Greater Chatham Initiative

Don't forget to check out the latest episode of our #TrustTalks #podcast, where we discuss the impact and what’s next for We Rise Together: For An Equitable & Just Recovery, including how the initiative—and donors—can continue to fuel the visions communities have for their local economies. #Chicago #Philanthropy #WeRiseWednesdays [Pictured L-R: Nedra Sims Fears of Greater Chatham Initiative, Griselda Piedra of PODER & Oprima-1 LLC, donors Steve & Nicole VanderVoort, and the Trust's Christen Wiggins] Tune in: https://lnkd.in/gwhsdU87

Mahalia’s Mile, a stretch of 79th Street in Chicago that celebrates the legacy of the gospel singer and civil rights icon Mahalia Jackson, is vital to the revitalization of several neighborhoods on the South Side. Now designated as an official Cultural District, Mahalia’s Mile is being restored and enhanced, largely thanks to efforts by Greater Chatham Initiative (GCI). Learn more about their community development plans: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gre4pCnP

Mahalia’s Mile, a stretch of 79th Street in Chicago that celebrates the legacy of the gospel singer and civil rights icon Mahalia Jackson, is vital to the revitalization of several neighborhoods on the South Side. Now designated as an official Cultural District, Mahalia’s Mile is being restored and enhanced, largely thanks to efforts by Greater Chatham Initiative (GCI). Learn more about their community development plans: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gre4pCnP

Meet Nedra Sims Fears, Executive Director for Greater Chatham Initiative (GCI), a nonprofit, place-based, community development organization serving the Auburn Gresham, Avalon Park, Chatham, and Greater Grand Crossing Black Chicago Southside neighborhoods. Inspired by her idyllic childhood in Chatham, Fears has championed Greater Chatham to benefit the next generation. During her tenure at GCI, she created Mahalia’s Mile, a state-designated Cultural District on 79th Street between State Street and Cottage Grove Avenue. She completed an architectural design plan and is executing the repositioning of Mahalia’s Mile as both a walkable and economically viable corridor for its 16,700 residents and 500,000 tourists and bus riders. Along with MacArthur Foundation, we celebrate Nedra as a 2024 #LeadersForANewChicago awardee. Learn more about how she is building a more inclusive #Chicago: https://bit.ly/3zWchjD Image Description: Photo of Nedra Sims Fears smiling against a gray background. She is wearing a rounded-collar shirt and sparkling earrings. In the lower right corner is the red-and-white star logo for "Leaders for a New Chicago" and text "2024 awardees." Beneath that is the text of Nedra's name, "she/her" pronouns, and organization, "Greater Chatham Initiative."

One Chicago family’s legacy is the vegan, soul food restaurant Soul Veg City, owned by Lori Seay. It was founded by her father more than 40 years ago to serve delicious, healthy food to residents on the South Side of #Chicago. Seay and her brother, Arel, have been running the business for a decade, serving smoothies, ‘Zesty Cauliflower Wingz’ and a rotating menu of creative dishes, eager to serve the community while remaining competitive in the current economy. “Many black businesses don’t survive the second generation,” shared Seay. “But the dedication my dad had, he put that in us. We had to learn everything from scratch: the taxes, licensing. Nothing came easy.” With support from Greater Chatham Initiative, a business development organization supported by LISC and the #KrogerFoundation, Seay is finding the connections and expert advice she needs to grow her business, which recently expanded to a second location. Over the past year, Seay has accessed GCI resources on menu design, employee retention, marketing, and social media. “We’ve done everything we could to expand our growth and the opportunities are there to keep growing,” said Seay. “Soul Veg City won’t end with the next generation.” LISC Chicago

In Episode 15 of the #TrustTalks #podcast, guest Nedra Sims Fears of Greater Chatham Initiative explains: "My vision for Chatham reflects the realities of what we see in the Chatham neighborhood, which is in the mid-south side of #Chicago. And when you look at who's there, we provide business support and 50% of our businesses are restaurants." #Philanthropy Tune in: https://lnkd.in/gwhsdU87

Access to adequate capital is a significant barrier to Black and Latine business owners opening their doors and staying open. Many of the communities We Rise Together: For an Equitable & Just Recovery invests in—those hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession that followed, which were predominantly Black and Latine—saw many of their small businesses close in the last few years. That’s why in June, We Rise Together granted more than $1 million to six organizations that support small businesses to access the capital they need for growth. #Chicago #Philanthropy #WeRiseWednesdays Learn more: https://bit.ly/4cUmWcY

Exciting news! 🎉 We're proud to welcome 5 new partners to our Lending Circles Communities Network, expanding access to credit building tools nationwide. Thanks to the support of the Wells Fargo Foundation, these organizations will support individuals from diverse backgrounds to achieve their financial dreams through MAF’s proven Lending Circles model. New partners include the Youth Job Center, Greater Chatham Initiative, Eastmont Community Center, Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF), and CROP. They join a growing network of organizations using Lending Circles to strengthen communities and foster economic mobility. Read more about our Lending Circles new partners here: https://mafito.info/FTFIgE #FinancialInclusion #CreditBuilding #CommunityImpact

Thank you to everyone who joined us last night for our annual Power of Connection event! Congratulations to: 🏆 Outstanding Firm Partner Award: Thompson Coburn LLP 🏆 Outstanding Community Partner Award: Greater Chatham Initiative 🏆 Outstanding Pro Bono Volunteer Award: Janet Goelz Hoffman, Katten It was a fun evening celebrating our Economic Justice program and our community of pro bono support and community partners that help us connect much needed legal resources to BIPOC-led small businesses and nonprofits in Chicago. Collectively, we are working to close the racial wealth gap in our state. Thank you to our vendors Ms. P’s Gluten Free, Twenty Thou Jewelry, and Glo’s Amazing Sea Moss Gel! Thank you to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates for always supporting this event and hosting us! And thank you to all of our sponsors who make this event possible! #powerofconnection