Registration closes on July 16 for Chicago Prize, a $10 million grant competition to invest in Chicago’s South and/or West Side

Funded by the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, the grant will invest in a community-led collaboration

Registration closes on July 16 for Chicago Prize, a $10 million grant competition to invest in Chicago’s South and/or West Side

Funded by the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, the grant will invest in a community-led collaboration

Community-led collaborative teams have less than a month left to register to apply for the Chicago Prize, a grant competition of the Pritzker Traubert Foundation to strengthen neighborhoods on Chicago’s South and/or West Side. The deadline to register is July 16, 2019 at 5 p.m. Central Time. Only organizations that have registered will be able to submit applications.

The Chicago Prize will award a single, $10 million grant to a highly collaborative initiative that uses physical development to spur economic activity, strengthen civic infrastructure, and improve the safety, well-being, and economic mobility of residents.

Civic infrastructure refers to the policies, programs, practices and processes that connect physical revitalization with neighborhoods’ customs, culture, networks and relationships. Research shows that physical development, whether affordable housing, mixed-use development, or community centers, can be more of a cornerstone for addressing community needs and creating systemic change when civic infrastructure is also considered.

Registration opened this past April, and since then, hundreds of organizations representing neighborhoods across the South and West Sides of the city have completed a self-assessment and registered. Eligible efforts that register by July 16 must submit their full applications by August 13, 2019 at 5 p.m. Central Time.

“The Chicago Prize seeks to support a community-led, investment-ready initiative,” said Cindy Moelis, president of the Pritzker Traubert Foundation.

“Organization leaders who have a big community vision and the expertise to leverage the grant, implement the initiative, and create a positive impact for residents and within the community-at-large are encouraged to visit ChicagoPrize.org.”

Registrants will be invited to a July 2 webinar to learn more and ask questions about the Chicago Prize. Attending the webinar is not a prerequisite for submitting a proposal. The webinar will guide participants through the website, which offers information on the criteria for scoring proposals, introduces members of the evaluation panel, and details the competition timeline.

The Pritzker Traubert Foundation will announce the four Chicago Prize finalists and highlight additional promising proposals at a November 15 event at The Hatchery in Garfield Park. Each of the four finalists will receive a $100,000 planning grant to help build out their plans, which they will present at a spring 2020 event, where the inaugural Chicago Prize will be awarded.

The Chicago Prize was developed by the Pritzker Traubert Foundation with counsel from Lever for Change, a new affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Other Chicago Prize advisors include BCG’s Center for Illinois’ Future and the Urban Institute.

About the Pritzker Traubert Foundation

Established in 2000 by Penny Pritzker and Bryan Traubert, the Pritzker Traubert Foundation has invested in people and programs that enrich the lives of Chicagoans and work to close the city’s opportunity gap. By working with innovative partners, the Foundation is focused on improving economic prosperity for low-income families in Chicago. Its resources are focused on three programmatic areas: investing in the future of Chicago’s communities; preparing for the future of work; and building the capacity of leaders and organizations focused on moving people from poverty.

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