3C Community Profile: Humboldt Park
Take a stroll down the Paseo Boricua corridor on Division Street and it’s easy to see why Humboldt Park is one of Chicago’s most vibrant…
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.
-
Grant Recipient
Chicago Humanities Festival
Chicago Humanities will present “Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson on Abundance” on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at the UIC Forum as part of our annual Spring Festival.
-
Grant Recipient
Disability Lead
An annual conference to support the leadership and advancement of disabled professionals in the workplace
-
Grant Recipient
Ignite
The Ignite & Shine Gala raises funds to prevent and end youth homelessness through a holistic model and program design that includes support services, emergency housing, transitional housing, and community housing for young people ages 10 - 26.
-
Grant Recipient
North Lawndale Employment Network
Sweet Beginnings Tea is our annual fundraising event, celebrating NLEN's 25th anniversary, aimed at raising essential funds to support our programs and services.
-
Grant Recipient
DEPAUL UNIVERSITY
The Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University and Rudd Resources will co-chair Elevated Chicago’s Knowledge Sharing Working Group.
-
Grant Recipient
OAI INC
1. Name of the government grant for which you are applying to receive matching funds? Opportunity Works ARPA Program 2. What government agency awarded this grant? Include the government level that houses the agency. Cook County Bureau of Economic Development through The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership 3. What is the total awarded amount for this grant? $300,000 4. When was the grant awarded? Originally January 1, 2024 – November 30, 2024; renewed for December 1, 2024 – November 30, 2025. 5. When does this grant expire? November 30, 2025 6. From which appropriation source is this grant funded? E.g., ARPA, CDBG, City Corporate Funds, State general revenue, etc. You may write “unknown” if you do not know. ARPA 7. Does your organization have a negotiated indirect cost rate? If so, what is it? We do not have a negotiated indirect cost rate with the State of Illinois and use de minmis rate. In addition, two of our direct federal grants do not negotiate for a NICRA and only allow for 5% and 8% indirect cost rates per statutory requirements. 8. Briefly describe the challenges your organization faces in managing and complying with government grants. (max 100 words). OAI encounters numerous challenges managing and complying with government grants including 1) complexity of reporting systems, at times requiring the same data be entered into multiple databases, 2) lack of coordination, communication between each government agency involved within the same grant, 3) cost of retraining staff as reporting requirements shift 4) cumbersome documentation, 5) delay in contract execution and reimbursement payments. Each grant has unique rules and deadlines. Financial tracking necessitates strong systems for accurate reporting and accountability, requiring ongoing subscriptions to financial and CRM platforms. These challenges demand careful coordination and vigilance to ensure compliance and avoid potential penalties. 9. What impact do you anticipate this general operating support will have on your organization’s overall financial health and sustainability? (max 100 words). These general operating funds will allow OAI to support the operating costs not supported by government grants but functions that are critical to administering complex government grants. This flexibility will improve staff capacity to better serve program participants and improve overall service delivery. It will enable us to streamline operational efficiencies and maximize the impact of every dollar spent. It will strengthen OAI’s ability to deliver high-quality workforce development training and services while ensuring long-term organizational growth and financial resilience. 10. Are there specific policies or requirements associated with your government grant that your organization finds particularly challenging or restrictive? If so, please explain. (Max 100 words) Data tracking for Opportunity Works ARPA requires data entry in multiple systems including external and internal systems which require ongoing training for existing and new staff. Indirect costs are calculated from the Modified Total Direct Cost base which disallows all training, support services, and internship wages as part of the base. This creates a much smaller level of indirect funding for things like fiscal support staff. Barrier reduction and internship wages require high levels of fiscal accountability and support, but these costs are not fully included in the indirect cost base. 11. Optional: Please provide additional information or context you would like to share that was not addressed in previous questions. (Max 100 words) Over the past few years, government agencies have experienced many personnel changes and restructuring. This has created a longer onramp than anticipated for new ARPA programs. In addition, many community organizations experienced staffing changes and shortages which created a delay in programs starting.
-
Grant Recipient
University of Chicago’s Arts and Public Life
Elevated Chicago is spearheading an Arts & Culture Strategy to foster Placemaking and Placekeeping conversations and opportunities across Chicago communities. As part of this initiative, Elevated will establish the Creatives Advisory Council, a group of artists, creatives, and culture bearers with whom they maintain ongoing relationships. This Council will help refine and implement the Arts & Culture Strategy. Additionally, Elevated Chicago will leverage its network and social media to create the Elevated Chicago Creative’s Table—a citywide forum for artists dedicated to exploring and advancing community development. This Table will define the scope and terms of a regranting program aligned with Elevated Chicago's vision and values. The Creative’s Table, or a subcommittee, will oversee the program's implementation, mobilize its network to promote the Creative Placemaking and Placekeeping regranting opportunity, and emphasize safeguarding the vitality of existing spaces and creating new ones. Arts + Public Life (APL) at the University of Chicago will serve as a technical advisor to these efforts, sharing their extensive expertise in community arts engagement and equitable transit-oriented (ETOD) initiatives like the Arts Block. Specifically, APL will: • Host gatherings and events in its spaces, offering a welcoming and resourceful environment. • Strengthen connections between Black and Brown artists and opportunities provided by Elevated Chicago. • Deliver technical assistance, including consultations, templates, professional development, and artist-centered guidance. APL and Elevated Chicago have successfully collaborated for years. The Arts and Culture Strategy provides an exceptional opportunity to expand organizational partnerships between the two entities. In addition, the collaboration for the Arts and Culture Strategy allows APL to continue materializing its mission to be “a dynamic hub of exploration, expression, and exchange that centers people of color and fosters neighborhood vibrancy through the arts on the South Side of Chicago” and advancing ETOD initiatives while nurturing creativity and cultural preservation in the Washington Park neighborhood. Through this collaboration, APL and Elevated Chicago will amplify the voices of underrepresented communities, driving creative solutions for equitable growth. To support these efforts, we kindly request a mini-grant from the Chicago Community Trust to fund general operations, staff time, and technical assistance. These resources will help APL sustain the Elevated Chicago Arts & Culture Strategy, ensuring its impact on neighborhoods throughout the city.
-
Grant Recipient
Community Desk Chicago
The Chicago Community Wealth Building Center (“The Center”) is a new center being incubated at the Community Desk Chicago ("The Desk) designed to strengthen Chicago’s local community wealth building ecosystem through four key strategies: (1) pipeline management and technical assistance; (2) funder education and capital coordination; (3) policy, advocacy & coalition-building; and (4) arts, storytelling and community education. The Center will be housed at The Desk to incubate with the goal of launching as a separate 501c3 within two to three years.