Grants

Grant Recipient

Urban Male Network

Awarded: October 2023 Awarded Amount: $15,000

Urban Male Network (UMN) understands that we cannot solve the entire city of Chicago's problem plaguing our young African American men. However, we believe that we are a piece of the puzzle in tackling the issues that effects our youth in the city. We are seeking funding to support the general operation of the organization to provide wrap-up services for our young men. Through community service, personal and professional development, and mentorship programs we focus on eliminating barriers to success for young Black men and provide positive male role models who have achieved personal, professional, and academic success. During the school year, UMN offer three mentoring models: informal mentoring (i.e., natural relationships formed through social outings, networking events, and service opportunities), formal mentoring (i.e., the formal mentoring relationship between the youth and the mentor is fostered through a structured program), and group/peer mentoring (i.e., group/peer mentoring takes place in a group setting where individuals share their experiences, challenges, and opportunities for the purpose of solving problems) (Blount, 2011; Harper, 2006; White 2013). UMN serve over 130 boys of color weekly on the south and westside of Chicago at our various site locations. The settings where our mentoring takes place are school-base and community-base. UMN mentors facilitate weekly mentoring groups at 5 high schools, 1 elementary school, and 1 community housing association. Once a month, we host a Saturday mentoring session and group activity for mentees at a community center on the southside of Chicago in the Englewood community. Over the summer, UMN provides a 9-week summer program that entails group mentoring sessions, and various sports/physical activities to provide a safe space for the young men to have fun, teach emotional intelligence, build leadership skills, provide a greater sense of connectedness, and improve self-management skills. During the sports/physical activities, mentees were divided into groups with mentors serving as a team lead and coach. The 8-week summer program offered camping (i.e., hiking, canoeing, archery, etc.), basketball tournament, paintball outing, Great America, flag football, dodgeball tournament, and more.

Grant Recipient

Raised the Floor Alliance

Awarded: October 2023 Awarded Amount: $100,000

Grant Recipient

Sista Afya Community Care NFP

Awarded: October 2023 Awarded Amount: $20,000

It is with great pleasure that Sista Afya Community Care, a distinguished Black woman-led and Black women-serving organization, submits this application for the Chicago Community Trust’s consideration. Through our comprehensive mental health services and advocacy work, Sista Afya Community Care uplifts, empowers, and strengthens Black communities across the South Side of Chicago. This mission positions us as a worthy candidate for the grant assistance provided by African-American Legacy Fund, as illustrated by the generous AAL grant awarded to our organization in 2021. We are eager to continue this relationship that supports the missions of both of our organizations in 2023. SACC embodies the core values of the AAL initiative by engaging community members, driving change, and providing accessible mental health services tailored to the specific needs of Black women in Chicago. Our work directly addresses the disproportionate burden of stress and trauma on Black individuals and communities, particularly those impacted by economic instability, familial stress, trauma, and gun violence. Our core approach is community-driven, culturally-centered, and addresses inequity through creativity and community partnerships. We provide free holistic mental wellness services including free individual therapy, wellness classes, community workshops, and professional development training to people in the Chicagoland area. Our three programs work in tandem to address each layer of mental health inequity that Black women experience. SACC’s programs include the following- Thrive in Therapy, a program that provides free weekly customized therapy for Black women experiencing multiple barriers to mental wellness care. Community Care, a community support program that offers topic-based workshops, group therapy, and wellness classes focused on issues relevant to Black women's mental health. Developing Mental Wellness Warriors, a program that provides free professional development training including Mental Health First Aid, equipping community members with the tools to respond to mental health crises while transforming the mental health care space to be more inclusive in working with Black women. SACC is place-based in the South Side of Chicago, and our organization serves predominantly Black communities (over 90% of our constituency), grappling with chronic mental health crises exacerbated by the closure of numerous mental health clinics. Our programs are community-driven, designed, and executed by our constituency, representing the authentic needs and voices of the community we serve. We adopt an asset-based approach, recognizing the strengths and potential of our community members, and build our programs around these assets. SACC is a wholly Black-led and Black-serving organization. Our Board, executive leadership, and staff are predominantly Black, with 90 percent of the Board identifying as Black or African American. All our executive staff, including our Executive Director, and all members of our broader team identify as Black or from the African Diaspora. This composition is central to our mission, allowing us to authentically understand, address, and advocate for the mental health needs of Black women in our community. In the past two years, supported by the foundational funding granted by AAL, SACC continued to meet and exceed programmatic and organizational development goals. We more than doubled the number of Free Therapy Sessions when compared to our performance in 2021, and served 500 people–more than any other year in operation. We additionally expanded the number of workshops, classes, and retreats we provide while growing and diversifying our funding and supporter base. Notable capacity evolutions within our organization in 2022 included adding an Intern position to support the Thrive in Therapy program and expanding our board of directors from 4 to 10 members, including a new board president. To meet the increased needs of our community, sustain the expansion of our programs and accommodate our growing budgetary needs in 2023, SACC has diversified its funding sources by becoming a behavioral health clinic designated by the state of Illinois to serve women who have Medicaid and Medicare - expanding our engagement of women with income barriers into care; in addition to applying for city and state level grants. To support SACC’s continued growth and enhance the delivery of the vital services we provide, we respectfully request a grant in the amount of $20,000. These funds will be channeled directly into our programs to increase the number of Black women we can support with quality mental wellness resources through Thrive in Therapy and Community Care, and to bolster our efforts in educating community members about Black women’s mental health through Developing Mental Wellness Warriors.

Grant Recipient

EcoWomanist Institute

Awarded: October 2023 Awarded Amount: $15,000

The EcoWomanist Institute is seeking funding for General Operating Expenses that would allow us to continue to provide the programs and services we offer to women of African descent.

Grant Recipient

Figueroa Wu Family Foundation

Awarded: October 2023 Awarded Amount: $20,000

Grant Recipient

GIRLS 4 SCIENCE

Awarded: October 2023 Awarded Amount: $10,000

Girls 4 Science seeks funding to equip 400 girls of color aged 10-18 in the Chicago region with the knowledge and confidence to pursue advanced study and careers in STEM through its free, year-round, out-of-school-time program.

Grant Recipient

D-Composed Gives

Awarded: October 2023 Awarded Amount: $10,000

D-Composed is a Chicago-based chamber music collective that celebrates Black culture and creativity through the music of Black composers. For our proposal, we are proposing general operation support to help advance and amplify our youth & community engagement programming.

Grant Recipient

Project OneTen, NFP

Awarded: October 2023 Awarded Amount: $20,000

Black and Latino/x boys face the largest education disparities in Chicago and across the country. These inequities have only exacerbated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, aftermath, and recovery. Project OneTen seeks to address the achievement gap between Black and Latino/x boys and their peers through our Freshman Success Program which provides essential and holistic leadership development programming to support Black and Latino/x boys in achieving academic success when transitioning from eighth grade to high school. Through quality mentorship, access to academic coaching, and workshops that focus on cognitive skill development, social and emotional learning, self-awareness, Project OneTen seeks to create an environment where Black and Latino/x students can learn to recognize and engage with supportive leaders and peers, identify their strengths and areas of growth, and feel empowered to be the young leaders they aspire to be on their high school campuses and beyond. Funds from the AALI Fund will support our ability to increase our organization capacity. These funds would support three major components, (1) Recruitment and Community cultivation efforts, (2) training and support for our volunteer mentors, and (3) Exposure opportunities for our young leaders that support their college and career goals. Next year we will evolve our leadership development to incorporate direct college and career exposure opportunities that support students abilities to visualize their dreams and themselves in the future. While we know it all begins freshman year we know it doesn't end here. We want to connect our students to direct opportunities that allows them to color in their dreams and ambitions. Which includes college trips, job shadowing opportunities, Spring break exposure trip, and funds to support independent exploration. Finally, we will invest in our volunteer mentor training and support throughout the program year. Our volunteer mentors play a key role in our program outcomes and the ongoing support of our young leaders. Focusing on a relationships first model, such as the framework created by The Search Institute, we engage five critical elements of developmental relationships: express care, challenge growth, provide support, share power, and expand possibilities. Project OneTen embeds each of these key areas in our program, weaving a strong web of support to prevent students from failing. Mentors focus on social, emotional, and cultural experiences; academic coaches serve as tutors and advisors; Project OneTen leaders develop programs and host workshops where students are exposed to Black and Latino/x leaders spanning diverse sectors; cohort peers give a sense of belonging, shared experiences, and motivation to persist; and parents help reinforce values and capabilities.