Creating a More Inclusive Future: A Q&A with Adam Ballard
The Disabilities Fund at The Chicago Community Trust is an affinity fund that supports organizations advancing disability inclusion, rights and justice. Recently, the…
Stories
Spotlights on community issues, the people, and the organizations who contribute to effective philanthropy as well as a stronger Chicago region and world.
Recent Stories
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From the Archives: 2015 – Chicago Women in Philanthropy
March is a month dedicated to celebrating the drive and accomplishments of women. For three Trust staff members, one organization stands out by…
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Illinois Immigration Funder Collaborative (IFC)
The Illinois Immigration Funder Collaborative (IFC) is a grantmaking collaborative that awards grants to nonprofit organizations working with immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.…
“Community Spotlight” Stories
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Pre-Development Fund: Urban Equities, Inc.
Urban Equities, Inc., is a full-service real estate development and project management firm with a 28-year track record of adding beauty and vitality to disinvested…
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Pre-Development Fund: PODER Learning Center
Since 1997, PODER Learning Center has served as a launchpad to good jobs and better futures for more than 13,000 Latinx immigrants and first-generation residents…
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Pre-Development Fund: Allies for Community Business and Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago
Allies for Community Business (A4CB, formerly Accion Chicago) is the region’s largest nonprofit microlender. It is also, along with the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago…
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Get My Payment Illinois: The Coalition Helping Illinois Residents Access Their Economic Impact Payments
As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government provided Economic Impact Payments (EIP), also known as stimulus checks, to individuals and families to help mitigate the impact…
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Little Village Emergency Fund Helps Nearly 800 Families Access Emergency Cash During COVID-19
The zip code that contains most of Little Village—a predominantly Latinx neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side—has, as of early 2021, seen more COVID-19 deaths than…
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Community Organizations Help Families Build More Stable Financial Futures
Since 2001, Family Independence Initiative (FII) has been in the business of direct cash transfers—depositing money right into the bank accounts of families living in…
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Our Great Rivers Reimagines Chicago River System as Vital Lifeforce
What if Chicago’s rivers were seen not just as waterways, but as treasured cultural and economic assets, similar to Lake Michigan? In 2016, the Metropolitan…
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Fast-Growing Food Enterprise Run by Entrepreneurs of Color Secures New Home
The founders of ChiFresh Kitchen never expected their worker-owned, commercial kitchen cooperative would launch early due to a pandemic-fueled demand for quality meals for people…
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Bridges to Brighter Futures Helps Black, Latinx, and Low-Income Students Secure Good Jobs & Financial Outlook
Over the last decade, the Trust and Kinship Foundation have elevated the concept of collaboration to exciting new heights by co-creating and investing in major…
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Southeast Side Residents Advocate for Positive Community Development
When people hold the power to shape their collective destiny, anything is possible. This year, as part of the Trust’s strategy to close the racial…
