The African American Legacy (AAL), an initiative of The Chicago Community Trust, is now accepting applications for its 2025 grant cycle. Since its founding in 2003, AAL has granted over $4.5 million to more than 250 organizations, advancing equity, opportunity, and prosperity within the African American community of Chicago and surrounding counties. AAL seeks to fund nonprofit organizations focused on Community Wealth Building, Community Mobilization, and Community Care initiatives.
Eligible organizations must be based in the City of Chicago, Cook County, or the five collar counties (Will, Lake, DuPage, McHenry, and Kane). Community Wealth Building grant applicants can request between $50,000 and $75,000, with no operating budget limit, though funding requests should align proportionally with organizational budgets. Community Mobilization and Community Care grant applicants can request between $15,000 and $25,000, and must have current and prior year operating budgets between $50,000 and $2 million.
A virtual information session was held on April 23, 2025, and a series of peer clinics are offered to support applicants in developing program narratives, budgets, and site visit preparation. Applications must be submitted via the Trust’s GrantsCentral portal by Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 11:59 PM CDT. Award decisions will be announced in September 2025.
AAL's strategic grantmaking supports grassroots efforts that educate, engage, and provide neighborhood-based solutions. The fund empowers a wide network of community leaders and organizations, reinforcing collective giving and community-based philanthropy.
For questions about the grant process, applicants can contact Christine Munteanu at cmunteanu@cct.org or Carrie Goodale at cgoodale@cct.org, or call 312-616-8000.
