In 1990, a group of civic and community leaders founded what was then called Little Village Community Development Corporation and is now Enlace Chicago. In 1998 they opened an office in the heart of Little Village with only an executive director to develop programs. Ten years later, the organization has grown to a staff of 27 full-time employees, 4 part-time staff and 104 part-time instructors in the Education Department. In recognition of its accomplishments, Enlace Chicago has received the following awards: 2001 Neighborhood Award, Chicago Council on Urban Affairs 2003 Community Organizing Award, Woods Fund of Chicago, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, New Prospect Foundation and Wieboldt Foundation 2004 National Neighborhood Excellence Award, Bank of America 2006 Non-Profit Community Building Award, LISC.

Enlace Chicago (formerly Little Village Community Development Corporation) is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of residents of the Little Village community in Southwest Chicago by fostering a physically safe and healthy environment in which to live and by championing opportunities for educational advancement and economic development.

Enlace Chicago in composed of four departments. Our Community Education department facilitates Community Schools in 3 elementary and 5 high schools in the neighborhood, coordinates Grow Your Own Illinois for Little Village and manages our partnership with Illinois State University’s Teacher Pipeline project to train urban educators. Our Violence Prevention Department currently houses outreach and mentoring programming with Safety Networks, Cease Fire, Urban Life Skills, CPS Culture of Calm Initiative and Community Watch. Violence Prevention staff facilitate the Little Village Violence Prevention Collaborative, a youth leadership council and advocacy efforts related to juvenile justice. Our Economic Development department facilitates the Local Industrial Retention Initiative, provides support to homeowners and renters, and works on local development projects. Our Community Enrichment Department supports a number of community projects including sports-based youth development programs like B-Ball on the Block, community organizing initiatives around issues like immigration reform, urban agriculture projects like our Pocket Parks and food access initiatives, like the Hope Response Coalition.