Bright Promises 2023 Impact Report:
Who We Serve

2023 Community Partner Spotlight

Last year, Bright Promises partnered with 23 community organizations to serve 10,160 children and youth. Our initiatives targeted young people’s most urgent, underrecognized needs that were identified by leading experts: healing the trauma caused by racism, providing high-quality early childhood education and care, and engaging youth as leaders. 

Through each of our initiatives, Bright Promises partners with the most creative, innovative, and effective organizations to create change in our communities. Read on to explore just a few examples of the impact of these partnerships on the lives and futures of thousands of children and youth…

Healing Youth Racial Trauma

Bright Promises Healing, Leading, Changing initiative began in response to intense and pervasive conditions of structural racism in society and that were aggravated during the pandemic. Such repeated exposure to racism can cause mental distress and trauma, especially amongst youth from communities of color.  

The Healing, Leading, Changing initiative seeks to improve outcomes related to youth racial trauma, including: increased autonomy amongst youth to address racial trauma, reduced symptoms of race-based stress, and increased environments of healing.  

2023-23 Grantee Partners:

• A Long Walk Home

• Alternatives  

• Arab American Action Network (AAAN)  

• BUILD, Inc.

• Chicago Freedom School  

• Gads Hill Center

• Girls Inc. of Chicago  

• Love, Unity & Values Institute  

• Northwest Side Housing Center  

• Palenque LSNA  

• Project: VISION, Inc.

• REAL Youth Initiative (ICOY)  

• UCAN

Our Mission in Action:

‍Alternatives Youth Leadership Development program provides opportunities for young people to build leadership skills and tackle issues in their communities. Youth challenge expectations and voice their concerns on the issues that matter most to them. With the support of Bright Promises, Alternatives delivers anti-racist, trauma-informed activities to help youth become change-makers in their lives and communities.  

“Our organization is building a Chicagoland where all children and youth reach their full potential by empowering youth to create a just future with practices that heal individuals, restore communities and transform systems...”

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Through Girls Inc. of Chicago’s Bold Girls Society, a citywide Ambassador program for girls of color, young girls discuss and address community issues from women's rights, feminism, and womanism to racism, colorism, and discrimination. With the support of Bright Promises, Girls Inc encouraged girls to take concrete steps to address racial trauma and promote racial healing. The Bold Girls Society encourages girls to advocate for gender equity and lead boldly.
 

“Our youth demonstrated growth in emotional intelligence, empathy, and active listening skills during discussions on racial healing and trauma.”

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Early Childhood Development

Through the Early Childhood Education Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP), Bright Promises supports Early Childhood Centers (ECC) institutionalize quality improvement projects to enhance children’s well-being by encouraging a love for learning and promote a healthy physical and mental development. For over 10 years, EQUIP has provided support to ECCs serving low-income children across Cook County.

2023-23 Grantee Partners:  

• A House in Austin

• Chicago Commons

• Children's Place

• Christopher House

• Concordia Place

• Onward Neighborhood House

• Trinity UCC Child Care Centers, Inc. (TUCC)

Our Mission in Action:

Concordia Place delivered "The ABC's of Anti-Bias Education" training to staff to ensure that anti-bias education is the foundation of their early care and education programs. With the support of Bright Promises, 93% of participants reported an increase in knowledge of anti-bias for themselves or their families.

“I learned SO much!”

“I learned how important it is to talk to children young.”

“I learned new ways of approaching topics of race and bias with my children.”

Each year, between 25 – 35% of children at Onward Neighborhood House have an identified disability with 73% of children with an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) needing some form of speech therapy. With the support of Bright Promises, Onward House engaged a speech-language pathologist (SPL) and greatly improved the staff’s capacity to serve children with developmental delays.

“It is our responsibility to fully support children with special needs and their families.”

“An improved ability to communicate builds confidence through social-emotional growth and enriches all aspects of the learning experience.”

Youth Leadership & Engagement

In 2022, in honor of Iris Krieg, Executive Director of Bright Promises from 2008 to 2021, the Foundation established The Iris Krieg Fund for Fairness, Access, Inclusion, and Resiliency (Iris Krieg F. A. I. R. Fund) to support programs that engage youth to develop leadership skills, promote equity, and combat discrimination through social justice, advocacy, and activism.

Grants support social justice programs rooted in the four core tenets of this fund:

• ‍Fairness - A society rooted in justice where all young people are treated as they deserve.

• ‍Access - A society where all young people have equal and equitable opportunities and where any actual or potential barriers preventing equitable participation are removed.

• Inclusion - A society that eliminates all forms of exclusion and discrimination and seeks, develops, and values the talents of all young people.

• Resiliency - A society where young people are taught the skills to navigate life successfully and to thrive under any circumstances.

2023-23 Grantee Partners:

• Equip for Equality

• Storytellers Theatre

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Our Mission in Action:

StoryCatchers Theatre’s Temporary LockDown program engages system-impacted youth in the restorative power of healing arts. Youth at Cook County JTDC participate in forms of artistic self-expression through mediums including song, spoken word, poetry, and writing. Artistic expression is combined with counseling and conflict-resolution, helps youth learn and develop essential skills in communication, leadership, and problem solving. With the support of Bright Promises, Storycatchers Theatre helps these young people envision new futures and embrace their potential.

"Once young people recognize the root causes of the challenges, they can begin to manage their behaviors so that past struggles do not determine the shape of their futures."

Equip for Equality’s Education Justice Project offers legal assistance to youth with disabilities who have experienced or are at-risk of experiencing police contact, court involvement, or incarceration. Equip provides legal advice, education, representation, and advocacy to reduce these young people's involvement in the legal system and helps them secure appropriate services in the community.

“The youth we serve are resilient;” "They are full of skills, creativity, and promise. Our services help them find their voices to build on that resiliency to ensure they get the opportunities they deserve.”

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Cover image provided by A House in Austin.