Paving the Path to Homeownership for Housing Choice Voucher Holders
Since the mid-20th century, homeownership has been one of the most important vehicles for building wealth in the United States. According to research from the…
Grants
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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.
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Grant Recipient
The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
UIC Great Cities Institute (GCI) is partnered with the National Park Service (NPS), Calumet Collaborative, NeighborSpace, and Active Transportation Alliance (ATA) to continue its project to create community access on the Calumet River between the Chicago Skyway and 100th Street. The Southeast Side communities identified this site because it presents a strong opportunity to provide public access to the river. To date the project team has initiated conversations with the owners of the site and the City of Chicago, conducted ongoing community outreach as well as started to develop community stewardship for future site management. In addition, the team has undertaken an initial environmental analysis of the site and its immediate surroundings.
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Grant Recipient
NORTH RIVER COMMISSION
Confluence is a river-focused community development project in Albany Park begun in 2020, where it focused on Ronan Park. During the initial period, over $7.5m in public funding was allocated to local riverfront projects, including $3.5m to fund a vision developed for the Ronan Park area as a river-centric neighborhood gateway at Lawrence Avenue. Confluence will continue to support the development of Ronan Park and adjacent streetscape as a dynamic public space that creates a new, river-centric neighborhood gateway for Albany Park. The project will also expand to also support the other funded projects in the River Park system, to bring community voice and vision to each process, and to infuse each with the priorities of Our Great Rivers; to enhance habitat and environmental quality, encourage utilization of the River as a park, and catalyze local equitable investment.
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Grant Recipient
Forefront
In support of general operations.
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Grant Recipient
Community Residential Solutions
I was born and raised on the West side of Chicago in the Austin Community. I own my own portfolio of Multi Unit Buildings in the Austin Community. In 2009 I obtained my General Contractors License and took multiple foreclosed multi unit buildings that were boarded up and torn up, I rehabilitated them. Many in which I still own today. When an opportunity to purchase a commercial property located at 5936 W. Chicago Ave., I jumped at the chance. I rehabbed this building from top to bottom and a New Business in the Austin Community was born at 5936 W. Chicago Ave. It was at this time the owner of 5938 W. Chicago Ave. offered me a chance to purchase her property located directly next door to me. I immediately took her up on her offer. After many months of being on the City of Chicago Round table monthly discussions for the Austin Community. I realized the desire from many of the Stakeholders in the Community was to have more of a entertainment district in the Austin Community. More restaurants, A Jazz club, Karaoke Bar, Coffee shop, sandwich shops and etc. This building will consist of first floor Commercial and two floor of Residential units. The Commercial Tenant will be "Chef Royce" owner of Kiss My Dish a Restaurant that was located in Oswego IL. Chef Royce was born and raised in Chicago and will be returning to Austin area to Open her Elegant Soul Food Restaurant. I have saved $250k of my own funds and I will received $250k via the Neighborhood Opportunity Funds Grant from the City of Chicago. I am very excited about this New Construction project. I will be one of the first Developers to bring a New construction Mix Used project to the Austin Community. I am a Board Member of AAABNA Organization where I have been a member for over 5 years. The Austin community is very resilient, the property values in Austin since the last recession have more than doubled and new Construction along the business corridor will only add to the values and to the community. Bringing a sit down restaurant to the community along with Luxury Condo Rentals will also be an addition and will start a trickling up affect where other developers will want to come to the community to build New Construction along the Corridor.
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Grant Recipient
FRIENDS OF THE PARKS
Friends of the Parks (FOTP) seeks to convene and coordinate community stakeholders on Chicago's Southeast Side to prioritize and organize around various of the "Living" goals of the Great Rivers Chicago vision. Building on our site activation, capacity-building of PACs and park partners for Steelworkers, Schafer, and Calumet Parks near the mouth of the Calumet River, and support of recent environmental justice battles, we will facilitate a community-centered park prioritization process focused on sites along or near the Calumet River. This includes engaging and enhancing local capacity and coordination to: advocate for a park at the current Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) site; assess the viability of an in-stream park at Lake Calumet; and articulate local visions for Park 576 on the Little Calumet and the SouthWorks site which runs along the Calumet River on its southern end.
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Grant Recipient
Corporation For Supportive Housing
In support of general operations.
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Grant Recipient
Michael Reese Health Trust
This is a request for renewal funding for the Health First Collaborative, inclusive of the Chicagoland Vaccine Partnership.
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Grant Recipient
IL Muslim Civic Coalition
Illinois is home to one of the larger populations of Muslims in America, yet there has never been an evidence based portrait of this vibrant and diverse community, nor an assessment of both needs and opportunities. Amidst the backdrop of a pandemic that disproportionately affects minority communities, systemic racial inequities, and increasing anti-Muslim discrimination, understanding the needs of diverse residents is critical for policy makers, social service agencies, businesses, employers, funders, journalists and others.