Dear Friends,

The Chicago Community Trust has enjoyed an incredibly successful year in the face of major changes within our city and economy. While we are happy to report strong financial performance, impactful grant making and effective fundraising, our success is written in the compelling stories of those we serve. Many of you joined us to applaud the powerful partnerships with our donors and the stories of dozens of nonprofit organizations highlighted during the Trust's 96th anniversary celebration.

To increase our impact on what matters most, we have tightly tied our grant priorities to our community’s most important goals. Progress toward these goals will be tracked by data collected by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning's MetroPulse indicators. MetroPulse allows all of us to understand Chicago and the needs and goals of its residents in a whole new way.

One of the most prominent stories of the past year was the transition of mayoral leadership. The Trust thanks Mayor Richard M. Daley for his remarkable service to Chicago and the dozens of partnerships with the philanthropic community that occurred under his watch. And we look forward to working with Mayor Rahm Emanuel on new and innovative ways to address the pressing challenges we face.

To help with the mayoral transition, the Executive Committee of the Trust loaned our president and CEO, Terry Mazany, to the Chicago Public Schools as interim CEO of CPS for six months. Providing leadership for one of Chicago’s most important institutions is a testament to the strong partnership and mutual respect between the Trust and the City of Chicago. We are also grateful to Prudence R. Beidler for her leadership at the Trust during this period. We are truly thankful to have the support of such generous and talented people in the Chicago community.

In the wake of the recession, governments at all levels— city, county and state—are under enormous pressure to cut budgets yet meet increasing needs. Consequently, the Trust is working with the administrations of Mayor Emanuel, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Governor Patrick Quinn to forge public-private partnerships that can enhance economic development, violence prevention and the delivery of human services.

Amidst the recession, Chicago continues to experience turbulence, volatility and uncertainty. Unemployment remains high, wages have fallen, poverty rates have increased and the pace of foreclosures continues to gnaw away at our neighborhoods. In response, the Trust is steadfast in its commitment to address the needs of our community. On one hand, the Trust is an important anchor institution that must serve as a reliable, stabilizing force for metropolitan Chicago. On the other hand, in the face of immense and rapid change, we must be agile and adapt to changing circumstances, solving problems and seizing opportunities.

Chicago's stories are rich and complex, featuring people like you who work to make our region a better place for all. Working together, the Trust and our donors contributed $108 million this year to fund the innovation and essential services of our nonprofit partners. As a result, we are able to share music education with thousands of children, mitigate foreclosure's devastation of our neighborhoods and place healthier lifestyles within reach for all residents. As always, we are proud to highlight the $30.5 million in grants from the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust—a collaboration essential to the vitality of the region. Together, these stories of innovation and generosity, of the struggles and triumphs of our fellow residents, remind us that Chicago truly is the City of Big Stories.

Sincerely,