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…
Connecting Philanthropy to Impact
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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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…
“Partnerships & Initiatives” Connecting Philanthropy to Impact
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A Nuestro Futuro Grant Enhances Mental Health Support for Former Detainees
Every day, Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD) works tirelessly to stop deportation cases across Chicago. Comprised of “undocumented, unapologetic, and unafraid organizers,” OCAD grew out…
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A Nuestro Futuro Grant Helps Latinx Families Prepare Their Children for Kindergarten
The families Mano a Mano Family Resource Center serves in Lake County have big dreams for their children’s futures, and they understand that education is…
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A Nuestro Futuro Grant Helps El Hogar del Niño Provide Mental Health Support for Latinx Families
El Hogar del Niño (“the Home of the Child”) has been serving Latinx families on Chicago’s Southwest Side for 50 years. The organization provides a…
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A Departing Supporting Organization Helps Two Affinity Funds with Special Grant Cycles
When deciding to take its philanthropy in a new direction last year, the Glasser Rosenthal Family Foundation (GRFF), a supporting organization at The Chicago Community…
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Bending the Curve of Recovery to Achieve a Stronger, Equitable Chicago Region
Two years ago, the world was facing an unprecedented unknown: a deadly global pandemic that was shutting down life as we knew it. But one…
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How African American Legacy Showcases the Transformative Power of Collective Giving
In celebration of Black History Month, the Trust is featuring insights from philanthropists and leaders who are making a difference in the Chicago region. Be…
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From Crisis to Change: Lessons from Year One of We Rise Together
As we mark the one-year anniversary of We Rise Together: For an Equitable and Just Recovery, it seems fitting to reflect on all we have…
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LGBTQ Community Fund Provides Critical Grant Making During the Pandemic
Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the LGBTQ Community Fund provided its largest annual grant making total in 2020, awarding $813,000 in total grant…
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COVID Recovery: What We Need to Set Us Up for Future Success
There is so much we can learn from a crisis. Crises reveal the weaknesses in our systems, but they also have a way of augmenting…
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Young Leaders Fund Capacity-Building Grants Focus on Digital Divide and Wealth Gap
Last year, The Chicago Community Trust asked the Young Leaders Fund (YLF), one of the Trust’s affinity funds, to identify and support 10 past grant recipients that…
