Chicago

Enabling innovation and collaboration for equity and prosperity

Chicago teachers and students in the classroom playing with playdoh using rollers and cookie cutters.

Overview

Big-city strengths and challenges with a passion for positive change

The city was founded as a transportation hub linking the east and west and more recently has been named the best big city in the US six years in a row. The vibrant community, made up of distinct neighborhoods with diverse personalities and strengths, has a storied history with innovation, change and rebuilding at its core. Yet education, economic, health and other deeply rooted inequities continue to persist.

 

That’s where GreenLight comes in. In partnership with the community, we’re working to break down persistent barriers to prosperity and shift outcomes related to the toughest challenges.

Addressing Challenges in Chicago

16%

of public school teachers are either Black, Hispanic, or Asian, despite these groups making up 49% of the student population

10.5%

of Black workers were unemployed in Illinois in 2023

2X

median income for white residents compared to Black residents and 72% higher than LatinX

Chicago Team and Partners

GreenLight Chicago is made up of a diverse group of changemakers from across the community, working together for positive impact.

Team

Tanicia Burns
A headshot of Tanicia Burns with a nature background.

Tanicia Burns

Program Manager, GreenLight Chicago

Hermilo Hinojosa
A headshot of Hermilo Hinojosa with a nature background.

Hermilo Hinojosa

Executive Director, GreenLight Chicago

Jordan Thomas
A headshot of Jordan Thomas with a nature background.

Jordan Thomas

Coordinator, GreenLight Chicago

Advisory Council

Andres Alvear

BUILD Chicago

Juana Ballesteros

American Medical Association

Mary Kate Daly

Healthy Communities, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

LaTrice Davis

The Ellevate Group LLC

Marco De La Rosa

Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago

Shayne Evans

The Academy Group

Ghian Foreman

Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative

Nora Garcia

The Healthy Communities Foundation

Sean Garrett

United Way of Metro Chicago

Brian Grzelakowski

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC – Chicago

Luis Gutierrez

Latinos Progresando

JD Heinz

SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP

Khari Matthew Humphries

City of Chicago

Mike Kennedy

Northwestern University – Science in Society

Jeffrey Lampe

Customers Bank

Michael Marrion

Cresa

Aldo Quinones

Wells Fargo

Jackie Rosa

City of Chicago

Ayoka Noelle Mota Samuels

City Colleges of Chicago

Greg Simoncini

Simoncini Strategies

Mark Van Grinsven

Civic Consulting Alliance

Sara Wasserteil

Corporate Coalition

Founding Investors

Chris Abbinante

allstate logo with a cut out image of two hands on one another inside a blue outlined circle.

Anonymous

Nicholas Antoine

bain capital logo with a blue box with red and light blue shapes interlocking inside.

Jon Ballis

The Bank of America Logo with red and blue stripes positioned in a diamond shape over the text.

Larry Barden

Eve and Richard Biller

Rebecca and Dan Blumenthal

Jennifer and Alex Brown

Karen and Ethan Budin

Ed Chandler

Liz and David Chandler

Kim and Stephen Chipman

CME Group Foundation Logo with blue stripes lined up next to each other in the shape of a half oval.
Cresa logo with yellow dots scattered on the right.

Christy and Bryan Cressey

Daube Family Foundation

Liz and Kent Dauten

deloitte logo with green period.

Debbie and Mike Dickerson

Andy Dunn

Michelle and Michael Episcope

Finnegan Family Foundation

Jenny and P. Jay Fortner

Linda and Bill Friend

Lauren and Brian Gallagher

Garling and Wilson Foundation

Paul Gearen

Julia and Mark Gerstein

Eve and John Goebel

Goldman Sachs gives logo with a grey line and gives underneath.

Goldman Sachs Chicago Office

Scott Goodman

Grant Thornton Logo with purple donut shape.

Donna and Jack Greenberg

Derek and Becca Goldstein Groothuis

Emily and Brian Grzelakowski

Erik Hammer

Ambassador Fay Hartog-Levin

JD Heinz

Tanner Holmes

Paul Hsu

Nichole and Scott Humphrey

Israel Idonije

iheartmedia logo with an antenna and audio waves inside a red heart.

Debbie and Pran Jha

Pete Kadens

Kirkland and Ellis Logo in blue.

Marcy and David Kirshenbaum

Knight Family Foundation

Cary Kochman

Harry Kraemer

Jeff Lampe

Kris and Nate Laurell

Jessica and Mats Lederhausen

Liz and Eric Lefkofsky

Millie Tadewaldt and Ben Levi

Stephanie and Michael Macakanja

Mayer Brown LLP

RRMF Logo in blue and grey.

Anne and Rob Metzger

Steve Miller

Hannah and Joe Musselman

Northern Trust

Julie and Jim O’Connor

Amy and Jim O’Donnell

Obama Foundation Logo with a black circular logo with the middle cut out and curved lines placed below.

Winnie Park

Shelley and Brett Paschke

Molly and Jim Perry

Dani Petrie

Ann and Steve Potter

pritzger traubert foundation logo with U shapes interlocking in the center of a circle in a circular arrangement.

Momei Qu and Nathan Tang

Deborah and Stephen Quazzo

John Raitt

Alyssa Rapp and Hal Morris

Paul Reilly

Mark Richey

Brian Richter

Jim and Michelle Ryan Family Foundation

Elizabeth and Derek Sammann

Muneer Satter

MacKenzie Scott

Joanne and Mike Sekulic

Jenny and Nick Semaca

Valerie and Lee Shapiro

Marie Tillman and Joe Shenton

sidley logo in blue.

Susan and John Simon

Gregory G. Simoncini and Ed Dudley

Karen and Jon Skinner

Jim Streibich

Mark Sullivan

Kurt Summers

Thierer Family Foundation

Genevieve Thiers and Dan Ratner

The Tullman Family

united way of metro chicago logo with blue hand below an orange stick person and yellow sun rays.

The University of Chicago

University of Illinois System

Nancy and Mark Van Grinsven

Weinberg Foundation logo inside a blue block with W's arranged next to one another in a circle.
Wilks Communications Group Logo with a line to the left and a large W to the left of the line.
William Blair logo in blue script.

Winforest Partners

Sam and Jessica Droste Yagan

Robin and Mike Zafirovski

Type

Lifelong Learnings Lead to GreenLight
A headshot of Hermilo Hinojosa with a nature background.

Insights

Lifelong Learnings Lead to GreenLight

Apr 29, 2024

Chicago

GreenLight Fund Names Ali Knight as Chief Executive Officer
A headshot of Ali Knight with a window in the background.

Announcement, News, Press Release

GreenLight Fund Names Ali Knight as Chief Executive Officer

Apr 16, 2024

GreenLight Fund Annual Impact Report July 2022 – June 2023
The cover photo of the annual impact report with a young woman wearing a yellow sweater standing outside with her arms crossed.

Insights

GreenLight Fund Annual Impact Report July 2022 – June 2023

Oct 20, 2023

Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Greater Newark, Kansas City, National, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Twin Cities

GreenLight Announces Founding Executive Director for Chicago
A headshot of Milo Hinojosa with a tan background.

Announcement, News, Press Release

GreenLight Announces Founding Executive Director for Chicago

Jul 19, 2023

Chicago

National nonprofit GreenLight Fund announces Chicago location
The GreenLight Fund Logo with a green flag shaped background.

Media Mention

Crain's

National nonprofit GreenLight Fund announces Chicago location

Jan 26, 2023

Chicago

The GreenLight Fund Launches GreenLight Chicago, its 12th Site

Announcement, News, Press Release

The GreenLight Fund Launches GreenLight Chicago, its 12th Site

Jan 26, 2023

Chicago

Join our work in Chicago

We rely on champions and supporters who believe in the power and potential of community-driven change.