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. 

Since its founding in 2008 at the height of the Great Recession, the fund has made more than $21 million in grants to hundreds of nonprofits that provide Chicagoans with emergency food, clothing, housing, legal aid, and more.    

Contributions from donors like you enable Unity Fund to pool donations to support individuals and families across metropolitan Chicago.  Your generosity is compounded and strategically directed to maximize impact for the most pressing issues.  

In fiscal year 2024, Unity Fund granted over $2 million to 22 organizations with a focus on preventing and ending homelessness, critical services for immigrants, addressing food insecurity, healthcare access, and human services.

“The power of collective giving means that donations can have an outsized impact for our neighbors. The generosity of Unity Fund donors enables nonprofits in our communities to support Chicagoans along their journey toward stability and well-being.”

Ayom Siengo 
Senior Director of Critical Needs 
The Chicago Community Trust

Together, we can expand our impact.
Visit cct.org/give.

Grant recipients report that Unity Fund support has boosted their capacity to meet the growing demand for their services. 

Housing & Mental Health Services for Families: Primo Center

Experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness can increase an individual’s risk of anxiety, depression and trauma. That’s why the Primo Center takes a holistic, client-centered approach to housing by also addressing the mental, emotional and physical health needs of the families residing in its shelters. Interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy and trauma-informed services help children and parents reduce stress and have a more successful transition to permanent housing.

Through these evidence-based practices, 90 percent of families in Primo Center’s shelters were placed in stable permanent housing. Additionally, 75 percent of mothers and 67 percent of children experienced a decrease in clinical stress levels.

According to CEO Felicia Blakely, Unity Fund grants provide flexible funding for programs and services.

“General operating support from Unity Fund is a critical source to help us bridge gaps and meet the needs of the families we serve.”

Felicia Blakely
CEO
Primo Center

Food & Nutrition: Market Box 

Market Box delivers fresh, locally sourced food to 450 families across Chicago’s South Side every month. 

The volunteer-led project aims to fill the gaps in government assistance and food aid programs, as many recipients do not qualify for benefits like SNAP. Expired pandemic-era benefits and rising costs have made accessible and flexible food support more important than ever.  

Market Box started in 2020 as a crowd-funded mutual aid initiative that required constant fundraising drives. “By freeing our team from the cycle of month-to-month fundraising, funding from the Unity Fund has allowed us to commit long-term to our recipients, said co-founder Hannah Nyhart. “They know they can count on us month over month and on our source farmers, who in turn are able to make long-term investments based on season-long commitments from us.”  

Nyhart reports that 5,000 food deliveries were made in 2024. 

“Unity Fund’s support has enabled us to move beyond urgent monthly fundraising, allowing us to build a sustainable network that delivers fresh, local produce to families in need, month after month.”

Hannah Nyhart 
Co-Founder 
Market Box 

Thank you for your dedication to supporting and strengthening our community.