All Chicago residents deserve to live in healthy and holistic communities with access to jobs, education, housing, retail and other baseline amenities. In Black and Latinx neighborhoods, financial resources to support community development and revitalizations are often difficult to obtain.
Community Desk Chicago works with nonprofits, community developers and entrepreneurs to assemble the necessary capital, expertise and other resources to increase real estate development in their neighborhoods that promote a high quality of life and provide wealth-building opportunities.
News & Announcements
Spotlight on Englewood
Our May 2023 issue of Deskside, our regular newsletter, was devoted to Englewood, one of three communities chosen to participate in our Neighborhood Developers Initiative (NDI). Let’s learn more about the leaders, organizations, and efforts happening in Englewood...
Client Profile: Cecile De Mello never stops searching for solutions to revitalize Englewood
Cecile De Mello likes to ask questions. So much, in fact, that she once considered doing so professionally. “When I was in high school,” she says, “I wanted to be a journalist. I was very inquisitive about the way my community was set up.” De Mello was living in...
WCIU: ‘On The Block’ Features South Shore CIV
"On the Block," a show produced in collaboration with Block Club Chicago and WCIU Chicago, covered the new Community Investment Vehicle (CIV) focused on Chicago's South Shore community.
Block Club Chicago: South Shore Residents Could Soon Invest In And Control Local Developments Through A New Project
SOUTH SHORE — Leaders in South Shore are launching a project that aims to give neighbors more control over — and possibly a chance to profit from — developments in their community. The We the People community investment vehicle would buy and control real estate in...
Spotlight on South Shore
Our March 2023 issue of Deskside, our regular newsletter, was devoted to South Shore, one of the three communities chosen to participate in our Neighborhood Developer Initiative (NDI). Over the next few months, we will shine a light on NDI leaders and the great work...
Client Profile: Tonya Trice is hopeful – and tenacious – about bringing economic development to South Shore
About a decade ago, Tonya Trice and her husband were talking about the future of their neighborhood. South Shore is coming back, he told her. He was sure of it. He was certain that the South Side neighborhood, home to a stunning stretch of lakefront and a large Black...
Client Profile: Urban Market Exchange
Local artisans tend to have two choices when just starting out – either they can travel to shared maker spaces on the north side of Chicago, or they can work from their own basements and kitchen tables. Quandra Speights, a Chicago native who has supported nonprofits...
The Atlantic: Our Chicago: A Blueprint for Better Communities
Communities across the country are in a state of flux, and Chicago's are no different. Faced with steep challenges, longtime residents are establishing sustainable growth through housing development, community investment, and entrepreneurship opportunities—and...
WBEZ: Bridging the funding gap for community-based real estate projects
Community Desk Chicago is a real estate development group that focuses on building wealth and investment in Black and brown communities on the city’s South and West sides. Reset learns more about the organization and how it’s shifting the city’s model of community...
Fox 32: Community Desk Chicago helping South and West Side residents unlock their economic potential
Ja'Net Defell, director of Community Desk Chicago, talks about their mission and the importance of increasing access to capital for communities of color. Watch the segment on Fox 32's website.