At exactly 8:30 a.m. on an early Tuesday morning in Chicago’s West Loop, positive energy and inspiration broke loose from a group of people and set the tone for a day—and for lives—of impact. It was Motivations, a morning ritual that takes place every Monday through Thursday at Cara—a nonprofit organization specializing in job training… Read more »

A total of 82 investors, funders and supporters joined CCLF on June 13, 2019, for its Annual Stakeholders Meeting at The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The audience gathered to learn more about the mission of CCLF and the work done in the past year to bring equity and change to low- to moderate-income communities… Read more »

Approximately 1,000 area residents, supporters, and art enthusiasts converged on downtown Aurora, Illinois, June 1, 2019, for the official ribbon-cutting and open house of the John C. Dunham Aurora Arts Center. Attendees had a chance to tour the new facilities, participate in sample classes, and meet staff. Located at the corner of Galena Boulevard and… Read more »

Inquiries from across the country have come in wondering how Chicago was able to merge public housing with the public library system. CCLF’s borrower, Evergreen Real Estate Group, did just that when former Mayor Rahm Emanuel sought bids to build public housing on top of a city library. Chicago now boasts three such projects where… Read more »

Customers were in line at 6:00 a.m. waiting for the doors to open and a chance to shop the new Jewel-Osco at 6100 S. Cottage Grove Avenue in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood. “This store makes the whole neighborhood look brighter,” one customer in line said. “I’ll be coming here every day now.” The Woodlawn Jewel-Osco grand… Read more »

The Independence Library and Apartments, located at 3548 W. Irving Park Road, closed due to damage from a fire at the adjacent building in October 2015. Although transient, moving from place to place since the early 1900s, by 2015 the library served seven neighborhood schools within walking distance and was heavily used by area residents…. Read more »

TimeLine Theatre Company has settled on a new home in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. CCLF provided $3,600,000 to Timeline Theatre Company for acquisition and predevelopment of a property built in the 1910s for a moving and storage company. The revitalization of this property aligns with TimeLine’s mission of bringing history to life and connecting the past… Read more »

Empowered by a belief that “autism is not a condition, but rather, an intrinsic part of the individual with autism’s self-identity and personality,” Evanston, Illinois-based Rimland Services NFP delivers stability to those whose lives may face challenges. Founded in 1970, Rimland Services is the oldest agency in Illinois that serves the educational, vocational, and residential… Read more »

CLTV welcomed CCLF’s Maurice Williams, Vice President of Economic Development, to discuss CCLF’s current endeavors in the network’s  Business Watch segment March 16, 2019.  Produced by Chaundanine Oluwole, the complete segment may be viewed here. Chicago Community Loan Fund is dedicated to doing its part in developing Chicagoland’s communities. For 28 years, CCLF has provided funds for developments like… Read more »

A new start-up food business incubator opened December 6, 2018, bringing energy and enthusiasm to Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood: The Hatchery Chicago. Well-attended by culinary enthusiasts, community groups, U.S. Congressman Danny Davis, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, World Business Chicago CEO Andrea Zopp, 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett, 28th Ward Alderman Jason Ervin, and celebrity… Read more »

On December 11, 2018, Benefit Chicago, a social investment fund sponsored by The Chicago Community Trust, Calvert Impact Capital, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, announced that it would provide $5 million in financing to CCLF’s Repurpose Initiative. The Repurpose Initiative focuses on revitalizing shuttered Chicago Public School buildings on the city’s… Read more »

LUCHA received the 2018 Opportunity Finance Network’s (OFN) Social Justice Award during its annual conference held at the Marriott Marquis, October 8-11, 2018, in Chicago. Each year, OFN awards the OFN Conference Justice Grant to a nonprofit organization whose mission is consistent with OFN’s core purpose of aligning capital with social, economic, and political justice…. Read more »

Thanks to the dedication of neighborhood leaders, local developers, and community-focused funders, Chicago’s Pullman Neighborhood has a new destination: U.S. Bank Pullman Community Center. The Center’s lively grand opening took place on November 8, 2018. Constructed on 12 acres of previously long-vacant land, the 135,000-square-foot Pullman Community Center is the largest multi-sport complex in the… Read more »

CCLF’s mission of providing flexible financing that benefits low- to moderate-income neighborhoods received a substantial boost December 12, 2018, when JPMorgan Chase announced a $10 million long-term, low-cost investment to CCLF to support commercial real estate development on Chicago’s South and West sides. The announcement was made by Whitney Smith, Head of Midwest Philanthropy for… Read more »

CCLF completed another very successful year as the Fund’s operational and social impact milestones continued to grow for the benefit of Chicagoland’s most vulnerable. In all, CCLF closed 32 loans totaling $21.5 million, which leveraged another $52.1 million. By year-end 2018, the number of housing units created or retained reached 267, commercial real estate and… Read more »

On the day after the Chicago Plan Commission approved renovation plans for the Uptown Theater, the non-profit TimeLine Theatre Company was to announce Friday it has purchased for itself a new home at the Northern end of the rapidly emerging Uptown entertainment district.  Chris Jones of The Chicago Tribune featured the complete story. 

JPMorgan Chase has provided the capital to help small business thrive on the city’s South and West sides. WGN-TV News’ Gaynor Hall covered the story here.

On Wednesday, December 12, 2018, JPMorgan Chase announced a commitment of $10 million in long-term, low-cost capital to support commercial real estate development on Chicago’s South and West sides.  “I want to thank you for recognizing it takes big, bold steps to address joblessness, poverty and lack of retail available on Chicago’s West and South… Read more »

The complete story appeared in the December 17, 2018, edition of The Chicago Tribune. Click here to read the full story. Few Chicago residents personify the power of what’s possible more than Calvin Holmes. As president of the nonprofit Chicago Community Loan Fund (CCLF) since 1998, Holmes has partnered with U.S. Bank, City Hall and… Read more »

The complete story appeared in the December 11, 2018, edition of Crain’s Chicago Business. Click here to read the complete article by Alby Gallum. CCLF, a certified Community Development Financial Institution, will use its $5 million Benefit Chicago loan to launch the Repurpose Initiative which is an effort to breathe new life into five empty… Read more »

Residents, neighbors, and celebrants gathered in Chicago’s historic Pullman Neighborhood Thursday, November 8, 2018, for the grand opening of the new, $20 million U.S. Bank Pullman Community Center. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel , 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale, 8th Ward Alderman Michelle Harris, representatives from the Chicago Cubs, the Roseland Youth… Read more »

A spectacular September afternoon served as the perfect backdrop for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and community celebration as the Latin United Community Housing Association (LUCHA) unveiled the first Passive House affordable housing unit in its Tierra Linda project. Calvin L. Holmes, President, explained CCLF’s support for the project during the ribbon cutting September 27, 2018. LUCHA’s… Read more »

A renaissance of art, culture, and community is taking place in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. This reawakening is housed in The Quarry, a CCLF-funded event and entertainment venue honoring the best of the South Shore community’s influential past while inspiring the area’s future. This project is part of CCLF’s Activate Retail initiative. Yvette Moyo, Chief… Read more »

Within a span of a few short weeks, CCLF borrower XS Tennis & Education Foundation was a flurry of activity, first hosting a World Team Tennis match on Chicago’s South Side then, a few days later, welcoming Illinois Senator Dick Durbin with a private tour of the facility.  XS Tennis is a CDFI Fund-supported project…. Read more »

On July 26, 2018, CCLF and over 60 guests gathered to officially launch www.chicagocoop.net, a new website serving Chicagoland’s cooperative community and those interested in cooperative living. The event, held at the historic Supreme Life Building in Chicago’s Bronzeville community, offered attendees an opportunity to greet fellow cooperative residents, share success stories within Chicagoland’s co-op… Read more »

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) awarded CCLF customer, DL3 Realty, a 2018 Community Impact Vision Award for its Englewood Square Retail Center in Chicago. Presented during the organization’s 7th Annual Vision Awards Ceremony in June, the Englewood Square Retail Center and DL3 Realty were recognized for serving as catalysts for revitalization in a community suffering… Read more »

Over 60 CCLF funders, investors and community partners negotiated severe storms to join CCLF staff and Board Members for CCLF’s Annual Stakeholders Meeting. Held June 21st at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the meeting highlighted CCLF’s influence in changing Chicagoland through its lending performance, financial performance and portfolio performance in underserved communities. Following a… Read more »

                    Gary Lay, one of the Chicago Neighborhood Rebuild Pilot Training Program participants, working on a stool to add to the break room his team is creating for Reconstruction Technology Partners.  Inside an old gymnasium on Chicago’s West Side sits a two-story model home built by… Read more »

                    XS Tennis ribbon cutting ceremony March 3, 2018 where 6,000 youth per year will have access to 24 tennis courts, 2 basketball courts, a fitness room, multipurpose rooms for tutoring assistance and more. March 3, 2018, marked a significant day for African American youth in… Read more »

                    Rendering of the 48,000 sq. ft. Jewel-Osco that will open in early 2019, offering an estimated 200 jobs in the Woodlawn community. Leon Walker, Managing Partner of DL3 Realty, LLC, is once again developing vacant land to bring a full-service grocery store to a food… Read more »

                          Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin at the podium alongside Deputy Mayor Rick Guzman at the March 5, 2018 preview of the John C. Dunham Aurora Arts Center that will provide thousands of cultural arts opportunities as a part of the downtown revitalization efforts…. Read more »

Trianon Lofts, named after Woodlawn’s famed ballroom from the 1920s, had its ribbon cutting ceremony on November 7, 2017. In its heyday, thousands of people came to Woodlawn to experience legendary artists like Ray Charles and Muddy Waters on 62nd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue at the once dubbed “world’s most beautiful ballroom.” In 1960,… Read more »

On June 6th, CCLF welcomed over 75 funders, investors, and community partners to its Annual Stakeholders Meeting held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.  This year’s meeting reviewed CCLF’s portfolio performance in 2016 and first quarter of 2017; informed partners about the future of CCLF and our strategic plan; highlighted our borrower, XS Tennis… Read more »

Jason and Esther Williams have been rehabbing properties since 2006. While he initially started working on properties part-time, in 2009 Jason started rehabbing full time and formed Ultimate Real Estate group shortly thereafter.  The goal of Ultimate Real Estate is to pursue the acquisition, development and rehab of small residential properties.   Jason is also a… Read more »

Wicker Park is known for its nightlife, food scene, boutique clothing stores, beer gardens and limited available affordable housing.  Zillow currently list a 2 bedroom apartment in Wicker Park for $2,985 a month.  Among the droves of hipsters and incoming crowds sits Woolman-Washington Cooperative Apartments where rent is based on your family income and residents… Read more »

On April 17th, Dill Pickle Food Co-Op members and community members celebrated the groundbreaking of their new location. Off the blue line in Logan Square, the new location will expand Dill Pickle’s retail space from 1,100 square feet to 6,500 square feet.  The long awaited location will be able to offer a greater array of… Read more »

At the busy intersection of 47th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue sits the newest location of Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken, a restaurant that serves up crispy fried chicken with a special secret sauce that its owner is betting will help create a new chicken empire in the Chicago area. Uncle Remus is a West Side institution. The new… Read more »