Dear Partners and Friends, As the Chicago region grapples with unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19, we are grateful for your ongoing work to provide essential public services, tackle inequities, and create communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. We can’t imagine a more difficult time for Chicago area nonprofits.

Community Memorial Foundation, Healthy Communities Foundation, Michael Reese Health Trust and Westlake Health Foundation are focused on measurably improving the health and well-being of individuals and families living in Chicago and the western suburbs. As such, we share a mutual concern of what an advanced COVID-19 outbreak can look like

Our President, Maria Pesqueira, was appointed General Trustee of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois by Governor JB Pritzker. Established in 1964, the Lincoln Academy annually honors distinguished Illinoisans for public service and professional achievements with the Order of Lincoln, our State’s highest honor. As General Trustee, Maria will play a

The leading type of cancer in Illinois is breast cancer in women across all racial and ethnic groups and is the second leading cause of death for women. National research shows racial disparities in diagnosis and survival rates, especially among low-income communities that lack access to health services. Locally, this

Domestic violence can affect anyone regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation or socioeconomic background. Victims and survivors may suffer from high rates of anxiety, depression and chronic diseases. Children exposed to domestic violence are more likely to have health issues or be at risk of injury or death. But

Our team is growing! We are hiring a Communications Intern! Here is a brief description of the role: This is a great and fun opportunity for a college student or recent college grad seeking a career in nonprofit communications and looking to gain knowledge of philanthropy and efforts that address

Our President, Maria S. Pesqueira, was appointed by Governor Pritzker to the new Census Advisory Panel as part of IL’s comprehensive 2020 Census effort. On June 20, 2019, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed an executive order that confirms the State’s comprehensive 2020 Census effort for an accurate count across all

Our 2019 Grant Cycle begins on May 15th! We are excited to announce that our 2019 Grant Cycle will begin on May 15th! Our grant guidelines will be released early next week but we wanted to provide some initial information regarding this year’s grant cycle. This year, we will introduce

“Our goal is to ensure that every resident in our service area has the resources and opportunities to live a full healthy and happy life, regardless of income, where they live or their racial and ethnic background.” – Maria S. Pesqueira, President of HCF We are thrilled to be highlighted

Local Foundations Partner to Fund West Suburban Community Health Workers Community Memorial Foundation and Healthy Communities Foundation award more than half a million dollars to increase connection to health and human service resources throughout the Western Suburbs   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   January 22, 2018 Community Memorial Foundation and Healthy

Our Director of Finance, Elva Gonzalez, provides some guidance for nonprofit organizations to maintain financial health as we navigate the challenging times of COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on unprecedented disruption to our lives and in our work. For our grantee partners, they are diligently adjusting their operations to

In early November, Healthy Communities Foundation sponsored two members of Proviso Partners for Health (PP4H) as Fellows at Upswell Chicago, a three-day convening that gathered changemakers from all over the United States to share ideas and solution-based approaches to issues our communities face each day. Our two Fellows, Deniene Willis,

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and there is very encouraging news about breast health equity for our region. Since 1990, there has been incredible progress in narrowing racial disparities in prostate, colorectal and lung cancer deaths between Black and White patients in the US. However, racial disparities in breast

When I teach the “Maternal and Child Health Delivery Systems” class at the University of Illinois at Chicago each spring, I always get anxious during the week I facilitate a case study exercise on Shalon Irving’s life and tragic death. Shalon was a Centers of Disease Control (CDC) epidemiologist and

Everyone deserves a safe and healthy home to live in. Housing is one of the several factors that heavily influence the health and well-being of individuals, children and their families. However, on May 10, 2019, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed a rule that would threaten

Our Director of Programs, Nora Garcia, explains why the Foundation moved to a two-stage application process this grant cycle. It is hard to believe that less than a year ago, our staff and Board of Directors came to the end of a learning-focused planning process and approved a new strategic

  Our Director of Finance, Elva Gonzalez, walks you through the impact that the recently enacted Jobs Act will have on your 2018 tax filings as a non-profit organization. It’s tax season and while you may be getting ready to file your personal taxes (or may have already done so—kudos!),

Nora Garcia, one of our Program Officers, writes about the importance of ensuring an accurate count of individuals living in our service region in the upcoming 2020 Census. Read about what this means for our communities and about a grant opportunity to help increase awareness, participation, and, ultimately, representation. As

With the new year, you may have set new goals and set forth a vision for the upcoming months. At HCF, we have done just that and are excited about the possibilities of 2019. Our President Maria Pesqueira reflects on how far the Foundation has come since last year and

To prepare our community- and data-informed Strategic Plan, we commissioned local research of our region earlier this year to better understand its demographics and overall state of health. Before the research was conducted, we knew that health disparities existed between communities but the research results were nonetheless striking and confirmed