Million+
In Donor advised fund grants awarded to nonprofits serving the Chicago region
A 52% increase in donor advised fund grant making in the region over the prior year
$1.7
Million
in grant making by the trust’s affinity funds
A 30% increase IN AFFINITY FUND GRANT MAKING over the prior year
$2.4
Million+
contributed to the Trust’s unity fund
An almost 90% increase in giving to Unity Fund over the prior year
ENSURING A STRONGER FUTURE
The Chicago Community Trust’s directed grant making is largely supported by gifts from wills, trusts, retirement accounts, and other assets to our endowment. Donors who give to the Trust’s endowments further ensure our communities’ most pressing needs will be met now and long into the future.
Million+
in grants to nonprofits in fy22 through endowed funds
donors increased giving to endowments
2.8X
OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR
Brick by brick, building stronger communities together
One of the Trust’s primary strategies for closing the wealth gap is investing in community-led brick-and-mortar development projects in Chicago’s Black and Latinx neighborhoods. We are proud to work alongside our many partners in philanthropy, government, communities, and business to bring these transformative projects to life.
71 total projects
funded between FY2020 and FY2022, largely focused on the city’s South and West sides.
More than $32 million
in Trust grants helped to unlock an additional
$145 million+
in public, private, and philanthropic funding.
The North Lawndale Coordinating Council, a group of North Lawndale community-based organizations, businesses, and other stakeholders, is developing a 65,000-square-foot community facility, which will include a full-service grocery store and children’s center. The organization received a $100,000 grant from the Trust for pre-development work.
This new medical facility in Chicago’s West Lawn community opened in June 2022 and is providing primary adult, pediatric, OB/GYN, and behavioral health services to an underserved population while drawing more foot traffic to a commercial corridor. An additional $1.7 million has been spent in the surrounding community since the health center opened, according to data provided by Mastercard. The project received a $500,000 grant from We Rise Together.
This multi-use development, which broke ground in March 2023, will bring 100 units of affordable housing and 60,000 square feet of retail and community space to Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood. Eventually, a portion of the retail space will be owned by a group of local entrepreneurs, building community wealth. The project received a $1.5 million grant from We Rise Together: For an Equitable & Just Recovery, as well as funding from the City of Chicago’s INVEST South/West program.
This 100+ room hotel will be built on the north end of the historic Pullman neighborhood, with an aim of becoming part of a nationally branded hotel chain. The hotel will serve as a catalyst to attract more restaurant and hospitality developments to the area so Pullman can fully realize its potential as a historical destination. Scheduled to open in 2024, the project received $100,000 from the Trust for pre-development work, as well as a $5 million grant from the City of Chicago’s Recovery Grant program, on which the Trust advises.