A podcast by The Chicago Community Trust, each episode of Trust Talks highlights a different strand of the Trust’s strategic priority to improve the region for all in Chicago.
Episode 27: Fueling Small Business Growth in Chicago (September 2026)
In this episode of Trust Talks, we explore what the latest research reveals about Chicago’s small business ecosystem, philanthropy’s role in strengthening that ecosystem, and why investing in trusted business support organizations is essential to helping entrepreneurs build stronger businesses and more resilient neighborhood.
This conversation is hosted by Earl Grandberry (Director of the Fund for Equitable Business Growth), and features Sara Dinges (Head of Ecosystem Solutions at Next Street), Niharika Hanglem (Program Director at The Richard L. Duchossois Foundation, and Linda McGill Boasmond (President and CEO of Cedar Concepts Corporation).
Small businesses are essential to stabilizing neighborhood economies. They create jobs, activate commercial corridors, and provide the goods and services that help communities…
From 2021 to 2025, We Rise Together: For an Equitable & Just Recovery (We Rise Together), a funder collaborative led by The Chicago…
In Illinois, nearly 80 percent of community college students say they plan to transfer and earn a bachelor’s degree, yet only about 35…
Chicago is one of the most influential cultural cities in the United States, known for its distinctive blend of architecture, visual arts, music,…
When most people picture hunger in America, they think of food pantries. Yet for every meal a pantry provides, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance…
As Chicago neighborhoods continue to expand with newly built businesses and homes, new opportunities emerge for residents to shape their communities. Yet, traditional…
Over the past decade, homelessness in the Chicago area has been on the rise, and the latest numbers are especially troubling. According to…
Although nonprofit organizations play a vital role in recognizing and addressing the needs of the community, research shows the percentage of nonprofits involved…
While homeownership is often viewed as a pathway to building wealth, a range of challenges can hinder its effectiveness, particularly for specific groups.…
The truth about immigration in the United States is that unless you are Native American, we all came from somewhere else. Yet, in…
The Chicago Community Trust’s strategic focus on addressing the racial and ethnic wealth gap was informed by data on the stark differences in…
In this episode of Trust Talks, Jai Jones, Program Specialist for the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities, is joined by Esther Franco-Payne…
In this episode of Trust Talks, we discuss We Rise Together’s impact and what’s next, including how the initiative—and donors—can continue to fuel the…
In this episode of Trust Talks, we explore the current state of the media, how to reverse the decline in local news outlets,…
In this episode of the Trust Talks podcast, we explore the role of planning in neighborhood development, current efforts to increase investment in…
In this episode of the Trust Talks podcast, we explore the work of 3C, how community-centered collaboration can help close the homeownership gap,…
In this episode of the Trust Talks podcast, we explore the barriers nonprofits face in accessing government funds, as well as opportunities to…
In this episode of the Trust Talks podcast, we explore how the Trust’s endowment and bequests made decades ago continue to address the most…
Under the Trust’s Building Collective Power strategy, The Chicago Community Trust commissioned the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy at the…
In this episode of the Trust Talks podcast, learn about what Community Investment Vehicles (CIVs) are and the wealth building opportunities they could create…
In this episode of the Trust Talks podcast, as we approach the tenth anniversary of the inception of the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance, we…
In this episode of the Trust Talks podcast, Anna Lee, Senior Director of Community Impact, sits down with members of the Chicagoland Vaccine Partnership–Lee…
In this episode of the Trust Talks podcast, Kristin Carlson Vogen, Senior Director of Philanthropic Services, explores how the Trust helps donors make philanthropy…
In three segments, this episode of the Trust Talks podcast explores the different ways the Trust is strengthening local media and storytelling platforms…
In this episode of the Trust Talks podcast, Michael Davidson, senior director of community impact leading the Trust’s Catalyzing Neighborhood Investment portfolio, sits down…
In this episode of the Trust Talks podcast, guests Mambu Sherman, vice president of global philanthropy at JP-Morgan Chase; Eya Louis, contract development coordinator at Elevate Energy;…
In this inaugural episode of the Trust Talks podcast, we sat down with Anna LauBach, program director at the McCormick Foundation, Deborah Bennett, senior program…
