2021 Grant Recipients
Impact100 Chicago’s goal is to provide high-impact grants that reach under-served populations, support nonprofits, and highlight unmet needs in our communities. Through grant-making, we invest in nonprofits financially and by partnering with them to familiarize ourselves with their programs, services, and the communities they serve. In return, our partners assure us our process allows them to think bigger and more strategically about the work they do and the impact they have.
Curt’s Cafe was founded in 2012 in response to the high recidivism rate among previously incarcerated and at risk young adults aged 15 to 24 who, without job skills, showed a high rate of reentering the criminal justice system often within one year of release. Curt’s Cafe works with Cook and Lake County State’s Attorney’s and other law enforcement to identify young adults who need job training, life skills and housing. Curt’s Cafe provides training and support to young adults with criminal justice histories. Please visit the Curt’s Cafe website for additional ways to help the organization.
Merit grants were awarded to the following finalist organizations. Please visit their websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities.
Please visit the website for additional ways to help the organization make and impact!
Lazarus House provides safe shelter, food and a range of support services for men, women and children in need of help. Lazarus House serves people connected to Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, and Western Kane County. The Impact Grant will enable Lazarus House to complete a much needed renovation. Lazarus House Website
Please visit the websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities!
Merit grants were awarded to the following finalist organizations. Please visit their websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities.
Rebuilding Exchange builds up at-risk individuals by creating opportunities through meaningful employment and workforce skills training. The Impact Grant will enable Rebuilding Exchange to expand the workforce skills program with staff and a van to transport recyclable building materials. Please visit the website to find additional ways to help the organization make an impact! www.rebuildingexchange.org
Please visit the websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities.
Beacon Place – www.beacon-place.org
Chicago Survivors – www.chicagosurvivors.org
Children’s Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County – www.cachelps.org
Shelter Inc. helps and protects children who are abused, neglected, dependent or in need of supervision. The Impact Grant will enable Shelter, Inc. to hire two additional social workers to expand the Healthy Families Program into the Des Plaines area. Please visit the website to find additional ways to help Shelter Inc. make an impact! www.shelterinc.org
St. Leonard’s Ministries empowers formerly incarcerated men and women to live whole and productive lives. The Impact Grant will support expanding their construction skills training program which teaches both men and women how to build/rehab a building. Please visit the website to find additional ways to help St. Leonard’s make an impact! www.slministries.org
Please visit the websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities.
Curt’s Cafe – www.curtscafe.org
Open Books – www.open-books.org
Sit Stay Read – www.sitstayread.org
Please visit the websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities!
Brighton Park Neighborhood Council’s mission is to create a safer community, improve the learning environment at public schools, preserve affordable housing, provide a voice for youth, protect immigrants’ rights, promote gender equity, and end all forms of violence. The Impact Grant will be used to expand their school-based mental health program, which supports low-income Latino youth and their families through trauma-informed individual or group therapy and provides case management. www.bpncchicago.org
Cabrini Green Legal Aid is committed to seeking justice and mercy for those living in poverty by providing legal services that strengthen lives, families and communities. The Impact Grant will support direct efforts to “Reunite Moms and Kids” by providing transportation for Chicago families to maintain connections with their mothers during incarceration in downstate prisons. www.cgla.net
CASA of Cook County speaks up in court for abused and neglected children and ensures that children live in safe, permanent homes. The Impact Grant will support the hiring of an additional Advocate Supervisor, create bilingual materials for volunteer recruiting, upgrade technology for volunteers and staff use, and provide transportation for youth transitioning out of foster care to skills development workshops. www.casacookcounty.org
Chicago Debate Commission advances students’ educational achievement, community contributions and life success through the transformative power of academic debate. The Impact Grant will be used to expand their programming by adding three high-poverty CPS high schools to their debate league over two years. www.chicagodebatecommission.org
Chicago House and Social Service Agency serves individuals and families who are disenfranchised by HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ marginalization, poverty, homelessness, and/or gender nonconformity. The Impact Grant will be used to expand their TransWorks program, which offers workshops and mentorship to transgender clients to ensure they are prepared for the workplace. They also offer cultural competency trainings to employers as a macro-level intervention strategy that creates safer workplaces. www.chicagohouse.org
The People’s Music School delivers access to the benefits of high-quality, tuition-free music education. Through intensive instruction and performance, students achieve excellence in music that transfers to other areas in life. The Impact Grant will fund an expansion of music education at two sites in Chicago. www.peoplesmusicschool.org
Please visit the websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities!
Evanston Scholars – www.evanstonscholars.org
Eversight Illinois – http://home/customer/www/impact100chicago.org/public_html.eversightvision.org/illinois/
Juvenile Protective Association – www.jpachicago.org
Logan Square Neighborhood Association – www.lsna.net
Maywood Fine Arts Association – www.maywoodfinearts.org
Please visit the websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities!
Community Crisis Center provides safety, hope, advocacy, respite and education for those impacted by crisis and violence in the Fox Valley Region and Illinois. The Impact Grant will be used to replace the Center’s telephone system and renovate shelter space to better accommodate families with teenage boys. www.crisiscenter.org
Chicago Women in Trades is committed to improving women’s economic equity by increasing the number of women working in well-paid, skilled trades jobs. The Impact Grant will allow CWIT to expand their welding program thereby teaching more women important skills to be competitive in nontraditional employment. www.chicagowomenintrades2.org
Family Rescue’s mission is to eliminate domestic violence in the Chicago community by providing comprehensive support services and shelter to victims of domestic violence, particularly abused women and their children; engaging in advocacy to promote future system change; and encouraging prevention through community education. The Impact Grant will be used to make significant repairs to the Rosenthal Family Lodge shelter. www.familyrescueinc.org
Inspiration Corporation helps people who are affected by homelessness and poverty to improve their lives and increase self-sufficiency through the provision of social services, employment training and placement, and housing. The Impact Grant will be used to support Inspiration Corporation’s foodservice training program by expanding their catering social business. www.inspirationcorp.org
RefugeeOne’s mission is to create opportunity for refugees fleeing war, terror and persecution to build new lives of safety, dignity and self-reliance. The Impact Grant will fund a Medical Case Manager and updates in services, allowing RefugeeOne to better serve refugee adults and children suffering from complex health conditions. www.refugeeone.org
Tutoring Chicago’s mission is to develop a foundation for life-long learning by providing free one-to-one tutoring and mentoring to economically disadvantaged children. The Impact Grant will fund an expansion of the tutoring programs to a third site and enhance programs at current sites. www.tutoringchicago.org
Please visit the websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities!
Accion Chicago – www.accionchicago.org
JPA – Juvenille Protection Association – www.jpachicago.org
New Moms – www.newmoms.org
One Million Degrees – www.onemilliondegrees.org
The Chicago Debate Commission – www.chicagodebatecommission.org
Please visit the websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities!
Albany Park Theater Project is a multiethnic, youth theater ensemble that inspires people to envision a more just and beautiful world, dedicated to art, to youth, and a vision of social justice. The Impact Grant was used to support Learning Curve, an immersive theatre production that exposes the plight of the urban classroom. www.aptpchicago.org
Free Spirit Media cultivates diverse youth voices to transform media and society. The Impact Grant supported the move to a full-time media studio. www.freespiritmedia.org
The North Lawndale Employment Network’s mission is to improve the earnings potential of North Lawndale residents through innovative employment initiatives that lead to economic advancement and an improved quality of life. The Impact Grant supported Self-Employment Pathways for Women, an entrepreneurship training program for women attempting to re-enter the workforce post-incarceration. www.nlen.org
Turning Point Behavioral Healthcare Center is an outpatient mental health center that exists to provide relief, no matter who you are or what your situation might be. The Impact Grant supported the creation of same-day mental health care services. www.tpoint.org
Please visit the websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities!
Beyond the Ball – www.beyondtheball.org
Demoiselle 2 Femme – www.demoiselle2femme.org
Inner-City Muslim Action Network – www.imancentral.org
Mikva Challenge – www.mikvachallenge.org
RefugeeOne – www.refugeeone.org
Storycatchers Theatre – www.storycatcherstheatre.org
Youth Organizations Umbrella, Inc. – www.youevanston.org
Please visit the websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities!
Crisis Center for South Suburbia provides emergency shelter and other essential services for individuals and families victimized by domestic violence. The Impact Grant supported an emergency shelter makeover project to remodel and update their bedrooms, kitchen, living room and security system. www.crisisctr.org
EMBARC is an organization that seeks to close the achievement gap by providing greater access to social, economic and cultural opportunities. The Impact Grant was used to expand its primary program to three new high schools in 2014/15. www.embarcchicago.org
The Night Ministry provides short-term housing, healthcare and human connection to Chicago adults, teens and children struggling with homelessness and poverty. The Impact Grant was used to support the purchase of a new Health Outreach Bus. www.thenightministry.org
Please visit the websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities!
Barr Harris – www.barrharris.org
Friends of the Forest Preserve – www.fotfp.org
GLASA – www.glasa.org
Growing Home – www.growinghomeinc.org
Literature for All of Us – www.literatureforallofus.org
Storycatchers Theatre – www.storycatcherstheatre.org
YouthBuild Lake County – www.youthbuildlakecounty.org
Please visit the websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities!
BUILD serves 6-18 year olds with the goal of preventing at-risk behavior and youth violence and builds positive futures beyond these youth’s current situations. The Impact Grant supported the expansion of educational programs in the Austin community. www.buildchicago.org
Umoja Student Development Corporation partners with Chicago’s most challenged public high schools to provide services for student development thereby reducing school violence, promoting academic success and increasing college enrollment. The Impact Grant supported the expansion of their Restorative Justice Program to two additional high schools. www.umojacorporation.org
Please visit the websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities!
La Casa Norte – www.lacasanorte.org
Enlace Chicago – www.enlacechicago.org
Inspiration Corporation – www.inspirationcorp.org
Sarah’s Inn – www.sarahsinn.org
Urban Initiatives – www.urbaninitiatives.org
Please visit the website for additional ways to help the organization make an impact!
A Safe Place provides emergency and temporary shelter to victims of domestic violence and their families. The project was aimed at enhancing the facilities and programming which A Safe Place provides to child witnesses of domestic violence. The Impact Grant was used to establish a mentoring program for boys, provide important tools and resources like therapeutic games and books, purchase and install playground equipment and install a much needed sprinkler system in their facility. www.asafeplaceforhelp.org
Please visit the websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities!
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra – www.cyso.org
Family Health Partnership Clinic – www.hpclinic.org
Hyde Park Neighborhood Club – www.hpnclub.org
Please visit the website for additional ways to help the organization make an impact!
Chicago Lights provides hope and opportunity to our city’s children, youth and adults who face the challenges of poverty. The Impact Grant purchased, installed and equipped a hard-shelled greenhouse-learning lab that is used for year-round food production, and as an indoor classroom and meeting area for children’s programs, community residents and the youth employed by the farm. www.chicagolights.org
Please visit the websites for additional ways to help these organizations make an impact in their communities!
Almost Home Kids – www.almosthomekids.net
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra – www.cyso.org
Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund – www.dmsf.org
St. Martin de Porres House of Hope – www.smdp-hoh.org