Unity Fund: A Look at Impact in 2024
The Chicago Community Trust’s Unity Fund is a testament to the community spirit of the Chicago region and the power of collective giving. …
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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LGBTQ Community Fund Grants $420,000 to Support Youth, Seniors and the Arts in 2024
The LGBTQ Community Fund, an affinity fund of The Chicago Community Trust, unites donors to support Chicago’s LGBTQ community. Since its founding in 2010,…
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South Side Sanctuary: A Place for Outdoor Recreation, Exploring Creativity, and Improving Wellbeing
Our environment has a huge impact on our well-being. Research has shown that access to outdoor amenities can reduce stress and improve physical…
All Stories
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Arts Teachers, Time & Quality Increase in Chicago Public Schools
More than 30,000 students in Chicago Public Schools now have greater access to arts instruction than in previous school years. That’s according to data from…
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‘Soul Train’ to Stock Exchange: Chicago’s Barrier-Breaking Black Entrepreneur
When he became the first African-American to sit on the Trust’s Executive Committee in 1976, George E. Johnson, Sr. was the most prominent black businessman…
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Why Nonprofits Aren't Merging
With the persistent funding crisis that has faced Illinois nonprofit human service providers since the start of the recession, the question is increasingly asked: Why…
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The Music Coalition Creating Peace Through Jazz
On a blustery Tuesday evening, a small group of musicians are gathered in a three-story greystone at 38th and Michigan, tuning their instruments and warming…
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An Elvis Lunchbox Sparks “Life-Changing” Club for Fans with Disabilities
Jeanne Curtin has worked for many years as a cashier at Jewel-Osco. Throughout the years, she became friends with many of her coworkers who lived…
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Planting the Seeds of Chicago’s Backyard Garden
The city of Chicago was incorporated in 1837 as “Urbs in Horto”: a “city in a garden.” In 1972, with the assistance of the Trust,…
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Across Industries, Low-Wage Workers Unite for Justice
On December 9, the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen hosted a milestone event in the fight against poverty. The celebration officially launched the…
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Raising the Floor Through Collaboration
Low-wage workers in warehouses, restaurants, car washes, day labor, temp agencies and domestic settings struggle with common problems of violation of wage/hour laws, difficult and…
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An Earthquake Inspires Expat to Launch Her Dream Museum
Though Haiti’s Jean Baptiste Point du Sable is widely recognized as the first permanent resident of what would become Chicago, many Chicagoans know very little…
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Lighting the Way Out of Poverty for Young Moms
Helping a poor young mother get a start on a better life can actually lift two generations of a family out of poverty. Because if…
