The Joyce Foundation

10/09/2026

Last night, we joined Borderless Magazine for its inaugural BorderlessLive! It was an inspiring evening of storytelling and conversation about what it means to belong in our city.

We heard thoughtful reflections from panelists Xanat Sobrevilla, Suzanne Akhras, and Alderman Andre Vasquez, and were especially moved by Rocio Villalva’s heartfelt telling of her own story.

We’re proud to support Borderless’ incredible work and the connections it makes possible. Stronger, more united commuities start with listening to one another, recognizing our shared humanity, and showing up for our neighbors.

Thank you to the Borderless team for all you do to bring Chicago’s stories to life and our communities closer together.

Here’s to a Chicago where we all belong!

10/09/2026

Chicago Education Alliance (CEA) has released Chicago’s Education Action Agenda this week.

The agenda reflects months of listening to parents, students, community leaders, policymakers, teachers, and principals across Chicago to help identify shared priorities for strengthening public education. As one of CEA’s founding funders, we’re proud to celebrate this milestone and the work it has undertaken since its launch.

🔗 Explore the Education Action Agenda at https://bit.ly/3VEKMpJ. And hear from the people who helped shape the agenda in this video: https://bit.ly/4iabDCK.

📷 Photos courtesy of Joyce Program Director Stephanie Banchero, who joined the CEA team at the launch event.

10/08/2026

A Special Thank You to The Joyce Foundation!

We are incredibly grateful to The Joyce Foundation for serving as a Gold Level Sponsor of the 4th Annual Emergency Gun Violence Summit, taking place on October 13, 2026, at the Baird Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin!

Your generous support helps make this important event possible—bringing together survivors, advocates, healthcare professionals, first responders, researchers, community leaders, and nationally recognized experts to share proven strategies, critical resources, and lifesaving information.

Over the years, this Summit has helped educate thousands of people and equip individuals and communities with the knowledge and resources needed to prevent gun violence and save lives.
Thank you, The Joyce Foundation, for investing in prevention, education, and safer communities!

Together, .
🌐 www.emergencygunviolencesummit.org

09/25/2026

Today we want to give a shoutout to our incredible Director of Talent and Culture, Vickie Spires! ✨

Vickie makes every single one of us feel truly valued while continuously keeping our team aligned with our core values. We are grateful for her dedication and always bringing forward-thinking ideas. Thank you for everything you do behind the scenes! 👏

09/25/2026

We're seeking a Special Assistant to the President & CEO. This exciting new position reports directly to the President & CEO, helping her focus on the high-level priorities, stay prepared for meetings and engagements, and ensure that decisions and commitments are strategic, well informed, and well-coordinated.

Serving as a trusted partner, the Special Assistant provides high-level executive and administrative support, coordinates priorities across internal and external stakeholders, and ensures consistent follow-through with discretion, sound judgment, and exceptional attention to detail. This Chicago-based opportunity has significant cross organization collaboration and cooperation responsibilities. This new position offers a unique opportunity to work collaboratively with the President & CEO to customize the full scope of the partnership. Learn more and apply here: https://joycefoundation.bamboohr.com/careers

09/15/2026

As many as 1 in 4 eligible Americans are not registered to vote or are unsure of their registration status. Be part of the solution and get your community today on .

Check your status at https://bit.ly/2I3aNoE

09/14/2026

For the 2nd summer in a row, the Chicago Police Department has reported the fewest number of homicides in 60 years. The data is promising and suggests that various strategies and collaborations are working. The upcoming National Strides for Peace Gun Violence Prevention Expo on September 25-26 at Gary Comer Youth Center hopes to build on this momentum by promoting collective action and community-driven solutions to end gun violence. The Expo will convene organizations, advocates, and change makers (including our Gun Violence Prevention & Justice Reform Program Director Soledad Adrianzén McGrath). Learn more at the link below or by scanning the QR code.

09/03/2026

The upcoming school board election will be one of the most consequential decisions Chicago voters make in November. The CPS board controls a $10B budget, employs 46,000 people (4th largest employer in Illinois), and, most importantly, guides the lives of more than 300,000 students. Helping voters understand these stakes and where the candidates stand is vital. This is an important example of collaborative voter education efforts.

07/30/2026

The Talking Drum is a revered instrument with origins in West Africa that replicates speech and is used to communicate messages, tell stories and make music. The national, traveling storytelling initiative The Stories of Us is launching 30 Talking Drum sculptures ​on July 31 at Navy Pier and across Chicago​. ​It includes the "Census Drum" created by arts collective
Englewood Arts Collective multidisciplinary artist Pugs Atomz and developed through dialogue with local community members, advocates, and census experts​ with Joyce Support. We encourage everyone to see these activations, including the Census Drum at EAC's Sculpture Village on 63rd & May in Chicago ​beginning on Sunday, August 2.

This project ​powerful​ly ​asks "Do You See Me?" and explores what it means to be seen, counted, and represented. It shows how powerful the combination of support for community-driven artists ​and creative civic practice can be.

07/27/2026

This month's Crain's Chicago Business Forum focuses on the high stakes of the rising electricity demand in Illinois. Policymakers and power providers are scrambling to create more sources of electricity quickly. Environment Program Officer Marisol Becerra, PhD offers timely solutions for building a more resilient power system in Illinois. ⬇️

The challenge is whether Illinois can follow through with implementation, so the electricity system can meet rising demand and mitigate increasing climate risks.