The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced grants and investments totaling $11.6 million in support of Chicago nonprofit organizations working to spur economic development in low-income neighborhoods, create opportunities for youth, prevent violence, promote police reform and accountability, and support the arts and culture.

Grant recipients include the Chicago Community Loan Fund, which will receive a $5 million program-related investment and a $1.4 million grant to support the development of retail shopping opportunities in low-income and transitioning Chicago neighborhoods as identified by Chicago TREND (Transforming Retail Economics of Neighborhood Development); the Greater Chatham Initiative, which was awarded $500,000 in support of its efforts to improve four low-income Southside neighborhoods; Youth Guidance, which will receive $500,000 to expand its programs, including school-based counseling programs designed to help youth overcome life obstacles and improve their academic performance; Chicago Latino Theater Alliance, which was awarded $750,000 in support of its efforts to strengthen the infrastructure for Latino writers and actors in Chicago; and Nonprofit Impact Awareness Fund at the Chicago Community Trust, which educates state policy makers about the effects of the state budget impasse and the resulting erosion of services on the economy and people of Illinois.

"MacArthur is deeply committed to Chicago," said MacArthur Foundation president Julia Stasch. "These new awards build on our long local history and our commitment to help address some of the city's most pressing challenges — from spurring economic development and creating jobs in struggling neighborhoods to preventing violence, from promoting police reform and accountability to creating opportunities for youth."