By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Six community-led real estate projects in underinvested Chicago neighborhoods will share nearly $6 million in grants from the Neighborhood Capital Fund, the Chicago Community Trust announced Sunday.
The investments target neighborhoods on the city’s South and West sides, aiming to expand access to health care, fresh food, violence prevention services, workforce training and small-business support in Austin, Englewood, Little Village, North Lawndale and West Garfield Park.
“These investments help neighborhood organizations create lasting assets that expand opportunity, strengthen local economies, and improve quality of life for residents, which in turn benefits the entire region,” Christen Wiggins, director of community development at the Chicago Community Trust, said in a news release.
The largest grant, $1.5 million, goes to Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives for the Austin HOPE Center. The Resident Association of Greater Englewood, known as R.A.G.E., will receive $1.3 million to develop The Re-Up at 59th and Racine, a mixed-use facility that will serve as the organization’s headquarters and include a community space and restaurant.
The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago received $1.25 million for a Peace Campus in West Garfield Park. The campus will provide violence intervention services, workforce development support, behavioral health resources and space dedicated to healing and peacebuilding, according to the release.
Dion’s Chicago Dream will receive $800,000 to develop the Dreamville Campus, a 20,000-square-foot food distribution and economic development hub in Englewood. The project will expand fresh food distribution operations while creating space for local entrepreneurship and job creation.
The Little Village Chamber of Commerce received $800,000 for El Centro, a small business resource and visitor center designed to expand business training, attract visitors and strengthen the neighborhood’s economic vitality.
New Covenant Community Development Corporation will receive $325,000 to complete a Business Innovation Center in North Lawndale. The center will provide business education, coaching, co-working space and resources to promote business ownership and job creation.
The Neighborhood Capital Fund provides grants for catalytic real estate projects in underinvested Cook County communities that address neighborhood priorities and create long-term benefits. The fund has numerous donors and is led by the Chicago Community Trust.
Lead donors include the Driehaus Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Paul Angell Foundation, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Schreiber Philanthropy, the Target Foundation, the Joseph Pedott Legacy Fund, JPMorgan Chase, Development Now for Chicago, Knight Impact Partners and an anonymous donor, according to the release.
The Chicago Community Trust connects people and resources across the Chicago region. The trust also awarded nearly $8 million in March to nine real estate projects in underinvested neighborhoods, part of an ongoing commitment to community-led development.
Eligible projects must advance community priorities, demonstrate local support and leadership, increase access to essential services and revitalize vacant or underutilized properties, according to the fund’s criteria.
The latest round of grants marks the fund’s fall 2026 cycle. Applications for future rounds of funding will be announced on the trust’s website.
