Our Impact

$43M in hospital purchasing directed to nearly 300 local vendors

1,091 West Side residents hired (7,000+ since 2018)

$2.85M added to a $10.5M investment pool

$16.2M cycled in community loans

Nearly 200,000 residents served across 10 neighborhoods

Advanced initiatives include: Sankofa Wellness Village, Madison-Hamlin grocery, Fillmore laundry enterprise, Healthy Parents & Babies, Wellness West.

16-person team

Won $10M Chicago Prize

Launched Wellness West

Distributed 106K masks, 92K COVID tests, 244K meals

Delivered 2,810 produce bags

Enrolled 185 families

$14.4M in impact investments

$179M in local procurement

$400K to 40 small businesses

17-member Community Advisory Council

Advanced workforce development initiatives

Served 562K residents across 10 communities

$34.5M local procurement to 378 vendors

Hired 1,262 residents

$10.8M in investments via 107 community loans

Created 129 jobs

Distributed 1M+ pounds of produce

Served 196K pantry clients

Provided 2,619 diaper packs, 8,520 wipes

Supplied 83 Pack-n-Plays, 47 car seats to 174 families

COVID response: 303K touchpoints, 81K masks

Delivered 244K meals, conducted 4,559 tracings

$90M hospital purchasing to local companies

$8.1M investments into 161 neighborhood loans

$1M to 70 small businesses, $500K to 29 entrepreneurs

Created 2,400 jobs toward 5,000 goal for 2023

$3M+ for COVID relief: 60K PPE units, $10K grants to 12 pantries

Oprah-backed $5M initiative: 120K meals, 9.5K PPE kits

148 youth internships (80% Black/Latinx)

$135K school-community hub, 1,000 blood-pressure monitors

Goal: Cut life-expectancy gap 50% by 2030

5 Latinx-majority communities with 325K residents

$3.6M+ in health grants, $5.3M+ in investments

$9.2M+ total funding impact

$353K to small businesses, $136K food support

161 vendor repository, 594 new local hires

670 paid internships

26K masks distributed, 74 vaccination events

Goal: Halve 16-year life-expectancy gap by 2030

5 comunidades latinas con 325K residentes

$3,6M en subvenciones, $5,3M en inversiones

$9,2M+ de impacto financiero total

$353K a pequeñas empresas, $136K en apoyo alimentario

Repositorio de 161 proveedores, 594 nuevas contrataciones

670 prácticas remuneradas

26K mascarillas, 74 jornadas de vacunación

Objetivo: Reducir a la mitad brecha de esperanza de vida para 2030

In its first year (Apr 2019–Mar 2020), West Side United’s AdvancingCities initiative simultaneously strengthened hospital career pathways—916 employees and community members applied to the Medical Assistant and Certified Nursing Assistant tracks, 60 enrolled and 12 already transitioned into Patient Care Technician roles​​—and fueled neighborhood entrepreneurship by awarding $497,000 in equity grants to 29 for‑profit small businesses chosen from 463 applicants​​, achievements driven by the Readiness Program launched a year early and an outreach strategy that quadrupled applications​, all advancing the coalition’s mission to cut Chicago’s 14‑year West Side–Loop life‑expectancy gap in half by 2030​​

In Year 2 of JPMorgan Chase’s AdvancingCities grant, West Side United’s Employee Professional Pathway enrolled 99 participants, saw 42 trainees finish with 37 new professional credentials and 28 graduates hired at a 94 % 90‑day retention rate (with cohort retention of 76 % for MAPP and 74 % for CNA), while its Small Business Accelerator Grant Pool disbursed $500,000 in fresh funding (bringing the total to $997,000) that fueled an average 41 % year‑over‑year revenue jump for grantees and safeguarded 88 % of their jobs despite the pandemic’s challenges.

From April 2019 to June 2022, West Side United’s Small Business Accelerator Grant Pool injected $1.46 million into Chicago’s West Side by awarding grants to 109 small businesses, which in turn realized an average 42 % year‑over‑year revenue increase and 162 % income growth (among grantees with prior income), created or retained 242 direct jobs and 384 contractor positions, saw 83 % of firms adopt new technology, attracted an additional $417,240 from 8 new funders, and improved the financial and overall wellbeing of nearly two‑thirds of participants despite pandemic headwinds.

West Side United’s Employee Professional Pathways (EPP) initiative—funded through JPMorgan Chase’s AdvancingCities—has, over four years, enrolled 292 West Side residents and incumbent hospital employees in 27 Medical Assistant, Certified Nursing Assistant, Health IT, and Phlebotomy cohorts, of whom 195 completed training, 139 earned industry certifications, and 100 were hired into higher‑wage clinical or IT roles with an exceptional 97 % 90‑day retention rate, while exit surveys showed 83 % overall satisfaction, 89 % willingness to recommend the program, and 79 % readiness to participate again—collectively underscoring its impact in diversifying and strengthening Chicago’s healthcare workforce.