Pritzker Traubert Foundation
January Newsletter
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I hope that everyone had an opportunity to enjoy the end of year holidays. Pritzker Traubert Foundation (PTF) is sharing this newsletter with the goal of building more partnerships in the coming year.
Like many of you, we believe that economic opportunity should not be dependent on if you were born on the Southside, Westside, or Northside of Chicago. From our investment in the Chicago Prize to our support for innovative and sustainable workforce solutions, the Foundation continues to support partnerships and leaders that create more economic opportunity across the city. We had an impactful and productive 2022 that included several major workforce investments, the launch of Chicago Prize 2022 and several key citywide partnerships such as the Chicago Public Media/Sun Times merger, but there is much more to do.
In 2023 we will continue dedicating our resources – passion, experience, and capital – to help build strong, supportive, and vibrant communities. As we work to accelerate positive social impact across Chicago, we invite you to partner with us or one of our grantees.
Please feel free to share our newsletter with your colleagues. If you are not already subscribed, please make sure to do so below to receive our future newsletters.
With Warm Regards,
Cindy Moelis, President
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Pritzker Traubert Foundation Honored as 2023 Recipient of Voice of the Voiceless Award |
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The award is being accepted on behalf of all our community and civic partners involved in community development on the South and West sides. We believe that only when all our neighbors and neighborhoods thrive can Chicago reach its full potential, a belief that has inspired our work in the Chicago Prize. Since its launch in 2019, The Chicago Prize has provided over $30 million dollars of grants to collaborative community-led initiatives to support catalytic community development projects on the South and West sides of Chicago. We are proud to be part of growing momentum to invest in community-led change in Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Sweet Beginnings, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the North Lawndale Employment Network (NLEN). The NLEN was part of the North Lawndale team that applied to Chicago Prize 2020. The North Lawndale proposal was a finalist and received over $600,000 of support from PTF to help execute on their visionary plan. NLEN built and opened their new building in September 2021.
Sweet Beginnings offers full-time jobs to formerly incarcerated citizens returning to the North Lawndale community. For individuals struggling with barriers to employment, Sweet Beginnings offers critical transitional job opportunities and on the job training. Community residents gain experience in a green industry, the production and sale of high-quality honey and honey-based personal care and relaxation products. Since 2008, Sweet Beginnings has employed more than 500 individuals committed to turning their lives around.
Sweet Beginnings created the Voice of the Voiceless Award to recognize those who lift others when they see an opportunity. These individuals share what’s possible and act when necessary to eliminate economic disparity.
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Future of Workforce: Building for Scale |
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Pritzker Traubert Foundation believes that all Chicagoans should have equal access to economic opportunity. We partner with visionary leaders to implement their bold plans to connect talent to jobs, build an inclusive and growing economy, and strengthen communities in Chicago.
This is an exciting moment for change in Chicago’s workforce –
Evolving employer talent strategies and new state and federal investments in workforce are coalescing to create unprecedented opportunities to connect black and brown workers to the fastest growing parts of our economy. Seizing these opportunities will require a local workforce ecosystem that is nimble, efficient, and can deliver at scale.
Chicago has a remarkable head start – world-class workforce leaders, committed employers, focused institutions, and groundbreaking programs carving new pathways for diverse talent. We mostly know what’s working and what needs to be done. What we need is a way to tap into business models that can bring these opportunities to thousands of Chicagoans and rise to the opportunities at hand.
We are proud to unveil our new workforce strategy called “Building for Scale”. This strategy seeks to provide Chicago’s best workforce leaders with the flexible, sequenced funding they need to identify and pursue sustaining resources that can take their work to scale through earned revenue or public investment. This strategy builds upon advice from workforce leaders in Chicago and elsewhere, and lessons from early investments in efforts like Elevate Energy’s Clean Energy Contractor Accelerator, National Louis University’s AccelerateU and City College of Chicago’s groundbreaking partnership with One Million Degrees.
Visit this link for more information and check back often to learn more about our investments and future funding opportunities.
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Pritzker Traubert Foundation recognizes that independent local journalism plays an essential role in an informed citizenry, connected community, and healthy democracy. It is that belief that inspired our decision to support Chicago Public Media’s January 2022 acquisition of the Chicago Sun-Times. This landmark partnership between WBEZ and the Sun-Times created the largest nonprofit news organization in the country and reaches more than 2.5 million readers and listeners in Chicagoland each week across print, broadcast, and digital platforms. The combined newsrooms received 51 journalism awards across both newsrooms in fiscal year 2022.
We congratulate the Sun-Times and WBEZ on their transformational partnership, and the efforts they have made towards connecting diverse audiences and amplifying the stories that matter to our communities.
“The coming together of Chicago Public Media and the Chicago Sun-Times marks a historic milestone for our city and region. Journalism is an essential bulwark against misinformation and division and can be a force for good, empowering individuals and communities toward meaningful change. The Pritzker Traubert Foundation is proud to stand with Chicago Public Media and its generous supporters in this vital cause.” – Bryan Traubert, Chairman of the Pritzker Traubert Foundation and past Chair of the Chicago Public Media Board of Directors
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Congratulations to the Sankofa Wellness Village |
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Pritzker Traubert Foundation is proud to announce that the Sankofa Wellness Village in West Garfield Park is the recipient of the Chicago Prize 2022. This project, which includes the Sankofa Village Wellness Center, a new credit union, the MAAFA Center for Arts and Activism, a new facility called the “K”, and a community grocer initiative, will provide West Garfield Park residents with the essential resources necessary to thrive.
Chicago Prize is founded on the belief that community leaders are best positioned to create catalytic plans for positive change in their communities. We launched the Chicago Prize in 2019 to address the historic disinvestment in communities in Chicago’s South and West sides and provide community leaders with an opportunity to access a $10 million grant that could be a catalyst for change and attract additional resources to help advance their plans.
The Sankofa Wellness Village proposal reflects the highest aspirations of the Chicago Prize – an ambitious plan, a collaborative and capable team, and a thoughtful strategy to continue to build a strong West Garfield Park community. With the first major investment in West Garfield Park in more than 50 years, this effort builds upon many civic and cultural institutions like New Mount Pilgrim Church, Garfield Park Conservatory, and Legler Library, and sets the stage for additional investment in the years to come.
We are pleased to support this $50 million project and proud to partner with the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative on this important undertaking in bridging the West Side of Chicago to a brighter future and invite others to do the same.
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