Fifteen Organizations Awarded Racial Equity Response Grants from the Fry Foundation

In response to the current moment—when Chicago is once again struggling with the historical legacy of systemic racism—the Fry Foundation made targeted investments in Black led organizations that amplify Black voices and create the conditions for Black people and communities to flourish. The Foundation recognized that this is an unprecedented time when Chicago residents are calling for racial justice while dealing with a pandemic that is disproportionately impacting Black communities. Philanthropy is called upon to respond with urgency and what some are calling “radical flexibility.” To that end, staff expedited the proposal review process and worked outside of the Foundation’s traditional grantmaking procedures to identify a set of organizations that are playing critical roles in advancing racial justice. These are organizations that have both the ability to respond to the urgency of the moment and the potential to maintain the momentum needed to advance racial justice. Several of these groups are larger and established, but most are relatively new and led by emerging, promising leaders.  All of the groups represent the forefront of community activism and service in Chicago today.  While the reason for the activism is tragic and lies in hundreds of years of oppressive history, the energy and potential that lies ahead is inspiring: