chicago’s Near West Side where a group of men and women experiencing homelessness have gathered outside…
