[5] In the early 1920s, the Trust commissioned landmark social surveys that identified the needs of those incarcerated at the Cook County Jail, immigrants, children with disabilities, single women, veterans, and the elderly.
These drives raised $22 million from 1930–1933 and inspired the creation of multiple campaigns and funds, including the precursor to the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago.
[6] Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the Trust funded multiple cultural institutions and projects, including a design for the downtown lakefront along Grant Park and the creation of the Chicago Botanic Garden.
In 1976, the Trust awarded $3 million in grants to the Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities to oversee the Gautreaux Housing Program.
[7] In 2001, the Trust co-founded the Partnership for New Communities,[8] which supported the largest and most ambitious public housing redevelopment in the country.
In 2014, the Trust founded On the Table,[10] an annual one-day forum designed to elevate civic conversation and spark collective action.
The Trust’s governing board is the Executive Committee which is made up of 17 community leaders who provide strategic and fiduciary oversight.
[14] The corporate entity, The Chicago Community Foundation, has a broader geographic area of concern and offers flexibility with respect to the funds’ investment management and grant making.