Why We Rise Together Is Launching the Together Fund

What we believed when We Rise Together: For an Equitable & Just Recovery launched in October 2020 has proven to be true: The people who live and work in Chicago’s historically disinvested communities have the vision to transform their local economies — they just need the resources.  

Leaning into community expertise has been a major reason why, of the 40 real estate projects we’ve funded, 13 are already open and many more are under construction. We intentionally directed grants to real estate projects that had the support of local residents and just needed the significant, flexible, speedy capital a pooled fund like We Rise Together could offer. Knowing that it takes more than brick-and-mortar development for local economies to thrive, we’ve also looked to local chambers and community organizations to inform our grantmaking strategies to strengthen employment and small businesses. 

This month, we are excited to take this approach a step further with the Together Fund.

Through this new participatory grantmaking initiative, select Community Advisors will shape We Rise Together’s 2025 grant opportunities for Small Business and Workforce Development. We hope to build even stronger relationships between philanthropy and community, expand our perspectives, and shift power to communities in the grantmaking process. Community Advisors will be paid a stipend for sharing their time and knowledge, and will have the opportunity to learn more about the grantmaking process and network. 

Listening to and supporting our community partners has been a core tenet of our work since the beginning. Our Steering Committee includes community members alongside business and philanthropic partners who helped establish our grantmaking criteria and strategies. Through our ongoing evaluation, which includes focus groups and surveys of residents and business owners in the communities we serve, we’ve learned about needs and wants that have changed our plans. For example, as an initiative focused on economic recovery, we did not initially intend to make grants to healthcare or childcare providers. However, community members shared that the lack of these services in their communities prevents too many people from steady employment. To date, we have funded four real estate projects that are providing culturally relevant healthcare and childcare, making it possible for more people to secure and retain employment. 

Throughout May 2024, we are taking nominations for Community Advisors from our Steering Committee members and past We Rise Together grant recipients. We hope to attract individuals who have a lot to offer, but may not typically be at the decision-making table — for example, participants of workforce programs, early career nonprofit staff, community members, etc. We’re excited to meet them and look forward to sharing how our work Together unfolds in the coming months.