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."

More on TelAve News

• Vierra Communities Adds Operations of Two Skilled Nursing Facilities in the DC Metro Area
• Slotozilla Introduces a Centralized Resource for World Cup Bonus Offers
• Webinar Announcement: Built for Trust: Latitude's 0 to 1 Compliance Playbook for Modern Cross-Border Payments
• OneVizion Names AI Leader Matthew Kirk as Chief Operating Officer to Drive Governed AI Across Telecom and Electric Utilities
• Dentists launch independent platform to help practices choose the right technology

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.

More on TelAve News

• Contracting Resources Group Recognized by The Daily Record as a 2026 In the Lead: Best Women-Owned Businesses Honoree
• Woodforest Acceptance Solutions and AlpacaBOSS Launch Partnership
• New "Lakeside Picnic Ride" Package in Japan's Lake Chuzenji region of Nikko: July 1- November 30, 2026
• Former MP Shri GV Harsha Kumar Meets AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge
• Two Attorneys at The Stanley Law Group Named to 2026 South Carolina Super Lawyers List

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

---

Show All News | Disclaimer | Report Violation