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)
Strategy Refinement
Using what we learn to shape future strategies that meet the moment and build toward the future we all envision
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.