News

October 26, 2020

CCLF Supports Community Businesses Through Together Now

While stay-at-home orders were in place and the city of Chicago’s neighborhoods saw social upheaval following the death of George Floyd, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the launch of Together Now: Chicago’s Fund to Rebuild Our Neighborhoods. In collaboration with The Chicago Community Trust and the city of Chicago, Together Now fund raised money from […]

October 26, 2020

CCLF’s Annual Stakeholders Meeting Highlights Resiliency In Challenging Times

Watch the virtual meeting here:CCLF’s 2020 Annual Stakeholders Meeting Embracing the digital culture to share its message, CCLF hosted its 2020 Annual Stakeholders Meeting on Tuesday, September 15, in a virtual platform. The production included live reports and video presentations of projects that represent the diverse breadth of CCLF’s financing in 2019. They included: Growing […]

July 28, 2020

CCLF President Appears On WGN Weekend Morning News

On Saturday, July 25, 2020, CCLF’s President Calvin L. Holmes made an appearance on the WGN Weekend Morning News (Channel 9) with anchor Tonya Francisco during the 9:00 a.m. news. In the segment, Holmes presented CCLF and the fund’s initiatives supporting Chicagoland’s communities, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis. Click here to view the entire July […]

July 14, 2020

Coffee, Cream & Community: Momentum Coffee & Coworking

Business in Chicago was forging along in the first quarter of 2020. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker issued a “stay at home” order for the entire state effective March 21, bringing everything to an abrupt new reality. At that time, when attentions turned toward the preservation of public health and […]

July 14, 2020

Pro Bono Assistance: Helpful and Responsive

Ed Sommer practiced law as a Financial Transaction Attorney with the Chicago-based firm Chapman and Cutler LLP for 36 years. During the course of his career, he worked on many types of negotiated debt transactions with a variety of different types of borrowers, lenders and credit providers, including Chicago Community Loan Fund. Although now retired, […]

July 14, 2020

Growing Home Receives FHLBC COVID-19 Relief Grant

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBC) offered a COVID-19 Relief Program consisting of zero-rate advances and grants to support all of its member institutions and the communities they serve as it responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. CCLF, as a member of the FHLBC, submitted an application for Growing Home, Inc., a nonprofit organization […]

July 14, 2020

CCLF Borrowers Win CNDAs

On May 6 and May 7, Local Initiatives Support Corporation Chicago (LISC) presented the 26th Annual Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards (CNDA) for the first time as a virtual event. Three CCLF borrowers were among this year’s award recipients. Accion and the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago earned The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Outstanding […]

June 08, 2020

CCLF Administers the Cook County Community Recovery Fund

Chicago Community Loan Fund (CCLF) has been named administrator of the Cook County Community Recovery Fund, part of the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development’s Community Recovery Initiative. This fund is open to certain small businesses, “gig” workers and independent contractors located in suburban Cook County (outside the boundaries of the City of Chicago). Loans […]

April 08, 2020

CCLF Joins In Community Recovery Fund Announcement

CCLF is working in partnership with local government to urgently get capital to small businesses and contractor workers through the Cook County Community Recovery Fund. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, CCLF President Calvin L. Holmes, and CCLF Chief Operating Officer/Executive Vice President of Programs Bob Tucker made the announcement Tuesday, April 7, 2020. This […]

April 03, 2020

Affordable Housing: One Home at a Time

RPT Development Group, Inc. and Takeisha Washington are working hard to reshape Chicago’s affordable housing landscape. Washington, President of RPT Development, has a strong relationship with CCLF and has played an integral role in helping to rebuild and restructure Chicago’s neglected neighborhoods. Established in 2007, RPT Development is dedicated to the identification, acquisition, rehabilitation and […]