Chicago Construction News staff writer
Community Development Grant awards totalling $30 million have been announced for 14 neighborhood improvement projects, primarily on Chicago’s South and West sides. The funding is expected to assist more than $148 million in construction projects targeting critical issues like food insecurity, education, and workforce development.
“These grants will help neighborhood visionaries achieve their goals for community improvements where they are needed most,” Johnson said in a statement.
Projects were selected from 242 submissions based on location, equity, community benefits, and project readiness, according to the city’s Department of Planning and Development. They include:
Ujima Hive, Englewood
- $1.81 million, Ujima Hive will transform a former school building into an $11.3 million education and community center. The facility will address food insecurity and workforce development, creating over 200 jobs and serving 200,000 residents annually.
CTRL Kitchen, West Garfield Park
- $150,000 in pre-development funding for a commercial kitchen, allowing local businesses to package spices and sauces in small volumes.
Mayfair Arts Center, Calumet Heights
- $792,000 for repairs and upgrades to a facility shared by eight arts organizations with renovations expected to conclude by September 2026.
Resident Association of Greater Englewood (Re-Up)
- $2.5 million to fund a $6 million project that includes a security training facility, its first city grant in 15 years.
Black Ensemble Theater, Uptown
- $2.43 million to complete its $5 million Studio Theater project, which will expand programs, educational outreach, and support for the Black Playwrights Initiative.
After School Matters, Near North Side
- $5 million for a $14 million renovation on a 36,000-square-foot facility near the former Cabrini-Green public housing development on the Near North Side.The teen programming organization bought the building for $12.2 million in April. Once complete in late 2025, the facility will offer programming to 1,500 teens.
Blue Azul Center, Auburn Gresham
- $3.7 million
Carole Robertson Center for Learning, South Lawndale
- $1.15 million
Sunshine Community Center, Washington Park
- $5 million to help build a three-story, $36.9 million community center on vacant lots bounded by 60th and 61st Streets, King Drive and Calumet Avenue.
TCA Health Nutrition Innovation Center, Riverdale
- $5 million
The K Entrepreneurship Hub, West Garfield Park
- $1.5 million
Pre-development funding was awarded to:
- Cara Collective Community Hub, Englewood – $150,000
- The Englewood Emerald, Englewood – $150,000
- Garden to Table Farm, North Lawndale – $150,000
