Over the past several months, we’ve been listening closely to partners across Chicagoland and Illinois.

What we heard was clear: organizations on the frontlines of health, housing, safety, and economic stability are navigating an increasingly fraught policy and funding landscape. More than 60% of partners reported experiencing or anticipating funding reductions tied to federal changes. At the same time, many are facing growing demand for services and taking on new responsibilities

Just as clearly, partners told us what they need most in this moment: flexible, general operating support to help them adapt, stay responsive, and continue serving their communities. In response, the Michael Reese Health Trust recently awarded nearly $1 million in one-time, flexible general operating grants to more than 40 of our existing grantee partners.

These grants are intentionally unrestricted to be as responsive as possible to what our partners truly need and required no application or reporting. This support helps organizations remain nimble in a rapidly changing environment—whether that means responding to policy changes, supporting staff and operations, strengthening advocacy efforts, or addressing emerging community needs. While we acknowledge these responsive grants cannot replace the scale of funding cuts many organizations are facing or offset the growing demand for services, these dollars help provide some added flexibility and stability as partners navigate this moment. 

In making these awards, we prioritized partners most affected by funding instability and increased demand. This includes organizations with significant reliance on public funding, smaller operating budgets, and those serving communities disproportionately impacted by current policy shifts, including immigrants and migrants, survivors of violence, LGBTQ+ communities, people living with HIV, and individuals experiencing homelessness. 

Beyond Grantmaking

At the same time, we know that funding alone is not enough. In this moment, Michael Reese is leaning into other ways of supporting our partners as both a funder and a doer. 

That can look like Staying Strong, a rapid response advocacy and learning collaborative, where we activate our network to coordinate the response to new threats. It can look like the Health First Collaborative, where we bring funders and communities together to advance long-term health solutions. It can look like the broad spectrum of our work over the past year, where we have convened organizations to share strategies and build power, served as thought partners to leaders navigating federal changes, and worked with funders to align resources and increase impact.

Responsive philanthropy means listening to partners, moving quickly when circumstances change, and showing up in multiple ways to meet the moment.

We are continually inspired by the resilience, leadership, and innovation of our grantee partners. Their work is essential to advancing health, dignity, and equity across Illinois. As the landscape continues to evolve, we remain committed to listening, learning, and responding alongside our partners.

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Stay connected to how we’re funding and doing alongside partners.

Michael Reese Health Trust announces the first round of grants from the Prairie State Access Fund, awarding $1 million in flexible funding to four organizations across Illinois’ reproductive and sexual healthcare ecosystem: Chicago Abortion Fund, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, Repro TLC, and the Red Tent Fund.

Illinois has become a critical access point for reproductive and sexual healthcare, serving patients from across the Midwest and the country,” said Ameya Pawar, President and CEO of Michael Reese Health Trust. “These grants are an important first step in ensuring that the providers and organizations meeting this demand have the resources they need to sustain care today and build resilience for the future.

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Prairie State Access Fund seeks to raise $5M between now and the end of 2026. Please reach out to Leah Israel and Camille Salcetti at philanthropy@liletteadvisors.com for more information.

Learn more: https://wearemichaelreese.org/prairie-state-access-fund/

The Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee (JEDI) of the Michael Reese Health Trust proudly celebrates National Social Work Month 2026 and this year’s powerful theme, “Social Workers: Uplift. Defend. Transform.” Selected by the National Association of Social Workers, this theme highlights the essential role social workers play in uplifting communities, defending dignity and human rights, and transforming systems to advance equity and health. 

This theme captures the heart of social work and deeply aligns with Michael Reese’s mission to partner with the Chicagoland community to advance and advocate for lasting health solutions for all people—regardless of race, sex, gender, religion, income, or zip code. 

Uplift. Like social workers, we elevate individuals and communities by connecting them to resources and building their strengths. We strengthen the health workforce — especially community health workers — by expanding programs, improving systems, and supporting fair pay so this essential profession is recognized as a key part of our health infrastructure. 

Defend. We advocate for and protect vulnerable populations. Our work to address domestic violence and end homelessness focuses on breaking cycles of harm and advancing stronger, more coordinated systems that ensure access to safety and stable housing. 

Transform. We are committed to lasting, systemic change. From advancing health equity to honoring our Jewish legacy by supporting providers and advocates serving the Jewish community in Chicagoland, our goal is enduring impact.  

Social work — and Michael Reese — are not just about delivering services. Social workers support and empower communities every day. We complement these efforts by funding programs, supporting partners, and advocating for systemic change, guided by our JEDI principles and our commitment to uplifting, defending, and transforming communities across Chicagoland. 

Learn more about the many ways Michael Reese Health Trust is advancing a healthier future for every Chicagoan. > 

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Background: 

The JEDI Accelerator is responsible for ensuring Michael Reese remains committed to building a culture that is inclusive, welcoming, and supportive of all backgrounds. Grounded in a strong board and staff partnership, we center our organization around a commitment to listening to and learning from one another and our community partners. By creating a safe and nurturing space for our combined teams to grow and learn, we can ensure that no matter where or when we engage, we are fostering a strong sense of community. 

The Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee (JEDI) of the Michael Reese Health Trust proudly recognizes and celebrates Black History Month. This year marks 100 years since the founding of Black History Week in 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, which later evolved into Black History Month. It honors the enduring contributions, leadership, resilience, and achievements of Black people in shaping the United States and the world.

We believe one of the most meaningful ways to celebrate these contributions is by working to advance an inclusive and equitable society—one where Black history, and the histories of other marginalized communities, are accurately taught, represented, and valued.

Michael Reese takes a moment to reflect on the stories that have shaped our nation and the work that remains to ensure justice and equity for all. That ongoing work is central to the mission of the Michael Reese Health Trust, which carries forward the founders’ vision of the Michael Reese Hospital as a place of care, compassion, and inclusion, regardless of creed, nationality, or race.

Together, we celebrate the past, honor the present, and commit to building a more just and equitable future where the achievements of Black communities inspire meaningful action, equity is advanced across our society, and every individual has the opportunity to thrive.

We invite you to join us in learning, reflecting, and taking action to advance equity in our communities throughout Black History Month and beyond.

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Background:

The JEDI Accelerator is responsible for ensuring Michael Reese remains committed to building a culture that is inclusive, welcoming and supportive of all backgrounds. Grounded in a strong board and staff partnership, we center our organization around a commitment to listening to and learning from one another and our community partners. By creating a safe and nurturing space for our combined teams to grow and learn, we can ensure that no matter where or when we engage, we are fostering a strong sense of community.

The Chicago Healthcare Workplace Wellbeing Collaborative (WWC) is now accepting proposals to support the wellbeing, resilience, and retention of healthcare workers serving Chicago’s most under-resourced communities. 

Funding is intended to support innovative, staff-informed strategies that address burnout, secondary trauma, job insecurity, and other workplace challenges facing the healthcare safety net during this critical moment, with one-time strategic grants of $10,000 or $20,000 awarded to healthcare providers in the city of Chicago.

Learn more:

The application period is now closed. Successful grant recipients will be notified in April 2026.

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Background: 

Led by the Sprague Foundation in partnership with Michael Reese Health Trust and other peer funders throughout Chicago, the Chicago Healthcare Workplace Wellbeing Collaborative (WWC) was established to address the challenges facing employees within the healthcare safety net, particularly those tied to recent federal actions including funding cuts, executive orders, and legislative and policy shifts. 

Please reach out with any questions to healthworkforcewellbeing@gmail.com

Building on decades of work to prevent domestic violence and support survivors, Michael Reese Health Trust, in partnership with the VNA Foundation, conducted a landscape scan of domestic violence prevention efforts focused on people who cause harm.

The resulting report identifies urgent challenges as well as new opportunities for how Cook County supports survivors, interrupts cycles of harm, and keeps families safe.

Download the full report here: Reaching People Who Cause Harm: Policies, Funding, and Strategies in Cook County

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Stay connected for the latest updates and news. 

At Michael Reese Health Trust, our hearts are heavy as we witness the ongoing acts of antisemitism here and abroad, alongside gun violence that continues to cause profound harm, fear, and loss. We grieve for those affected in Sydney, Australia, and at Brown University. 

As the first candle of Hanukkah is lit tonight, we are reminded that light can – and must – prevail over darkness. For that light to endure, it requires courage, collective responsibility, and action. Institutions and individuals alike have a responsibility to confront antisemitism wherever it exists and reject violence in all its forms.

Michael Reese Health Trust stands unequivocally against antisemitism and all forms of hate. Grounded in our Jewish values, we are committed to supporting the Jewish community and to working with partners locally and nationally to reject violence, defend human dignity, and advance safety and health for all.  

May the lights of Hannukah bring strength, comfort, and hope.  

We’re excited to welcome Emily Metz as the inaugural Program Director, Housing and Health at Michael Reese Health Trust.  

In this role, Emily will help shape and refine our housing and health vision, expanding the organization’s reach and deepening its impact. She will guide our current strategy while also identifying new opportunities to address housing insecurity in alignment with broader housing and community development initiatives. Through her work, Emily will foster collaboration among community, public, and private partners to drive systemic change and help ensure every Chicagoan has a safe place to call home. 

Join us in welcoming Emily to the Michael Reese Health Trust team! 

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About Emily:

Emily Metz is a seasoned public policy leader who is deeply committed to ensuring all Chicagoans have equitable access to the safe and stable housing needed to lead healthy lives. She most recently served as the Program Director of Housing Stability at the University of Chicago’s Inclusive Economy Lab and Health Lab for nearly a decade. In this role, she led a team that partnered closely with social services agencies, practitioners, and people with lived expertise to increase the evidence base of what works in promoting housing stability and preventing and ending homelessness. Under her leadership, her team helped design, launch, and rigorously evaluate innovative homeless prevention and housing programs and ensure policymakers use findings to advocate for additional resources, more effective policies, and changes to practice on the ground. 

Over her two-decades long professional career in both public service roles and the non-profit sector, Emily has endeavored to ensure that public policies and program administration reflect evidence-based practice and the perspectives of the people directly impacted by them, including at Chicago Public Schools Central Office, the City of Chicago’s Office of the Mayor, and the Center for Neighborhood Technology. 

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.  

Emily is a lifelong Chicagoan who deeply loves this city and its residents. Outside of her professional work, Emily is immersed in raising three young children with her husband and lots of local grandparents and extended family support. She enjoys cooking (and eating!) delicious food, taking advantage of the lakefront in the summer, and any physical activity she can fit into her week.  

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Stay connected for the latest updates and news. 

This legislation will profoundly and irrevocably harm society and threaten the health and wellness of communities in our region. 

On July 3, 2025, Congress approved a budget bill that slashes more than $1 trillion from Medicaid, SNAP, and other essential safety net programs— gutting critical supports that people across the country rely on to survive. With new work requirements, stricter eligibility rules, and reduced state-level funding, this legislation will destabilize the providers and systems our communities depend on most. 

The consequences of this bill will be swift and severe. 

We are grateful to the advocates across Illinois who have sounded the alarm, built a path forward and fought tirelessly to lessen this bill’s impact. We stand alongside our partners, such as Protect Our Care Illinois (funded through HFC), the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, and Legal Council for Health Justice, whose work is critical in this moment. 

Some Key Takeaways: 

• Changes to SNAP will slash benefits for more than 360,000 residents across Illinois. 

• Illinois and most other states will have to cover a greater portion of costs for SNAP under the law, including benefits based on the state’s error rate of over- and under-payments on benefits.  

• Those now at risk of losing work exemptions in Illinois include 23,000 unhoused people, veterans and youth who have aged out of foster care. 

• Millions of Americans will lose health care, including an estimated 330,000 Illinoisans. In Illinois, Medicaid covers one in four people in Illinois — 3.4 million in our state — including 1.5 million children. 

• The bill threatens hundreds of reproductive health care clinics across the country, forcing the closure of 200 Planned Parenthood clinics—90% of which are located in states where abortion is legal. 

As these harmful provisions take effect—some immediately and others by 2027—they will deepen longstanding inequities and create new barriers for communities already pushed to the margins. This is more than a budget decision; it is a step away from care, justice, and equity. 

Michael Reese Health Trust is committed to protecting and strengthening the systems that support people’s health and well-being. We will continue to learn about the impacts of the law, work in solidarity with stakeholders and experts to reduce its harm, invest in safety net programs, and uplift approaches that prioritize care, dignity, and access. Initiatives like Staying Strong and the Health First Collaborative (HFC) exemplify how we are working in partnership with communities to meet urgent needs. 

This moment calls for collective action, solidarity, and fierce compassion. We remain dedicated to supporting the well-being of our partners and fostering resilience within the communities they serve.  

Together, we will continue to stand united — advocating for inclusive, equitable, and healthy communities with the urgency this moment demands. 

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Stay connected for the latest updates and news.  

Contact Dr. Rashonda Johnson, Program Director, Strategic Initiatives for more information on Health First Collaborative.   

Contact Jennifer Rosenkranz, Program Director, Domestic Violence for more information on Staying Strong.