When Neighbors “Act Up,” Communities Are Transformed

Each year following On the Table, the Trust hears from community members who are eager to share insights and ideas to better their community—all stemming from their mealtime conversations. This year, the Trust has committed to helping bring a number of them to fruition.

We’ve partnered with Goodcity—an organization committed to identifying, starting and growing social entrepreneurs who are making a difference in under-resourced communities in the Chicago region—to introduce the Acting Up awards. We’re giving away fifty $1,000 prizes to help Chicago-area residents take action on their creative ideas to make their communities safer, stronger and more dynamic.

The Acting Up awards give the Trust another opportunity to identify and invest in new, actionable ideas and collaborative approaches with the potential to yield significant benefit for our region.

We put out the call for ideas following this year’s On the Table conversations, and wow, we are impressed!

We received nearly 400 video entries from across the city and suburbs, with ideas focused on a wide range of issues—health care, gun violence, open spaces, arts and culture and more. Applicants were diverse individuals from across the Chicagoland region—young, old and everything in between. Some applicants are working independently or partnering with neighbors, family or friends, while others represented a wide range of nonprofit or community organizations.

Last week, a team of 30 judges representing a variety of expertise and backgrounds, from local nonprofits and businesses to media and sports teams, spent a day at the Trust watching these video entries. We’re excited to announce the winners in the next few weeks (stay tuned to the Trust’s social media channels!) and to share their ideas with you.

Our collective civic pride is deeply rooted in the steady determination to bring about the very best conditions of life for others in the community. At the Trust, we see this every day—people make good happen. The Trust and Goodcity look forward to seeing what positive change the Acting Up award winners will bring. Please join us in following the progress of their efforts in the weeks and months ahead.

Update: We were so inspired by the video submissions for Acting Up awards that we decided to increase the number of ideas the Trust funded—awarding $1,000 each to 64 of the video entries. Check out the projects selected for funding