Introducing the Chicago Weaver Awards
Chicago Cares is partnering with the Aspen Institute's Weave: The Social Fabric Project to recognize 20 small, hyperlocal nonprofits in Chicago who are building trust, belonging, and connection!
The Weaver Awards are designed to celebrate and support weavers—everyday neighbors who are building relationships, strengthening belonging, and weaving trust into the social fabric of their communities.
You probably know a Weaver already building up the community. Let’s recognize and help them get $2500-$5000 and other resources to continue doing their important work.
What is weaving?
Weaving is the practice of building meaningful relationships that set the conditions for social trust to grow in communities.
It begins with a simple commitment: to see one another as equal in dignity, even when experiences and viewpoints differ.
Weaving invites people to:
- Discover what they have in common
- Learn how their differences can make the community stronger
- Work side by side toward common good.
Weaving can be formal or informal, and it is characterized by four qualities:
- Local: It brings together people who share the same neighborhood, town, or region
- Mutual: It celebrates everyone’s contributions and creates opportunities for everyone to both give and receive
- Welcoming: It invites people to join as they are
- Continuous: It builds relationships that deepen over time through ongoing engagement
What are the Weaver Awards?
The Weaver Awards recognize 20 small nonprofits working in Chicago who are leading efforts in their community to address local needs with $2,500-$5,000 grants.
Why are we launching the Weaver Awards in Chicago?
This is a pivotal moment for Chicago. Across the city, we see neighbors stepping up to care for one another even as social divisions, isolation, and disconnection deepen.
The Weaver Awards bring Chicago Cares’ mission to life by connecting people across lines of difference and strengthening the social fabric through shared action. Since 2017, our Community Investment Strategy has built hyperlocal partnerships in neighborhoods on Chicago’s South, West, and Northwest Sides.
We are bringing the Weaver Awards to Chicago to honor local leadership, celebrate acts of connection, and deepen the culture of belonging that is already taking root.
What will you get if you become a Weaver Awardee?
Each Weaver Awardee will receive a financial award of either $2,500 or $5,000 to celebrate and recognize their contributions to their community. In addition, each awardee will receive:
- Local and National Recognition: Awardees will be recognized both locally and nationally by the Aspen Institute alongside weavers from across the country.
- Learning Resources and Tools: Awardees will access learning resources and opportunities from the Aspen Institute.
- Networks and Connections: Awardees will access a network of other local weavers and can participate in networking events.
Who is eligible?
For an organization to be considered for an Award they need to:
- Operate in one of Chicago Cares’ core community areas of Chicago
- Have an annual budget under $250,000
- Have a project that helps connect neighbors and fosters relationships between them
- The project must be open to anyone in the community and address a shared need in the community. Weaver Awards can go towards projects that serve specific affinity groups (ex. veterans groups, language groups, women’s groups, student groups etc.), but participation cannot be restricted based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference or identity, political party, or faith.
- The project may not support a political party or policy
- The project must have a community nomination from a community member or organization from the area you serve
What makes a good candidate for a Weaver Award?
Weaving is characterized by four qualities:
- Local: It brings together people who share the same neighborhood, town, or region
- Mutual: It celebrates everyone’s contributions and creates opportunities for everyone to both give and receive
- Welcoming: It invites people to join as they are
- Continuous: It builds relationships that deepen over time through ongoing engagement
We are looking for organizations with projects or initiatives that reflect these qualities. We are looking for folks that get neighbors together to tackle a shared issue in their community. The project must also welcome anyone who wants to join it and foster relationships between participants.
How can you use the funds?
We believe that Weavers know best how to use the funds to connect their communities. The only requirement is that the funds are used for public benefit.
Who selects the Weaver Awardees?
A local advisory group, made up of local community advocates, will choose the Awardees. These are people who know the spirit of the community and Chicago’s neighborhoods. They care about weaving a strong social fabric and they know what it takes to do so.
Chicago Cares is thrilled to leverage the local community expertise of our lead agency partners to identify local Weavers. Once those Weavers apply, a collective of Chicago Cares volunteers and staff will review applications to confirm each application meets the requirements detailed below. Upon confirmation, we will support the Weaver in next steps to receive the supportive grant for their critical work.
About Chicago Cares
Chicago Cares mobilizes volunteers to build a stronger, more unified Chicago. We offer volunteer experiences and educational forums that change hearts and minds by moving people from awareness and connection to empathy and civic engagement. All programs are co-designed with community leaders from Chicago’s South, West, and Northwest sides to help fulfill the neighborhood’s own Quality-of-Life Plan, ensuring that every action contributes to the community’s long-term goals and catalyzes impactful, long-term investment.
The future of our city and country depends on connecting people across lines of difference. Community service is a powerful tool to do that. When we move community goals from the abstract and make them personal and real to volunteers and companies, that is when big, bold commitments happen.
Through our unique combination of service, education, and relationship building, Chicago Cares unlocks new resources for our partner neighborhoods. Volunteers become more civically engaged; some join nonprofit boards or change careers; and companies and volunteers have invested over $10.3 million directly into community plans – all because of Chicago Cares.
About Weave: The Social Fabric Project
Weave: The Social Fabric Project is an initiative of the Aspen Institute dedicated to strengthening trust, connection, and belonging in communities across the United States. Weave supports everyday weavers—neighbors who show up for others, bridge divides, and build community. Through storytelling, online learning, community-building programs, and the Weaver Awards, Weave works to repair America’s social fabric from the ground up and lift up the people who are already leading this work in their neighborhoods. Learn more at weavers.org.
Contact Us
Please reach out to the Chicago Cares team at development@chicagocares.org with any questions.