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.

Explore Our Discretionary Grants

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Showing 811–818 of 3857 results

  • Grant Recipient

    Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $500,000

    In support of general operations, from The Morton Butler Ryerson Fund (T399). Grant to be paid in ten (10) $50,000 annual installments from 2022-2031.

  • Grant Recipient

    CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVES INC

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $1,000,000

    Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives (CNI), a non-profit community development corporation stewarding the revitalization of the Pullman neighborhood, is advancing the development of the Vertical Harvest – Pullman (“Project”). The $40MM Project will feature ground-up construction of a 63,000sf vertical greenhouse facility and dedicated community event space. Project design will feature innovative sustainable elements, and over 560,000 lbs. of produce will be harvested each year at the facility. Project will be constructed on land located adjacent to the 210-unit Pullman Wheelworks, with Project developers entering a long-term ground lease with Chicago-based Mercy Housing. Project, inclusive of construction hard and soft costs and financing costs, will be funded through a combination of New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) financing, grants and member capital contributions. The requested $1MM in “We Rise Together” funds will cover costs associated with predevelopment activities, including significant up-front design and architecture costs. The greenhouse will not only contribute to the local food system by growing, processing, distributing food in the community, for the community, but will establish critical stakeholder partnerships to ensure accessibility of the food and 55 meaningful, FTE living wage jobs for residents of Pullman Wheelworks and greater Pullman/Roseland that this greenhouse creates. We thank you for consideration of this application.

  • Grant Recipient

    National Medical Fellowships, Inc.

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $25,750

    The 2021 Chicago Champions of Health Awards will provide vital funding to NMF Scholars. Now more than ever, we need to support our next generation of healthcare leaders.

  • Grant Recipient

    Chicago Community Foundation

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $200,000

    In support of the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability (GAPA).

  • Grant Recipient

    Esperanza Health Centers

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $500,000

    Esperanza Health Centers respectfully requests $1,986,431 to support the development of our new, expanded Esperanza Vida Pediatrics health center at 4058 W 63rd Street in Chicago’s medically underserved West Lawn community. Esperanza is a nationally recognized Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that has been providing comprehensive, integrated care on the Southwest side since 2004. With a fully bilingual patient-facing staff, we serve everyone regardless of insurance, income, or immigration status. In four of the past five years, Esperanza has earned the prestigious National Quality Leader award from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a recognition given to less than 5% of FQHCs nationwide. Overwhelming patient demand at our current Esperanza Vida Pediatrics site, as well as the closures of local medical clinics in the wake of COVID-19, has spurred us to relocate to a larger facility where we can double the number of medical providers delivering care to both children and their parents/caregivers. The new site will open by summer 2022, serving at least 5000 new patients in its first year of operation.

  • Grant Recipient

    221 E 49th St LLC

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $1,500,000

    The Overton Center for Excellence is an arts, business and technology hub for the Bronzeville community and beyond. This catalytic project will provide a place for our young adults and budding entrepreneurs for the Bronzeville renaissance we are currently experiencing. Strategically located between the University of Chicago and the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Overton Incubator is an integral part of the transformational changes that have recently occurred in the Bronzeville and Washington Park neighborhoods – including several museums, pro and amateur sports facilities, and the Obama Presidential Center. Overton’s 5.25 acre campus includes the main building- a mid-century modern building, designed by Perkins + Will, as well as a 10,000 annex building. Future campus expansion is contemplated with the acquisition and development of an adjacent city owned lot. The result, as originally intended, will be a place of learning, stimulating minds and ideas, that will create solutions which will benefit individuals, families, and communities, in a model that can be replicated throughout the city, and beyond. The main building (60,000 SF) is divided between 37 former classroom spaces, a kitchen, and a multi-purpose space in the former gym. This structure will be transformed into a co-working and private office space to support start-up, locally-owned, and minority firms on Chicago’s South Side. The facility will include Class A amenities such as a fitness center, cafe, shared conference and administrative functions, and secure parking and bicycle storage, all at below market rates. The $15.8 million project will generate approximately $4.1 in federal and state historic tax credit equity; a $10 million Federal New Market Credit allocation that would provide an additional $2.73 million in equity for the development; city and philanthropic funding of $5.0 million; and $3.9 million in debt and owners equity. The project will create approximately 70 construction jobs, and at least 250 new permanent jobs. The project will be seeking National Green Building Standards (NGBS) certification. The annex, phase 2 of the campus development, will be a state-of-the-art, sound/design hub for creative entrepreneurs to collaborate, experiment, create and develop new skills and proficiencies. It will provide unparalleled and uncompromised access to digital resources and technology driven platforms across creative disciplines from sound engineering and video production to textiles, fashion and fabrication. Owner: 221 E 49th St LLC Property Address: 221 E 49th St, Chicago, IL 60615 PIN: 20-10-115-001-0000 Zoning: B3-2 Building Size: 60,600 sq ft (main building); Annex 9,000 Land Size: 102,258 sq ft. (2.35 acres) Community Area: Grand Boulevard Ward: 3rd Ward, Alderman Pat Dowell TIF District: 47th/King Enterprise Zone: Zone 2 Census Tract: 17031381800 HUB Zone: Yes Low Income Census Tract: Yes City of Chicago eTOD Pilot: Yes

  • Grant Recipient

    SINAI HEALTH SYSTEM

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $1,300,000

    Sinai Chicago is one of Illinois’ largest nonprofit safety net healthcare systems. It includes 4 hospitals, 17 community-based clinics, a research institute, and a social services institute. Serving over 120,000 mostly low-income patients annually, Sinai Chicago is a trusted anchor institution on Chicago’s west and southwest sides. Sinai Chicago's mission is to improve the health of the individuals and communities we serve. Sinai Chicago has a deep commitment to eliminating health inequities of the 1.5 million community members who live in its racially diverse service area. More than 90% of Sinai’s patients are Black and/or Latinx. Sinai Chicago serves those most in need of support—more than 85% of Sinai’s patients rely on Medicaid or Medicare, or are uninsured, and Sinai provides over $30 million in charity care annually. We strive to bring our communities the same opportunities for healthy lives and economic well-being enjoyed elsewhere in Chicago. With decades of disinvestment, the predominantly Black and Latinx populations residing in these communities are among the most socio-economically challenged in all of Chicago, and arguably in the United States. The communities that Sinai serves have higher rates of heart disease, respiratory issues, obesity, hypertension, and trauma, and triple the national rate of diabetes. COVID-19 mortality rates are 4 – 6 higher than the national average. The household income in zip codes surrounding our hospital range from one half to one third the median income for the U.S., and poverty rates range from 20-42%, triple the national average. Tragically, the communities served by Sinai Chicago were among the highest disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, with the primarily African-American and Latinx communities severely hampered economically and socially. The first recorded COVID-19 death was a North Lawndale African-American woman, and the numbers kept rising throughout the pandemic. Additionally, analysis by the Chicago Department of Public Health reflects a dramatic racial gap in COVID-19 deaths in the underserved communities in Sinai Chicago’s footprint. Health disparities remain a key concern among our community members, although not in isolation from concerns about community empowerment, workforce development, and broader community development. Many of our community members look to Sinai as an anchor institution to provide not only health and social services, but also to partner closely with them and to provide leadership local efforts in workforce development, training, and community development. On one end is North Lawndale, and on the other, Little Village. Both Chicago neighborhoods are in the 60623 zip code, two of the hardest hit during the first few months and throughout the pandemic. The pandemic was especially challenging across our health system for both our Caregivers (staff) and the patients we serve as we were the frontline seeing the devastation and health inequities firsthand. As a safety net healthcare system, we recognize that the health and wellness of our communities extend far beyond visits to the doctor to broader social determinants of health and the strength of vibrancy of the broader community. Especially for anchor healthcare institutions like Sinai Chicago, it is vital that we build on our existing capital resources and infrastructure to improve access to healthcare, bolster community development, and increase job opportunities. In response to these needs, Sinai Chicago is engaged in a project that is creating clinical space, housing, commercial and retail development on the north side of Ogden Avenue across from Mount Sinai Hospital. It is a joint venture with The Habitat Company and Cinespace Film Studios. Located in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood, Ogden Commons is a 10.9-acre, multi-phase, mixed-use development just east of Douglas Park. The development will bring new investment, jobs, and housing to historic North Lawndale. Combining health services, new retail businesses, and high quality housing, Ogden Commons will enhance and expand the infrastructure of North Lawndale and surrounding communities, and it serves as a catalyst of new opportunities for those who call these communities home. This project stands to be a catalyst for economic recovery from its influx of job opportunities for residents, to affordable housing, and retail opportunities for local, minority-owned small businesses. Ogden Commons will transform empty parking lots, dilapidated and blighted buildings into a welcoming space for our community. Retailers will primarily include minority and women-owned businesses. The project will provide accessible, cost-effective healthcare, economic growth, and increased job opportunities. Namely, community residents will have access to multiple job opportunities as a result of the completion of the project. Sinai Chicago will hire for 40 positions with 10 as entry-level opportunities; our retail restaurant will hire 1

  • Grant Recipient

    NORTH AUSTIN COMMUNITY CENTER

    Awarded: Awarded Amount: $1,500,000

    The North Austin Community Center (NACC), located on a 10-acre campus on Chicago’s west side, is a professional-level facility for sports, education and wellness to close the opportunity gap for west side youth and their families. The facility will offer best-in-class playing spaces and holistic programs unparalleled in Chicago and beyond. Nothing compares to this campus in terms of size, scope and holistic and integrated mission, especially located in Austin at the intersection of four densely populated Black and Latinx communities. NACC is led by mission-minded, experienced professionals who have rallied a grassroots effort to develop the concept, catalyze the philanthropic community, and bring this project to fruition. Construction for the center began in August of 2021 and the center will open to the community in the fall of 2022. The main building on the campus will be a newly constructed 150,000-sq-ft facility, which will house Intentional Sports (IS) and By the Hand Club For Kids (BTH). Adjacent to the newly constructed facility is the Grace and Peace (GAP) Revive Center, a 75,000 sq-ft fully renovated holistic community service center located in the former Glidden paint factory. Encasing these two anchor projects are turf fields, enriching landscaping and a community playground all located on a former brownfield that has been vacant for over 40 years. Operating the space is Intentional Sports, which will offer professional-level coaching and programming in 110,000 sq-ft of the main building on the campus. The building will offer an indoor FIFA regulation-size field and multi-sport spaces. IS will bring equity to health and wellness opportunities for children and families as well as provide jobs and career pathways for youth. At a time when COVID-19 has disproportionately affected the west side, with some of the highest death rates in the country, health and wellness are at an all-time importance. Intentional Sports is committed to enriching the lives of youth who otherwise would not have access to high-level sports and wellness training—as it has often been reserved for affluent and white communities. Intentional Sports will also offer pay-for-play activities to generate sustainable revenue that will cover the overall facility-related expenses for the campus. With over 20 years of serving Chicago Public Schools’ students, By The Hand Club For Kids will open its sixth location in 40,000 sq-ft of the main facility. BTH will provide no-cost, after school programming to 400 children, referred by local school partners for not meeting reading standards – a strong predictor for dropping out of school. BTH’s mission is to walk with youth from kindergarten through college and early career, helping children to succeed in school and in life. Historically, 88 percent of BTH students have graduated high school and 86 percent have matriculated to college or technical school. As part of its enrichment program, BTH is excited to offer youth access to professional-level facilities, career pathways, and training at Intentional Sports, as well as the wraparound services available on campus. The adjacent Grace & Peace (GAP) Revive Center has been a community anchor for over 20 years. GAP provides social services, trauma care and runs one of the largest food banks in the city of Chicago. GAP has worked with neighbors, congregation members and block club leaders to develop and advocate for this project. This application for the We Rise Chicago Grant petitions the selection committee for $2 million in funds to cover the escalation of construction costs related to COVID-19. We invite the Chicago Community Trust and the We Rise Together partners to join us in supporting this tremendously impactful project that will benefit hundreds of thousands of residents in less than a year’s time. Due to the jobs created and the health and wellness-centric programs and services offered, this project will bolster the economic recovery of the Austin, Belmont-Cragin, Hermosa, and Humboldt Park neighborhoods and bring health and vitality to residents in the wake of the pandemic.