Responding to Chicago’s Urgent Needs in 2025

As the region’s community foundation, The Chicago Community Trust exists to respond to the needs of our region and the people who call it home. For more than 100 years, the Trust has brought together donors, nonprofits and civic leaders to address both persistent issues that require longer-term planning and urgent, unexpected needs that call for a nimble response.

In 2025, Chicago saw rising demand for food assistance, housing support, and other essential services due to rising costs, economic uncertainty, neighborhood disruptions from increased immigration enforcement actions, and changes in federal funding. As we did during the Great Depression, Great Recession, and COVID pandemic, the Trust is committed to meeting the moment by providing assistance and relief to the people of the region. Working alongside our philanthropic partners, we mobilized more than $30 million last year, including $16.2 million in Trust-directed grantmaking alone, to respond to these unanticipated challenges. These funds were directed toward strengthening the capacity of nonprofits to meet increasing community needs, supporting essential services, and helping sustain small businesses in economically distressed communities improve stability and visibility along neighborhood corridors.

Combating Hunger

Food pantries and assistance programs have experienced heightened demand this past year due to an increase in grocery prices and economic pressures. Following the pause in SNAP benefits in early November, the Trust acted swiftly to address increased food insecurity in Illinois. Three grants supported organizations providing food assistance and guidance on SNAP benefit and enrollment changes, with two of the three grants focused on serving older adults.

Elevating Arts & Culture

With funding cuts jeopardizing small and community-based arts organizations, cultural access, and neighborhood institutions are at risk. The Trust supported organizations that cultivate cultural exchange and education, bolstered community cultural anchors, and fueled innovative programming, ensuring that Chicago’s vibrant cultural landscape remains accessible and inclusive.

Sustaining Fair Housing

The Trust provided critical support for fair housing efforts by funding a collaborative initiative to sustain fair housing organizations whose government grants were unexpectedly reduced and to develop a shared plan that strengthens fair housing systems and safeguards vital civil rights protections and services, helping protect housing efforts across the region over the long term.

Investing in Early Childhood Education

In response to funding uncertainties with Head Start, the Trust directed resources toward childcare and early learning programs for infants through preschool-aged children. These programs provide safe, nurturing environments, culturally competent curricula, and essential supports like healthy meals and wellness referrals. Support also ensured that staff were trained, certified, bilingual, and bicultural, meeting the diverse needs of Chicago’s youngest learners and their families.

Strengthening Nonprofits

Nonprofits provide critical resources across our region. The Trust worked to bolster Chicago’s nonprofit community by funding nonprofit intermediaries — organizations that help other nonprofits build capacity — to provide access to legal, communications, financial planning, and crisis management support.

Legal Services and Emergency Humanitarian Assistance for Immigrant Households

Over the last several months, Chicago residents have seen an unprecedented escalation of immigration enforcement efforts. Mastercard’s data underscores the economic impact of these operations on our communities. From mid-October and the end of November alone, spending in majority-Latine Chicago neighborhoods fell by at least $95 million compared to the previous year. Since January 2025, this has amounted to more than a half-billion-dollar decline in year-over-year spending, which impacts Chicago’s overall economy.

These operations have had a human cost as well. As a result, the Trust increased support for organizations that provide legal aid, Know Your Rights trainings, and other educational tools for immigrant communities. Additional grants helped families access emergency rental and utility assistance, transportation, and food delivery, while also addressing the mental health needs of those impacted. Grant funding also supported efforts to strengthen locally owned small businesses and neighborhood employers.

The Trust was established over a century ago to bring our community together to face our most pressing challenges and seize our greatest opportunities. As we look ahead to 2026, we remain committed to partnering with donors, communities and civic leaders to respond both to our region’s persistent and unanticipated needs that stand in the way of a thriving Chicago region.