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Mayor Brandon Johnson, Chicago Department of Family and Support Services Announce $750,000 In Micro-grant Awards for Community-based, Youth-serving Organizations

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CHICAGO – Today, Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) are thrilled to announce the recipients of the City of Chicago's 2026 My CHI. My Future. (MCMF) Micro-Grants. Previously funded in 2024 through American Rescue Plan Act Dollars, the MCMF Micro-Grant program has been revitalized for 2026 using Corporate Funds and will support community-based, youth-serving organizations in creating new or enhancing existing opportunities for positive youth engagement on the South and West sides. Forty-three small grants are being awarded to organizations citywide.

"Chicago's young people deserve every opportunity to learn, lead, and grow, and we know that the organizations rooted in our neighborhoods are best positioned to help them reach their full potential," said Mayor Brandon Johnson. "These micro-grants are an investment in the trusted community leaders who create safe spaces, develop young people's talents, and open doors to new opportunities. We will continue making investments in our young people and the organizations that serve them because building a stronger, safer Chicago begins with investing in our neighborhoods."

The Micro-Grants program is being administered by SGA Youth & Family Services (SGA). In total, $750,000 in micro-grants will be distributed across 15 MCMF Community Strategy Regions. Individual grants range from $7,000 to $20,000 each.

"DFSS is deeply grateful to the Johnson Administration for its continued commitment to expanding opportunities for our city's youth," said DFSS Commissioner Angela Green. "With the distribution of these grants, we are strengthening the capacity of many fantastic organizations across our city to meet the needs of youth in their communities. These programs have the power to change lives."

The Micro-Grant Program provides flexible funding to community-based organizations creating meaningful opportunities for youth, including paid and stipended experiences that support leadership growth and career exploration. The Micro-Grant model is an important strategy for advancing equitable access to public resources. By streamlining the application and reporting process for organizations, the program helps ensure that resources reach communities efficiently and support locally driven initiatives that create positive outcomes for young people.

Among the micro-grant recipients is Future Ties, a Greater Grand Crossing-based organization providing whole-family support including after-school programs for children, teen workforce development, parent mentoring programs, case management and more.

"We are deeply honored to receive the 2026 My CHI. My Future. Micro-Grant Award," said Jennifer Maddox, founder of Future Ties. "This investment will allow Future Ties to expand safe, engaging, and enriching summer opportunities where young people can learn, build meaningful relationships, and develop the skills they need to succeed. We are grateful to the City of Chicago and SGA for believing in our mission and partnering with us to create brighter futures for the youth and families of Greater Grand Crossing."

Also receiving a micro-grant is La Villita Community Church, a bilingual church based in Little Village.

"We are sincerely grateful to be recipients of this grant," said a representative for La Villita Community Church. "This summer, nine young adults between the ages of 16 and 23 dedicated five weeks of full-time service to our summer camp program, serving without the guarantee of compensation. This funding will allow us to recognize their commendable commitment through well-deserved stipends and will further enable us to organize meaningful field trips for the children in our community."

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An additional micro-grant recipient is Luv City, located in North Lawndale, which uses multimedia production as a tool for addressing systemic injustices that can lead to violence.

"At Luv City, we believe every young person deserves a safe place to discover their talents and build a future full of possibility," said Luv City Founder and CEO Andre Rodriguez. "This funding allows us to reach more youth this summer through multimedia production programming and mentorship, while creating opportunities to amplify the voices and talents of both young people and local content creators through our Luv City Summer Fest community showcase event in North Lawndale. We are incredibly grateful to DFSS and SGA for investing in Chicago's young people and the creative future of our communities."

SGA was chosen as the administrator of the 2026 MCMF Micro-Grants program after having previously been selected by DFSS through a 2023 Request for Proposals (RFP) process due to their long history of serving Chicago's youth and families. SGA has been serving the Chicago community since 1911 and is primarily responsible for selecting and administering micro-grants to successful applicants. SGA implemented the Micro-Grant program in 2024 with great success, awarding grants to 62 organizations who served nearly 6,000 young people including more than 500 paid opportunities for youth.

"SGA Youth & Family Services is thrilled to partner with DFSS again on this exciting initiative" said SGA CEO and President Martha Guerrero. "These special funds allow organizations to offer innovative programs not covered by other dollars. Youth across the city will learn and grow from a diverse array of services, including sports, arts, civic engagement, tech and workforce. We look forward to supporting the awardees in bringing their programs to life."

The following table contains the 2026 awardees of the Micro-Grant program:

Agency Name  Region  Program Name  
Alliance 98 Little Village The Athletic Club 98 Summer Series  
Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago Chicago Lawn Fairfield Academy Summer Bridge Program
Black United Fund of Illinois South Shore I.Y.V. League (Inspiring Young Visionaries) Program / Neat Visionaries
Box United Back of the Yards Fight Like a Girl: Back of the Yards
Chicago City Soccer Club Brighton Park HER League with Chicago City Soccer Club
Chicago Mobile Makers Humboldt Park Community Makers 101
Children's Place Association Humboldt Park Child Thrive Summer Camp
Christ for Life Motorcycle Club Belmont Cragin Career Trade Workshops
Community Television Network Austin The Austin Safe Spaces Video Project  
Creative Netwerk Garfield Park  Creative Netwerk
Darrin's Voice Austin Creative Connections: Austin Fall Family Activation
Foundation for Bryan A Leach Greater Grand Crossing Hoopers 2 Heaven - Back to School Youth Basketball Tournament Event  
Future Ties Greater Grand Crossing Future Summer Ties
Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative Garfield Park Quality of Life Planning  
Girls in the Game North Lawndale Fall Day of Play
Holy Family Ministries North Lawndale Adventures in Learning
Hughes Who Technologies Studio Greater Roseland Area Gaming the Future with Technology and AI
I Am You Wraparound Services 2-0 Belmont Cragin Access 360 - Social Entrepreneurs Reimagining Value & Engagement: Runway and Real Lives
Jackson Park Golf Association South Shore JPGA Caddie Workforce Development Grant
Kingdom Avenue Greater Englewood Area B.U.I.L.D.E.R.S.
Kuumba Lynx Greater Englewood Area Englewood Leaders in Liberation
La Villita Community Church Little Village  Arcoiris Summer Camp Program
LaYon's Butterfly Effect Back of the Yards  Polish with Purpose
Lighthouse Foundation of Chicagoland Auburn Gresham Launch Collective: Skate To Success  
Little Village Environmental Justice Organization Little Village  LVEJO's Youth Program - Empowering Youth for Multigenerational Leadership
Love To Serve Greater Roseland Area Safe Courts, Strong Futures: A My CHI. My Future. Youth Enrichment Initiative
Men of Purpose Mentoring Greater Englewood Area  Healthy Men Successful Men
Obbas Way Charities Greater Roseland Area  Art Of Kingship (Leadership Development)  
Protege Project Auburn Gresham Protege Youth Innovation Collective
Raw Talent Performing Arts Greater Englewood Area  Creative Futures, Healing Arts
Red Well Foundation Greater Grand Crossing First Step Sneaker Clinic
Season To Soar Greater Englewood Area Global Leadership Youth Program
Serving People with a Mission North Lawndale Hand-n-Hand Leadership Program  
South Shore Drill Team & Performing Arts Ensemble Greater Grand Crossing South Shore Drill Team: Peaceful, Powerful, Impactful Summer
Southwest Collective Gage Park Riding with Southwest Collective
Starr Community Services International Auburn Gresham STEAM INTO THE FUTURE: Summer Camp Park Tour
Teens Take On Climate Gage Park Gage Park Green & Growing Clubs
Twist and Shout School of the Performing Arts Brighton Park Outsider Art – Everybody is an Artist
Two Five Three Two Corp DBA Luv City North Lawndale Luv City Summer Institute and Luv City Summer Fest 2026
Victory Missionary Baptist Church of Chicago Chicago Lawn S.T.E.P. Forward
Wallace Broadview Foundation Garfield Park  Next Level Saturdays
Walls Turned Sideways Garfield Park  Liberation Lab
Westside Health Authority Austin Summertime Chi Series

The Community areas served by this program are as follows: Auburn Gresham, Austin, New City, Belmont Cragin, Brighton Park, Chicago Lawn, Gage Park, East Garfield Park, West Garfield Park, Englewood, West Englewood, Greater Grand Crossing, Pullman, Roseland Area, West Pullman, Humboldt Park, South Lawndale, North Lawndale, South Deering, and South Shore.

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Visit sga-youth.org/micro-grants/ to learn more.

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