Grants

Featured

Our Grantmaking Strategy

For more than 100 years, The Chicago Community Trust has convened, supported, funded, and accelerated the work of community members and changemakers committed to strengthening the Chicago region. From building up our civic infrastructure to spearheading our response to the Great Recession, the Trust has brought our community together to face pressing challenges and seize our greatest opportunities. Today, that means confronting the racial and ethnic wealth gap.

Explore Our Discretionary Grants

Filters

Showing 2021–2028 of 4124 results

  • Grant Recipient

    GREATER SOUTHWEST DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $100,000

    The Greater Southwest Development Corporation’s (GSDC) primary goal is to improve the quality of life in southwest Chicago through economic development strategies designed to address the specific challenges of the neighborhoods and businesses we serve. Our commercial division supports local businesses and entrepreneurs and drives business investment into the area. GSDC also offers residents training and supports and builds and manages rental properties. Requested funds would enable us to help establish, stabilize, and expand more businesses, catalyze greater investments, and help the local economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and recent destruction resulting from civic unrest.

  • Grant Recipient

    Eighteenth Street Development Corporation

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $100,000

    To narrow the wealth gap by catalyzing neighborhood investment and providing businesses and individuals with the tools and opportunities they need to build wealth and safeguard their future.

  • Grant Recipient

    Chicago Community Foundation

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $30,000

  • Grant Recipient

    Garfield Park Community Council

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $100,000

    The Garfield Park Community Council (GPCC) requests a renewal grant for the Garfield Park Neighborhood Development Initiative, which will support increased community engagement around several catalyzing development projects in Garfield Park. GPCC will engage new and ongoing developments that are along the Pulaski and Kedzie commercial corridors, make connections to the Kinzie Industrial Corridor, and engage a housing development along Fifth Avenue, designated a “Resilient Corridor” by the City of Chicago. GPCC will also build its capacity to communicate and reach residents, building local leadership in Garfield Park to engage new investments and cooperative ownership opportunities through new developments.

  • Grant Recipient

    CHICAGO COMMUNITY LOAN FUND

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $200,000

    The Chicagoland Opportunity Zones Consortium (Consortium) seeks to continue its matchmaking and outreach to Opportunity Zone investors emphasizing a more strategic and focused approach; and its educational, coaching and technical assistance support to business entrepreneurs and community real estate developers focused on early-stage business development and real estate pre-development due diligence. Additionally, the Consortium requests support for continued staffing of the existing Director position. Officially launched in 2020, the Chicagoland Opportunity Zones Consortium facilitates connections through matchmaking, education, and technical support to attract Opportunity Zones investments that create quality jobs, build wealth, and promote equitable development in Chicago and suburban Cook County, Illinois. Comprised of nearly 30 entities, the Consortium represents 135 Opportunity Zones in the city of Chicago, primarily on the south and west sides, and 48 Opportunity Zones in suburban Cook County, primarily in south and west suburbs. All of these Opportunity Zones represent LMI census tracts and predominantly reflect Black and Latinx communities. The Consortium’s mission is to facilitate connections between developers, business owners, small business capital resources, and Opportunity Zones investors through matchmaking, education, and technical support to attract investments that create jobs, build wealth, and promote equitable development in Chicago and suburban Cook County. Its vision is to ensure that existing and emerging community development projects or businesses within these communities that prioritize long-term job and local wealth creation are well-positioned to receive Opportunity Zones investments and share equitably in the long-term impacts. In addition to facilitating connections and providing technical support, the Consortium works with investors and project owners to connect to applicable incentive opportunities, including the City of Chicago’s INVEST South/West Initiative, and prioritized investments in suburban Cook County Opportunity Zones. If additional opportunities for collaboration within the region emerge around OZs, the Consortium may determine if it is appropriate to geographically expand some or all of its efforts.

  • Grant Recipient

    FAR SOUTH CDC

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $100,000

    The purpose of this application is to apply for general operating support to sustain the day-to-day operations and staffing of the Far South Community Development Corporation (Far South CDC). Far South CDC’s mission is to alleviate low-income communities on Chicago's far south side of poverty, blight, and economic distress through effective economic and community development. The organization achieves this through three main pillars: business services, community and housing services, and development+planning. To continue providing critical and vital services to the region, Far South CDC needs continued support in capacity and programmatic funds to further its mission.

  • Grant Recipient

    The Chicago Community Trust/Community Desk Chicago - Admin

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $350,000

    General Operating Support for Community Desk Chicago

  • Grant Recipient

    The New School

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $224,658