Lisandra Lao, and How She’s Inspiring the Next Generation of Young Philanthropists
For 30 years, The Chicago Community Trust’s Young Leaders Fund (YLF) has empowered young adults to actively participate in philanthropy by interacting with…
Critical Needs
Spotlights on community issues, the people, and the organizations who contribute to effective philanthropy as well as a stronger Chicago region and world.
Recent
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Laying the Groundwork for Lasting Policy Reform
When the Trust decided to integrate policy change into our strategies, we did so recognizing that to achieve our mission of a thriving…
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Trust Talks, The Podcast – Episode 24: Sustaining Chicago's Cultural Ecosystem
Chicago is one of the most influential cultural cities in the United States, known for its distinctive blend of architecture, visual arts, music,…
“Trust Talks Podcast” Critical Needs
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Trust Talks, The Podcast – Episode 23: Understanding the Impact of Public Benefits
When most people picture hunger in America, they think of food pantries. Yet for every meal a pantry provides, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)…
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Trust Talks, The Podcast – Episode 21: Navigating Solutions to Homelessness
Over the past decade, homelessness in the Chicago area has been on the rise, and the latest numbers are especially troubling. According to the City…
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Trust Talks, The Podcast – Episode 18: Supporting Our Immigrant Communities
The truth about immigration in the United States is that unless you are Native American, we all came from somewhere else. Yet, in 2025, the…
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Trust Talks, The Podcast – Episode 16: Working Collaboratively to Address Community Safety
In this episode of Trust Talks, Jai Jones, Program Specialist for the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities, is joined by Esther Franco-Payne (Executive Director,…
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Trust Talks, The Podcast - Episode 10: Creating a Lasting Legacy for the Chicago Region
In this episode of the Trust Talks podcast, we explore how the Trust’s endowment and bequests made decades ago continue to address the most pressing issues…
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Trust Talks, The Podcast - Episode 6: Overcoming Vaccine Hesitancy
In this episode of the Trust Talks podcast, Anna Lee, Senior Director of Community Impact, sits down with members of the Chicagoland Vaccine Partnership–Lee Edwards of Free…
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Trust Talks, The Podcast - Episode 1: Violence Prevention in Chicago
In this inaugural episode of the Trust Talks podcast, we sat down with Anna LauBach, program director at the McCormick Foundation, Deborah Bennett, senior program officer at…
