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Community Desk Chicago Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Community Desk Chicago, Nonprofit Organization, 25 E Washington Street, Suite 1725, Chicago, IL.

Community Desk Chicago works with nonprofits, community developers and entrepreneurs on Chicago’s South and West sides to assemble the necessary capital, expertise and other resources to increase real estate development in their neighborhoods.

We are seeking proposals from qualified IT Managed Services Providers (MSPs) to become a trusted technology partner for ...
08/17/2026

We are seeking proposals from qualified IT Managed Services Providers (MSPs) to become a trusted technology partner for our growing organization.

We’re looking for a responsive, proactive partner to provide ongoing IT support, systems administration, cybersecurity, Microsoft 365 administration, device and network management, technology planning, and strategic guidance.

Experience supporting small nonprofit organizations and teams without dedicated internal IT staff is especially valued.

📅 Proposal deadline: August 31, 2026 at 5:00 PM CT

Learn more and access the full RFP at https://communitydeskchicago.org/work-with-us/rfps

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting the JPMorganChase Global Philanthropy team in South Shore with our local partne...
08/12/2026

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting the JPMorganChase Global Philanthropy team in South Shore with our local partner South Shore Chamber . The JPMorgan team toured the 71st Street corridor to see the CorridorLive! strategy in action. The Desk is currently piloting CorridorLive! in South Shore. JPMorgan Chase was one of our initial funders of the Corridorlive! rollout committing close to $1M to support our planning efforts including market studies, business surveys and the current 71st Street plan. They also worked with us to create a debt reserve fund to attract additional capital to the corridor.

The Corridorlive! framework is a comprehensive strategy to revitalize neighborhood corridors. Our framework consist of four components critical to revitalization including community, development and activation strategy, coordinated capital, and implementation team.

To date, $18.5 million has been committed to projects along the corridor through philanthropic grants, municipal grants and debt. Additionally, there are now 28 properties in various stages of development.

Many thanks to JPMorgan Chase for their commitment.

🎉 Congratulations, Ryan! 🎉We're excited to celebrate our Senior Director of Wealth Build Strategies, Ryan Wilson's selec...
07/30/2026

🎉 Congratulations, Ryan! 🎉

We're excited to celebrate our Senior Director of Wealth Build Strategies, Ryan Wilson's selection as a member of the 2026 Next City Vanguard cohort! 👏

The Next City's Vanguard program recognizes emerging leaders who are working to build stronger, more equitable, and more vibrant communities through collaboration and innovative leadership.

Ryan's dedication, passion, and commitment to making a difference inspire all of us, and we couldn't be prouder to have him on our team.

Join us in congratulating Ryan on this incredible accomplishment. 🌟

Read more about Next City's 18th Vanguard conference and the full Vanguard cohort here: https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/meet-the-2026-chicago-class-of-next-city-vanguards

Building wealth starts with ownership and learning from those who have done it.We're proud to co-partner with DDC for th...
07/27/2026

Building wealth starts with ownership and learning from those who have done it.

We're proud to co-partner with DDC for this intimate Deep Dive event featuring visionary leaders who are creating lasting economic impact through entrepreneurship, real estate, and community investment.

Featured Speakers:

Jasmine Shaw | CEO, Westside Community Group Inc.
Discover how Jasmine is transforming vacant land in North Lawndale into new homeownership opportunities while building lasting community wealth.

Steve Thomas | President, 5T Construction Inc. & Development Leader, 5T Management
With more than 5,000 apartment units acquired, rehabilitated, and managed across Chicago, Steve will share lessons on building a successful real estate business through long-term ownership and what today's developers should be thinking about for the future.

Stephanie Hart | Founder & CEO, Brown Sugar Bakery
Learn how Stephanie expanded her business through the acquisition of Cupid Candies, diversified her revenue, and leveraged business and real estate ownership to create long-term value and resilience.

Kareem Edwards | Owner/Operator, Chick-fil-A South Loop
From Wall Street to Google to business ownership, Kareem will share his journey into entrepreneurship, the Chick-fil-A operator model, and how ownership can create long-term economic opportunity.

📅 Thursday, August 6, 2026
⏰ 8:00 AM–12:00 PM (Light lunch to follow)
📍 Hyde Park Labs | Chicago
🎟️ Registration: $25

Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, developer, business owner, or community leader, this conversation will provide practical insights into creating generational wealth through ownership.

Secure your seat today and be part of the conversation shaping Chicago's future. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ddc-deep-dive-ownership-pathways-to-generational-wealth-tickets-1993693472846?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

Chicago shared ownership businesses, we want to hear from you!Community Desk Chicago is selecting 4 teams to join the SO...
07/22/2026

Chicago shared ownership businesses, we want to hear from you!

Community Desk Chicago is selecting 4 teams to join the SOCAP26 Fellowship, thanks to support from the Kresge Foundation.

If your shared ownership business is generating revenue and looking for investment to grow, this fellowship is designed for you.

You'll receive:
🤝 Coaching from SOCAP staff
🎤 Pitch preparation for investors
💼 Opportunities to connect with impact investors at SOCAP26
🌎 Access to one of the world's largest social impact conferences

SOCAP26 takes place October 12–14, 2026, at Convene Willis Tower in Chicago.

⏳ Don't wait! Request for Ideas submissions are due by 5PM CT on July 31, 2026.

Learn more and apply through https://communitydeskchicago.org/funding/socap26-fellowship/

That's a wrap on another amazing Wealth Our Way Learning Series!Last week, we hosted the second session of our Wealth Ou...
07/20/2026

That's a wrap on another amazing Wealth Our Way Learning Series!
Last week, we hosted the second session of our Wealth Our Way Learning Series: Funding & Financing, bringing together community leaders, practitioners, and financing experts to discuss how shared ownership models can access the capital they need to thrive.

A huge thank you to our incredible panelists:
✨ Bill Huston
✨ Nikishka Iyengar
✨ Mark Fick

And thank you to everyone who joined us, asked thoughtful questions, and continues to invest in building stronger, community-owned economies.
Together, we're creating pathways for communities to own, invest, and build wealth on their own terms.

Stay tuned for more opportunities through our Wealth Our Way learning series, and watch the webinar on our YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYFm8Q_OKjQ

"

We are excited to announce another partnership with DDC at the Emerging Developers Conference on Thursday, August 6, 202...
07/13/2026

We are excited to announce another partnership with DDC at the Emerging Developers Conference on Thursday, August 6, 2026 at Hype Park Labs.

Last year, we co-hosted a Deep Dive on community wealth-building showcasing wealth-building through collective ownership.

This year’s Deep Dive takes a more intimate approach providing practical strategies on building generational wealth through commercial real estate, entrepreneurship, and ownership.

Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ddc-deep-dive-ownership-a-pathway-to-generational-wealth-tickets-1993693472846?aff=oddtdtcreator

Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, culture, and community. Today, we honor the strength and contributions of Black ...
06/19/2026

Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, culture, and community. Today, we honor the strength and contributions of Black Americans while reflecting on the importance of equality, opportunity, and justice.
Happy Juneteenth.

Join us for session two in a three-part series on commercial shared ownership models. In partnership with the City of Ch...
06/09/2026

Join us for session two in a three-part series on commercial shared ownership models. In partnership with the City of Chicago, Community Desk Chicago is exploring funding and financing that support sustainable commercial shared-ownership models.

In part one, we learned about the legal and governance considerations for developing a shared ownership model. We will now explore funding and finance for these models and how your model's legal structure impacts its capital stack. Discussion will focus on common and emerging funding tools, and how they fit with your shared ownership model. Panelists will include funding experts and a community development practitioner to discuss creative ways to structure and finance your real estate projects.

Wealth Our Way (W.O.W.) is a collaborative initiative designed to support communities in launching wealth-building models, based on their terms, that advance their quality of life, build wealth and shift power dynamics in their neighborhoods.
Seeded through a $4.11M City of Chicago investment, the W.O.W capital grant program provides both capital grants and technical coaching to commercial shared ownership models that promote ownership and control of businesses and community assets, specifically, Community Investment Vehicles (CIVs) and Worker Cooperatives (Work Co-ops).

04/02/2026

The Desk was invited as a member of the Englewood-Ghana Sankofa Economic and Cultural Delegation traveling to Ghana recently. The delegation was championed and sponsored by IL State Senator Willie Preston in partnership with the .

The goal of the 8-day journey was to develop and strengthen the Englewood connection to Ghana through economic opportunity, cultural exchange, education partnerships and global collaboration.

During our time there, the delegation was further educated on the emotional and economic impact of the transatlantic slave trade including the significance of “Door of No Return”. It was shared during our trip that more than 12 million Africans were captured with only 2 out 10 surviving the journey to the Americas. Ghana has been independent from the United Kingdom for 69 years. While they have made great progress, they still struggle with the lack of infrastructure to truly benefits from its natural resources such as gold and cacao.

In addition to understanding the history of Ghana, the delegation met with government officials, representatives of the King of Cape Coast and networked with small businesses to identify opportunities to collaborate.

We are thankful for the opportunity to participate and appreciate all the hard work in coordinating and curating this experience.

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25 E Washington Street, Suite 1725
Chicago, IL
60602

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

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