On April 18, JPMorgan Chase announced West Side United and Chicago as one of five winning cities in its inaugural AdvancingCities Challenge. West Side United was chosen from among 245 applications across 45 states and 143 communities. The innovative health equity collaborative that is West Side United will receive a three-year, $3 million grant to undertake cross-cutting approaches to solving entrenched challenges in our community.

In collaboration with multiple West Side United partners, Civic Consulting Alliance staff organized and structured submission of the grant, which will support scaling initiatives in West Side United’s Economic Vitality focus area to:

• Connect low-wage healthcare workers on the West Side to in-demand, well-paying hospital career pathways that lead to financial security; and
• Support West Side entrepreneurs and help them take advantage of procurement opportunities at anchor institutions in order to grow their enterprises and create local jobs.

These initiatives are an integral part of West Side United’s strategy to address the social determinants of health for 550,000 residents of 10 West Side neighborhoods, with the overarching goal of reducing the 16-year life expectancy gap between residents of these neighborhoods and those of the Loop.

Congratulations to the West Side United team and to Chicago!

Learn more about our work with West Side United here and the AdvancingCities grant here.