The year 2024 has been another hugely successful year for CCLF! A total of over $31 million in loans were closed creating or preserving affordable housing and jobs or improving nonprofit facilities and supporting social enterprises. There were 38 loans closed with borrowers who developed 534 units of housing and 122,615 square feet of commercial… Read more »

Commemorating 20 years of childcare and education, It Takes A Village (ITAV), a CCLF borrower, held its ribbon cutting of their Bronzeville Academy at the old Hales Franciscan High School on October 22, 2024, at 4930 South Cottage Grove Avenue, one of its seven locations. On hand for the celebration were community leaders and elected… Read more »

The dream of twin brothers, Vova and Greesha Kagen, has finally come to fruition – once roasting coffee in their kitchen, to now roasting coffee in their new 28,000 square feet building. After receiving a $1,750,000 construction and permanent loan from CCLF, they bought a building in the Brighton Park neighborhood that was slated for… Read more »

“It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.” Whether you know this song from the 1975 movie Cooley High or the Boyz II Men version in the 90s, the meaning hits home for me now as I turn the page on my almost 30-year career working for Chicago Community Loan Fund. I started out as… Read more »

There are a few things in life that people should never have to worry about…food…shelter…healthcare. Unfortunately, in this country and in the city of Chicago, all three can have impediments to access for many residents in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Food deserts pose a hinderance to having fresh food within a reasonable distance of people’s homes. Mounting… Read more »

On a beautiful September afternoon at the ASPIRE Center in Austin, JPMorgan Chase announced a $10 million low-cost loan to CCLF for its Communities of Color Fund. CCLF created the Communities of Color Fund (CofC) to address racial equity in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods throughout Chicagoland. The fund will be available to developers undertaking real… Read more »

Chicago Community Loan Fund (CCLF) is honored to be a $15 million recipient of a MacKenzie Scott grant. Lightning does strike in the same place twice as Ms. Scott awarded CCLF $10 million four years ago. MacKenzie Scott is a trailblazer in the world of philanthropy because of her large unrestricted grants to nonprofits. She… Read more »

The Chicago Community Loan Fund (CCLF) is a 33-year-old Community Development Financial Institution and 26 of those 33 years, it was led by Calvin L. Holmes. After a long and successful career in community development, Calvin has decided to depart the house that he helped build. The CCLF board has appointed Bob Tucker as its… Read more »

JPMorganChase announced a $10 million investment to advance affordable housing development and revitalize neighborhoods in Chicago’s South and West sides on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 at the Aspire Center in the Austin community. The new loan to the Chicago Community Loan Fund (CCLF), a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), is part of JPMorganChase’s $200… Read more »

Over 70 investors, funders, supporters, and staff joined the Chicago Community Loan Fund (CCLF) on Thursday, May 23, 2024, for the Annual Stakeholders Meeting at the Wintrust Conference Center in the Loop, which was the second in-person Stakeholders Meeting since the pandemic. CCLF President, Calvin Holmes, welcomed attendees and recognized that the growth of the… Read more »

On June 14, 2024, the Community Education Network also known as It Takes a Village (ITAV) Family of Schools, held a groundbreaking ceremony to memorialize with speeches and photos the continued growth of the school network. ITAV purchased the shuttered Hales Franciscan High School, which once stood as the pride of the Archdiocese of Chicago… Read more »

Affordable housing is a serious problem that is at crisis levels in the U.S., for both home purchases home rentals. According to the 2024 State of the Nation’s Housing by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University: “Both homeowners and renters are struggling with high housing costs. On the for-sale side, millions of… Read more »

On February 21, the Chicagoland Opportunity Zones Consortium (COZC) hosted an Investment Showcase to spotlight the work of early-stage business entrepreneurs advancing original and impactful ventures on the south and west sides of Chicago. The COZC partnered with Taft, Stettinius & Hollister LLP who fully supported the event including the use of their state-of-the-art conference… Read more »

By DeMario Greene, Director of Policy and Government Relations For over the thirty-three-years, CCLF has been able to distinguish itself as an agent of community revitalization – not only through its innovative lending products but also through its work to support positive public policy proposals on the local, state, and federal levels. CCLF is currently… Read more »