Our Transition Period: How We’re Preparing for Future Grantmaking
Polk Bros. Foundation is in a two-year transition period as we prepare to launch new grantmaking strategies aligned with our three goals:
- Building Community Wealth Across Generations
- Closing the Life Expectancy Gap
- Fostering a Participatory, Multiracial Democracy
This period — fall 2024 through fall 2026 — is a time of listening, learning and intentional movement toward the future we all envision for Chicago.
During this time, we are not able to accept unsolicited requests for funding because the Foundation’s resources are largely committed to prioritizing transition grants.
What We’re Doing Now
$35M in Transition Grants
Flexible, multi-year grants that provide stability for 393 longtime grantee partners
~ $1M in Rapid Response Grants
Grants responding to immediate needs to help Chicago communities navigate urgent challenges and adapt to shifting conditions
Listening and Learning
Gathering insights from many sources, including:
- Conversations with grantee partners, community leaders and funding peers
- Reflections on past grantmaking
- Community recommendations
- Research and data analysis
- Formal Advisory Cohorts (see below)
- Small set of grantmaking opportunities (RFPs)
Strategy Refinement
Using what we learn to shape future strategies that meet the moment and build toward the future we all envision
Three new grant opportunities
To support community-driven work in Chicago while informing how we make grants in the future, we are issuing three Requests for Proposals (RFPs) between February 17 and May 4, 2026, totaling $3 million in grantmaking.
Each RFP will total $1 million in one-year grants and support progress toward one of the Foundation’s three new grantmaking goals: Closing the Life Expectancy Gap; Building Community Wealth, Across Generations; and Fostering a Participatory, Multiracial Democracy.
RFP Focus: Risk Reduction Strategies to Prevent Overdose
Polk Bros. Foundation Goal: Closing the Life Expectancy Gap
Overview: With this RFP, Polk Bros. Foundation is interested in supporting harm-mitigating programs, services, advocacy, and evidence-building for effective solutions that center the reduction of risk related to drug use and overdose.
Application Opens: February 17, 2026
LOI Deadline: March 16, 2026, 5pm
RFP Full Application Invitation Sent: April 20, 2026
RFP Full Application Deadline: May 15, 2026, 5pm
Grants Awarded: August 7, 2026
RFP Focus: Emerging Strategies to Advance Shared Ownership
Polk Bros. Foundation Goal: Building Community Wealth, Across Generations
Overview: This RFP represents a focused, time-bound investment in Chicago's community wealth-building ecosystem to advance shared ownership models, consistent with 501(c)(3) requirements, that create opportunities for low-income Chicagoans to collectively own their own labor and housing in ways that contribute to their individual, family and community resilience.
Application Opens: March 2, 2026
LOI Deadline: March 27, 2026, 5pm
RFP Full Application Invitation Sent: April 27, 2026
RFP Full Application Deadline: May 22, 2026, 5pm
Grants Awarded: August 7, 2026
RFP Focus: Next Generation Power-Building
Polk Bros. Foundation Goal: Fostering a Participatory, Multiracial Democracy
Overview: With this RFP, Polk Bros. Foundation seeks to nurture and elevate the civic leadership and brilliance that we know is abundant among young people across Chicago’s neighborhoods by supporting youth-led collective action initiatives that address specific issues of significance to young Chicagoans (up to age 26).
Application Opens: May 4, 2026
LOI Deadline: June 5, 2026, 5pm
RFP Full Application Invitation Sent: July 20, 2026
RFP Full Application Deadline: August 14, 2026, 5pm
Grants Awarded:
November 13, 2026
Polk Bros. Foundation Advisory Cohorts
To deepen listening and ensure future strategies reflect the realities of Chicago’s communities, we’ve established three Advisory Cohorts — one for each new goal:
- Closing the Life Expectancy Gap Advisory Cohort
- Building Community Wealth Across Generations Advisory Cohort
- Fostering a Participatory, Multiracial Democracy Advisory Cohort
Each cohort brings together trusted community and nonprofit leaders who offer insight, guidance and candid feedback to help shape strategy development. Cohort members will meet regularly from December 2025 through September 2026 and help ensure emerging strategies are grounded, relevant and responsive. Each of the twenty-seven participating organizations will receive a $75,000 unrestricted grant – totaling $2.025M in grants – in recognition of their time, partnership and leadership.
Advisory Cohort Members
Advisory Cohorts
What Comes Next
Late 2025Turning insights into ideas
In late 2025, we continued pulling together everything we’ve heard — from grantee conversations to research to community recommendations — and shaping draft ideas for how our future grantmaking can best support what communities say they need. Advisory Cohorts started to meet, giving us honest feedback and helping us see what’s strong and what needs work. Transition grants kept flowing so partners have stability while we plan ahead together.Early to mid-2026Refining and learning
In early to mid-2026, Advisory Cohorts stay active (through September), helping us sharpen those ideas and make sure they reflect real-world priorities. Draft strategies start turning into detailed plans. We’ll also test a very small set of grant opportunities, to be announced in February, to inform how we’ll fund our new goals.Fall 2026Launching new grant opportunities
In fall 2026, we’ll fully launch our new grantmaking strategies and open grantmaking aligned with our three goals. We’ll keep listening and learning.