CHICAGO — The Field Foundation of Illinois, in partnership with the Illinois Department of Human Services, is distributing $4.5 million in grants to 89 Chicago groups and other organizations statewide to foster racial healing and strengthen community connections.
Launched in 2020 in response to nationwide calls for racial justice, the Healing Illinois initiative supports 204 organizations working to dismantle institutional racism and promote understanding between communities.
“Racial healing work is heart and mind work that takes time,” said Maritza Bandera, program manager of Healing Illinois. “We continue to emphasize that initiatives like this need longevity because we’re definitely not going to make transformative change overnight … but we always make a difference.”
The program focuses on three areas: community engagement, media and storytelling and education and awareness. Many of the projects receiving funding emphasize relationship-building across racial and ethnic communities.
One Chicago grant recipient, the Coalition for Immigrants and Mental Health, is launching a social media campaign in March to combat misconceptions about immigrant communities. The organization received $20,000 to expand on its 2024 report that sought to debunk common myths about immigrants.
“We’ll be pushing out this social media campaign as graphics that people can use and share and download … but not just in a didactic way like, ‘here’s a list of 10 facts,’ but in a way that builds understanding and relationships,” said Cindy Eigler, the coalition’s executive director. “We don’t want to repeat the lies over and over again.”
The Coalition for Immigrants and Mental Health will also create accessible educational materials and lead community discussions. This is the organization’s second Healing Illinois grant, which Eigler said is crucial as it transitions from a volunteer group to a nonprofit.
The Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, a first-time grantee, is using its $25,000 grant to strengthen ties between Chicago’s Chinese and Latino communities. This expands on its 2020 racial solidarity work with Project: VISION, which facilitated dialogue between Chinese and Black communities.
“We focused on educating folks about the history of the Black community in the States, how we overlap in our struggles and also how we face racism, like inter-race, inter-minority pitting,” said Sarah Tang, assistant director of programs for the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community.
With this year’s funding, the coalition will again collaborate with Project: VISION’s parent mentor group to address misconceptions about Latino communities, particularly around immigration. The initiative includes educational workshops on migration history and field trips to different neighborhoods to build personal connections.
“A lot of our community members have kids that go to school with Latino children, and with the recent migrant situation, we found misconceptions that need to be addressed,” Tang said. “Just as Black and Latino communities have always supported Chinese and Asian communities throughout U.S. history, we have a responsibility to do the same for them.”
The Black Star Project, which has served Chicago communities for nearly 30 years, received $22,000 to integrate racial healing frameworks into its four free academic programs. The funding will also support special events such as a father-daughter dance and a Black male mass graduation celebration.
Lindsey White, director of marketing and communications at The Black Star Project, emphasized the importance of such funding in today’s political climate.
“With the current political environment, there is concern about federal funding being cut … there are some concerns about how these nonprofits can continue serving the community,” she said. “So we’re just really grateful for this opportunity.”
While grant-supported projects must be completed by June 2025, organizations aim to create lasting impact.
“The goal is to create something that’s accessible and can continue after the grant is over,” Eigler said. “Even though it’s a short-term project, we hope it builds our community’s capacity, brings in new members and fosters connections we can build on for years.”
The timing of these grants during Black History Month holds special significance.
“Black History Month is about building awareness of the achievements and contributions of African Americans,” Bandera said. “Healing Illinois is very much about that — telling untold stories, elevating forgotten narratives … acknowledging each other’s lived experiences and finding common ground.”
She noted that racial healing meets people at different stages in their journey. Some are ready for deep reflection and systemic change, while others might start by attending a community event or reading about their neighborhood’s history.
“Initiatives like Healing Illinois offer different types of programming so people can engage at their own pace,” Bandera said. “This work is for everyone, and that’s been our focus from the beginning.”
To see the full list of recipients of the Healing Illinois Grant, visit the IDHS website.
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February 24, 2025 at 07:59AM
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