Community Organizations Learning Lifting and Building
The COLLAB Network strengthens West Side food access organizations through substantial grants, collaborative training, and resource-sharing opportunities that build capacity and amplify their collective impact on community nutrition.
Training on program design, evaluation, and implementation
Peer networking and collaboration
$40,000 grants to support programming
Fillmore Center Laundry Linen
The Fillmore Center Laundry Linen project brings hospital laundry services back to the West Side, creating local jobs and economic opportunities while reducing environmental costs through community-focused hiring practices.
Keeps jobs and investment local (up to 300 jobs at full scale)
Hires West Side residents, including formerly incarcerated individuals
Cuts environmental and transportation costs
Food Equity Collaborative
The Food Equity Collaborative unites diverse West Side organizations to coordinate resources, share strategies, and implement innovative solutions that collectively combat food insecurity across the community.
Sharing resources and strategies
Coordinating efforts (like volunteer recruitment and grocery initiatives)
Amplifying grassroots innovations
Local Procurement
Local Procurement redirects millions in hospital purchasing power to West Side businesses, creating jobs and economic stability while helping local vendors secure valuable institutional contracts that fuel community growth.
Vendor readiness support
Access to a West Side vendor directory
Ongoing push to grow local contracts (already $40M+ spent annually)
Impact Investing
Impact Investing channels hospital and partner resources through mission-driven lenders to fuel West Side businesses, affordable housing, and community projects, creating sustainable economic growth and opportunity for residents.
Mission-driven CDFIs that support small businesses, nonprofits, and housing
A focus on local economic growth and reinvestment
West Side Healthy Parents and Babies
West Side Healthy Parents and Babies combats maternal health disparities by connecting expecting mothers with doulas, consultants, and social support services for healthier pregnancies and empowered beginnings in their own neighborhoods.
Doulas, lactation consultants, and care coordinators
Screenings for social needs like food and housing
Referrals to appropriate healthcare and social services
Wellness West
Wellness West embeds community health workers in trusted local spaces to connect West Side residents with chronic conditions to vital healthcare services, creating a proactive bridge to treatment and support.
Embedding community health workers in trusted local orgs
Providing screenings, education, and care navigation
Community Food Investment
Community Food Investment builds sustainable nutrition security on the West Side through community-led projects like grocery store development and innovative food retail solutions that address long-term food access while strengthening local economies.
Healthy Chicago Equity Zones
Healthy Chicago Equity Zones combats health disparities by addressing root social and economic factors through community-driven programs that ensure all Chicagoans have equal opportunities for health and wellbeing.
Community-driven program design
Hyper-local implementation
Partnerships with grassroots organizations
The Sankofa Wellness Village
The Sankofa Wellness Village transforms West Garfield Park through comprehensive healthcare services and community revitalization initiatives, creating opportunity in a historically underserved neighborhood.
Live Healthy Chicago
Live Healthy Chicago tackles hypertension in West Side communities through comprehensive screenings, care connections, and improved clinical protocols to reduce health disparities and extend lives.
Community screenings and outreach
Connection to healthcare homes for Medicaid/uninsured
Clinic support to adopt best practices in care
Workforce Development
West Side United creates sustainable career pathways by helping residents transition from entry-level positions to clinical roles through comprehensive support programs that simultaneously benefit local hospitals and strengthen community economic stability.
Supporting training for clinical roles (e.g., medical assistants)
Covering tuition, supplies, transportation
Hosting hospital-based hiring events
Aligning hospital HR policies with inclusive hiring goals
Small Business Accelerator
West Side United's Small Business Accelerator provides grants, coaching and professional connections to help local entrepreneurs overcome resource gaps and build sustainable businesses that strengthen the West Side economy.
Grant funding (non-repayable)
Professional coaching (brand marketing, financial support)
Connections to hospital contract opportunities
Hospital Food Pantry Network
The Hospital-Food Pantry Network pairs local hospitals with food pantries to strengthen emergency food resources and create a seamless connection between healthcare and food security for West Side residents.
Pairs hospitals with local pantries to:
Build pantry capacity
Support patients experiencing food insecurity
Foster collaboration and best-practice sharing among pantries