Public Commitments Register

A1. INVEST South/West launch

Who: Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, City of Chicago

Exact wording: "The INVEST South/West initiative will bring together government, businesses, philanthropic organizations and community groups to make coordinated investments in 10 neighborhoods, giving residents more opportunities and driving inclusive, measurable growth throughout all of Chicago"

Date: October 21, 2019

Target + deadline: Align "more than $750 million in already allocated funding" to 10 South/West Side neighborhoods (Auburn Gresham, North Lawndale, Austin, Englewood, Humboldt Park, Quad Communities, New City, Roseland, South Chicago, South Shore) over three years. BMO Harris Bank committed $10M as first corporate sponsor.

Source: https://www.globest.com/amp/2019/10/22/city-to-shift-750m-to-revitalize-south-and-west-side-neighborhoods

Progress — for: First RFPs issued August 2020; city later claimed ~$2.2B in public/private/philanthropic commitments by the 3rd anniversary (2022).

Progress — against: Chicago Tribune (Jan 13, 2023) found over half the $750M counted as public spend went to projects planned before Lightfoot took office, standard repairs, or conceptual-phase work.

Grade: PROVISIONAL (secondary quoting the city release; original chicago.gov launch press release not located. Verification attempt log 2026-10-08: six web searches for the Oct 21, 2019 chicago.gov press release — not indexed/located. Launch figures ($750M over three years; $250M existing DPD pools — TIF/SBIF/NOF — plus $500M planned infrastructure; BMO $10M first corporate sponsor; 10 neighborhoods) consistent across five independent outlets quoting the city release (GlobeSt, Connect CRE, Crain's via Wirepoints, Medill, Black Enterprise). chicago.gov's "Chicago Key Accomplishments 2022" PDF corroborates the 3rd-anniversary claim of "more than $2.2 billion in public and private investment commitments" in the 10 community areas (seen in search snippet, not opened directly). Next pass: chicago.gov Press Room archive for October 2019.) PROVISIONAL

Measures: M1, M2

A2. INVEST South/West "Come Home" repopulation phase

Who: Mayor Lori Lightfoot, with DPD Commissioner Maurice Cox

Exact wording: "I came into office recognizing that there were huge disparities in investment in majority Black and Latino areas all over our city." (Cox, at launch: "the bleeding of Black and Brown families" leaving Chicago; strategy named "Come Home," aimed at "reversing the Black exodus.")

Date: November 2022 (3rd-anniversary event)

Target + deadline: Infill development on 5,600 city-owned vacant lots across the 10 INVEST South/West neighborhoods; 2,000 lots via the "Chicago Block Builders" portal in year one. No measurable target stated — no unit count, no population-retention figure, no deadline.

Source: https://wirepoints.org/come-home-chicago-says-in-bid-to-bring-people-back-to-city-via-program-to-develop-thousands-of-vacant-lots-chicago-sun-times/

Progress — for: ChiBlockBuilder portal confirmed live on chicago.gov (read directly 2026-10-08): "ChiBlockBuilder is the City of Chicago's application portal to encourage the purchase and redevelopment of City-owned vacant land in partnership with community stakeholders... a universal application process for all of the City's land sale programs, streamlining the purchase of City-owned properties across the South and West sides."

Progress — against: No unit production or repopulation figures published. UNKNOWN.

Grade: PROVISIONAL (the "Come Home"/Cox quotes trace to Sun-Times and Fox 32 coverage of the Nov 2022 3rd-anniversary event; the chicago.gov press release for the Nov 17, 2022 ChiBlockBuilder launch — "City of Chicago Makes 2,000 Vacant Lots Available for Private Purchase" — was not located. Verification attempt log 2026-10-08: four web searches; verbatim release text found only on secondary mirrors (cibunet, Lawndale News, Chicago Construction News); the chicago.gov BlockBuilder portal page was read directly. Next pass: chicago.gov Press Room archive for November 2022.) PROVISIONAL

Measures: M1

A3. Affordable Requirements Ordinance 2021 revision

Who: Chicago City Council (sponsor: Mayor Lori Lightfoot; Housing Committee chair Ald. Harry Osterman)

Exact wording (ordinance text): "the City possesses an unfortunate legacy of racial discrimination in housing that has led to decades of disinvestment, lack of decent, affordable options, wealthbuilding opportunities and wealth theft in some neighborhoods"

Date: Passed 42–8 on April 21, 2021; effective October 1, 2021

Target + deadline: Affordable set-aside raised from 10% to 20% for projects downtown, in inclusionary areas, and in community-preservation areas; minimum share of the affordable obligation that must actually be built raised from 25% to 50%. No fixed unit-count target (regulatory instrument).

Source: https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/doh/aro/2021_ARO_Substitute_Ordinance.pdf

Progress — for: In effect since October 1, 2021.

Progress — against: Unit production under the revised rules not tracked in this pass. UNKNOWN.

Grade: VERIFIED (substitute ordinance PDF read directly) VERIFIED

Measures: M2, M4

A4. Connected Communities Ordinance

Who: Mayor Lori Lightfoot / Chicago City Council

Exact wording (Lightfoot, at companion $10M ETOD grant launch): "In order to realize my administration's vision for an equitable city, we must redress and improve the ways we invest in our neighborhoods"

Date: Introduced June 22, 2022; passed July 20, 2022 (36–10); $10M ETOD grant program launched November 2022

Target + deadline: TOD radius expanded from ¼ mile to ½ mile around CTA/Metra stations; density bonuses tied to on-site affordable units; $10M Equitable Transit-Oriented Development grant program. No unit-count target stated.

Source: https://www.chicago.gov/content/city/en/sites/equitable-transit-oriented-development/home.html

Progress — for: 11-project eTOD pilot cohort selected; ordinance strengthened July 2025 (parking mandates eliminated near transit as-of-right).

Progress — against: The city's own 2020 analysis found 90% of 2016–2019 TOD-incentive projects went to the North Side, downtown, and West Loop — the baseline this was meant to fix; redistribution unmeasured. UNKNOWN.

Grade: VERIFIED (chicago.gov ETOD page read directly 2026-10-08: "the City passed the Connected Communities Ordinance in July 2022... the most comprehensive and equity-focused update to the City's transit-oriented development policy yet." The Nov 22, 2022 $10M ETOD grant-launch press release — source of the Lightfoot quote above — was read via a verbatim PDF mirror of the city release; the chicago.gov-hosted original was not separately located.) VERIFIED

Measures: M2

A5. Largest affordable-housing investment in city history (2021 LIHTC round)

Who: Mayor Lori Lightfoot (with DOH Commissioner Marisa Novara)

Exact wording: "Investing in affordable housing is a critical component to creating an equitable, strong city"

Date: December 6, 2021

Target + deadline: 2021 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit round: 24 developments, 2,428 units, more than $1 billion in public and private investment (14 expected to close in 2022).

Source: https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/doh/reports/Full_Report_Q4_2021.pdf

Progress — for: DOH's Q4 2021 report said 14 of 24 projects were expected to close in 2022.

Progress — against: Crain's (Jan 10, 2023) reported zero dollars spent on mixed-use development and none of the 24 LIHTC developments had broken ground.

Grade: VERIFIED (chicago.gov primary read directly 2026-10-08 — DOH "One Chicago: 2019-23 Housing Plan" Q4 2021 Progress Report, p. 10–11: "On December 6, Mayor Lightfoot and Commissioner Novara joined community leaders and housing advocates to announce the single largest commitment to affordable housing in the history of Chicago. The topline numbers: 24 developments, 2,428 units and more than $1 billion in public and private investment... in the 2021 round of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program," with 14 expected to close in 2022. Caveat: the Lightfoot statement line quoted above is corroborated via identical quotation across multiple outlets, not re-verified in the report itself.) VERIFIED

Measures: M4

A6. Bring Chicago Home referendum

Who: Mayor Brandon Johnson (key backer); resolution introduced September 2023 by Alds. Maria Hadden (49), Matt Martin (47), Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35)

Exact wording (ballot question, per the Bring Chicago Home coalition's own page): "Shall the City of Chicago impose: (1) a real estate transfer tax decrease of 20% to establish a new transfer tax rate of $3 for every $500 of the transfer price, or fraction thereof, for that part of the transfer price under $1,000,000...; AND (2) a real estate transfer tax increase of 166.67% to establish a new transfer tax rate of $10 for every $500 of the transfer price or fraction thereof, for that part of the transfer price between $1,000,000 and $1,500,000 (inclusive)...; AND (3) a real estate transfer tax increase of 300% to establish a new transfer tax rate of $15 for every $500 of the transfer price, or fraction thereof, for that part of the transfer price exceeding $1,500,000? ... The revenue from the increase (the difference between revenue generated under the increased rate and the current rate) is to be used for the purpose of addressing homelessness, including providing permanent affordable housing and the services necessary to obtain and maintain permanent housing in the City of Chicago."

Date: March 2024 (defeated at ballot March 19, 2024 — 47.7% yes / 52.3% no)

Target + deadline: ~$100M/year in dedicated revenue via graduated real-estate transfer tax (0.60% under $1M; 2.0% $1M–$1.5M; 3.0% above $1.5M). (Coalition campaign messaging cited Black Chicagoans as 69% of the city's unhoused population — consistent with the city's 2023 PIT Count, which found 69% of the non-asylum-seeker homeless population was non-Latino/a/x Black.)

Source: https://www.bringchicagohome.org/ballot-question-1-language

Progress — for: None — defeated at the ballot, never implemented.

Progress — against: Defeated; Johnson has said he might reintroduce it.

Grade: VERIFIED (the coalition's own ballot-language page read directly 2026-10-08; caveat: coalition site, not a government publication — the ballot text matches the certified referendum language as contemporaneously reported. Correction: the earlier-quoted coalition stat line was not traceable to a primary document; replaced above with the ballot question's own words.) VERIFIED

Measures: M2 (housing stability)

A7. "Cut the Tape" development-reform initiative

Who: Mayor Brandon Johnson

Exact wording (Mayor's letter, Cut the Tape report p. 4): "From day one, my administration has worked to confront the challenges facing housing and commercial development in our city." / "I am pleased to present this Cut the Tape report and its more than 100 recommendations. My administration will partner with City departments, City Council, and external stakeholders to streamline the City's processes governing development."

Date: Executive Order 2023-21 signed December 11, 2023; report released April 5, 2024

Target + deadline: 107 recommendations ("10 Big Bets"), most with implementation timelines within a year. No housing-unit target stated.

Source: https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/sites/cut-the-tape/pdfs/Cut-the-Tape-Report-2024.pdf

Progress — for: 48 of 107 items labeled complete; 50-member Task Force launched July 2024.

Progress — against: Illinois Policy Institute (~May 2025) found 59 unfinished and that many "completed" items were new committees/portals rather than removed red tape.

Grade: VERIFIED (chicago.gov Cut the Tape report PDF read directly 2026-10-08: the recommendations list is numbered 1–107; Executive Order 2023-21 signed December 11, 2023; report published April 5, 2024; "Top 10 Big Bets." Correction: the earlier-quoted Johnson line ("Our mission is to foster growth and elevate Chicago's economic landscape...") does not appear anywhere in the report — it likely came from the report-launch announcement; replaced above with the report's own words.) VERIFIED

Measures: M4 (supply)

A8. $1.25B Housing and Economic Development Bond

Who: Mayor Brandon Johnson

Exact wording: "Passed the largest bond in Chicago history that dedicates $1.25 Billion to housing and economic development, with $625 million in funding for housing including housing for people experiencing homelessness, homeownership, and affordable rental housing"

Date: Passed by City Council April 19, 2024

Target + deadline: $1.25B over five years ($250M/year through 2028) for housing, economic, and cultural development, replacing reliance on TIF districts.

Source: https://www.brandonforchicago.com/record

Progress — for: $75M allocated to market-rate housing on South/West sides (Oct 2024); $135M Green Social Housing revolving loan fund created, nonprofit developer approved (May 2025, council 30–18); $300M for 15 developments / 1,223 units announced April 2026.

Progress — against: Spending pace vs. the $250M/year schedule not independently audited in this pass. UNKNOWN.

Grade: VERIFIED (Johnson's own "record" page read directly; caveat: campaign self-report — cross-check against council appropriations) VERIFIED

Measures: M1, M4

A9. Missing Middle Initiative expansion (Five-Year Blueprint on Homelessness)

Who: Mayor Brandon Johnson (via the Mayor's Office Five-Year Blueprint on Homelessness)

Exact wording (Blueprint, p. 52): "Expand the Missing Middle Initiative across additional South and West Side communities, targeting the construction of 250 to 400 new buildings with up to 750 residential units by 2028, supported by full deployment of the $75 million allocation to increase housing options for moderate-income households."

Date: Blueprint published March 2026 (draft public-comment version)

Target + deadline: 250–400 new buildings, up to 750 residential units, by 2028; $75M allocation; moderate-income households (60–120% AMI), South/West Side.

Source: https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/sites/homelessness-response/City%20of%20Chicago_2026%20Five-Year%20Blueprint%20on%20Homelessness.pdf

Progress — for: Blueprint KPIs track "number of infill housing units completed in targeted South and West Side neighborhoods."

Progress — against: Independent verification of claimed 300 units built not done in this pass. UNKNOWN.

Grade: VERIFIED (Blueprint PDF read directly; caveat: draft public-comment version) VERIFIED

Measures: M1, M4

A10. $15 minimum wage

Who: Mayor Lori Lightfoot (City Council vote 39–11)

Exact wording: "Our dedicated workforce deserves to be protected and treated with dignity and respect—especially after the devastating socioeconomic fallout caused by the pandemic"

Date: Council vote November 26, 2019; $15/hr effective July 1, 2021 (21+ workers); smaller employers phased in by 2023

Target + deadline: $15/hour citywide minimum wage by 2021 (large employers) — ahead of the state's 2025 phase-in.

Source: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/chicago-votes-to-phase-in-15-minimum-wage-by-2021

Progress — for: Implemented — $15 took effect July 1, 2021; 400,000+ minimum-wage workers affected, disproportionately Black and Latino.

Progress — against: None on implementation; wage adequacy vs. cost of living is a separate evaluative question.

Grade: PROVISIONAL (original chicago.gov press release not located. Verification attempt log 2026-10-08: searched for the chicago.gov Nov 26, 2019 release and the June 2021 $15/hour-effective release — neither located; the quoted line is attributed to a city news release statement via WTTW (republished by CM Online). Council vote (39–11, Nov 26, 2019) and phase-in schedule ($15/hr for 21+ employers July 1, 2021; smaller employers by 2023; CPI-indexed thereafter) confirmed across Bloomberg Law, Lexology, NRN, and Lawndale News. Next pass: chicago.gov Press Room archive, November 2019 / June 2021.) PROVISIONAL

Measures: M3

A11. We Will Chicago (framework plan)

Who: City of Chicago (Chicago Plan Commission adoption; Mayor's Office)

Exact wording: Economic Development goal to "Support business growth throughout Chicago, especially businesses owned by Black, Latino, and Native American people"

Date: Adopted February 2023 (unanimous); announced via Mayor's press release May 12, 2023

Target + deadline: No measurable target stated. ~40 goals / 150 objectives with baseline inequity data for monitoring, but goals are qualitative.

Source: https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/mayor/Press%20Room/Press%20Releases/2023/May/WeWillChicagoPR.pdf

Progress — for: Lightfoot signed Executive Order (May 12, 2023) directing an Implementation Steering Committee and five-year Pillar Action Plans; $1.5M budgeted for implementation in 2023.

Progress — against: Status of pillar action plans under the Johnson administration not confirmed. UNKNOWN.

Grade: VERIFIED (primary press release read) VERIFIED

Measures: M3 (economic development)

B1. CMAP ON TO 2050 — workforce participation target

Who: Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)

Exact wording: "The goal for the Chicago region is to return to its previous 10-year high of an 80.9 percent workforce participation rate by 2025 and then maintain this steady annual growth rate of 0.1 percentage points through 2050."

Date: October 2018 (plan adopted; Indicators Appendix FY19-0023)

Target + deadline: 2025: ≥80.9% workforce participation (ages 20–64); 2050: ≥83.4%. The appendix commits to tracking the rate by race and ethnicity as an "Inclusive Growth Perspective" kindred indicator (noting Black residents participate at significantly lower rates) — those kindred indicators carry no numeric targets.

Source: https://cmap.illinois.gov/download/2075/?tmstv=1790063195

Progress — for: CMAP publishes actual-vs-target indicator dashboards — tracking mechanism exists.

Progress — against: 2025 workforce-participation actuals not located in this pass. UNKNOWN. CMAP's plan-update summary acknowledges "prolonged net declines of Black residents" as a key regional trend (descriptive, not a commitment).

Grade: VERIFIED (primary appendix read) VERIFIED

Measures: M3

B2. Metropolitan Planning Council — Our Equitable Future

Who: Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC)

Exact wording (modeled outcomes of three recommendations): "An extra $218 million in spending towards the regional economy if a City Earned Income Tax were adopted"; "3,377 more available housing units if CHA housing vouchers were expanded"; "$198 million saved annually by eliminating unnecessary pretrial detention"

Date: May 2018

Target + deadline: No MPC deadline stated. These are modeled outcomes MPC attributes to recommendations to government — not commitments by MPC to deliver. Flagged as such.

Source: https://metroplanning.org/our-equitable-future/

Progress — for: MPC's "Our Equitable Future Retrospective" tracks recommendation advancement (60 surveys + 11 interviews).

Progress — against: Status of the three quantified asks not centrally tallied; implementation uneven. UNKNOWN.

Grade: VERIFIED (primary page read) VERIFIED

Measures: M3, M4

B3. Blueprint for Fair Housing (City of Chicago + CHA, HUD AFFH process)

Who: City of Chicago (Mayor's Office, Department of Housing, Commission on Human Relations, plus other departments) jointly with the Chicago Housing Authority

Exact wording: "Starting in 2018, the City of Chicago and the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) joined a regional effort to craft goals and strategies to affirmatively further fair housing... This Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH) process was initiated as previously mandated by HUD's Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule." The parties "have focused their affirmative fair housing work on eight goals," including Goal 7: "Preserve existing and expand affordable homeownership." Goal 4: "Address the segregation of opportunity and related inequitable distribution of resources."

Date: AFH process began 2018; Blueprint released April 2021 (public comment); actions identified "over the next 5 years" (→2026); May 2023 progress report published

Target + deadline: No measurable numeric target stated for any of the eight goals — goal language is directional ("increase," "prevent," "address," "expand").

Source: https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/sites/chicagos-blueprint-for-fair-housing/pdfs/May-2023-Progress-Report.pdf

Progress — for: 2021 ARO update; Connected Communities zoning reform; "largest investment in affordable housing in Chicago's history" announced 2021 (2,400 rental units, $1B+ mobilized); 1,527 affordable units closed in 2022 (nearly double 2021's 863).

Progress — against: With no goal-level numeric benchmarks, completion of the eight goals is not auditable; the May 2023 report is an interim self-assessment.

Grade: VERIFIED (primary chicago.gov PDF read — executive summary, all eight goals, progress highlights) VERIFIED

Measures: M2, M4

C1. Chicago Public Schools — Black Student Success Plan

Who: Chicago Public Schools (CPS)

Exact wording: "Double the number of Black male educators hired and improve Black teacher retention from 91% to 93%." / "40% decrease in the use of out-of-school suspensions and expulsions for Black students and students with identified disabilities."

Date: February 2025 (plan unveiled); five-year goals (deadline ~2030)

Target + deadline: (1) Double Black male educators hired + raise Black teacher retention 91%→93%; (2) accelerate Black student growth/attainment to close opportunity gaps (qualitative); (3) 40% decrease in out-of-school suspensions/expulsions for Black students; (4) increase classrooms using culturally responsive practices (qualitative); (5) strengthen sense of belonging (qualitative). Progress reporting aligned with Illinois Public Act 103-0584.

Source: https://www.CPS.edu/sites/five-year-plan/priorities/student/black-student-success/

Progress — for: District began implementing this school year (Sept 2025 reporting).

Progress — against: Federal OCR investigation reviewing whether the plan discriminates; $5.8M current-year / $17.5M total grant dollars threatened. No progress figures on the numeric goals reported yet. UNKNOWN.

Grade: VERIFIED (primary CPS page read) VERIFIED

Measures: M5

C2. City Colleges of Chicago — Forward, Together ("55 for All")

Who: City Colleges of Chicago (CCC), Chancellor Juan Salgado

Exact wording: "Ensure 55% of all credential-seeking students—across every racial demographic—earn a degree, earn a certificate, or transfer to a four-year university within four years of starting at City Colleges by 2032."

Date: March 5, 2026 (plan launched; April 22, 2026 was the PR Newswire distribution date of CCC's release)

Target + deadline: 55% completion/transfer-within-4-years for every racial demographic by 2032. Baselines (secondary, 2023): 30% completion for Black students, 33% for Latinx students.

Source: https://colleges.ccc.edu/2026/03/06/city-colleges-launches-forward-together-city-colleges-of-chicagos-2026-2030-strategic-plan/

Progress — for: "Double-digit gains for Black and Latine students" in enrollment over prior five years; Inclusive Economy Lab evaluation (2025) put CCC's completion/transfer rate at 41%, "the highest on record."

Progress — against: Goal pre-dates this plan (CCC's launch article: "we set and made progress towards our 55 for All student outcome goal" over the last several years); gap remains large; 2032 is six years out.

Grade: VERIFIED (CCC's own news article read directly 2026-10-08: "On Thursday, March 5, City Colleges of Chicago launched Forward, Together: City Colleges of Chicago's 2026-2030 Strategic Plan," referencing "our 55 for All student outcome goal." Correction: the plan launched March 5, 2026 — not April 22 (that was the PR Newswire distribution date); CCC styles it the "2026-2030" plan. The exact 55%-by-2032 wording quoted above is CCC's own PR Newswire release language, confirmed verbatim across multiple syndicated copies; a CCC document on apps.ccc.edu states the goal as "55%... within four years... Across all groups... By 2032" but could not be opened directly.) VERIFIED

Measures: M5

D1. Chicago Community Trust — We Rise Together ($250M goal)

Who: The Chicago Community Trust, via "We Rise Together: For an Equitable and Just Recovery" (coalition of corporate, foundation, and individual funders)

Exact wording: "We Rise Together seeks to raise $250 million over three-to-four years to advance an equitable economic recovery."

Date: Launched October 2020; goal stated 2021–2022

Target + deadline: $250 million over 3–4 years (i.e., ~2024).

Source: https://www.cct.org/press-releases/more-than-6-7-million-in-grants-to-lift-up-chicagos-south-and-west-sides/?press-release-type=trust-talks-podcast

Progress — for: $45M+ in commitments secured; CCT's podcast page (2025) reports $47M invested 2021–2025 in development, small business, and workforce programs on South/West sides.

Progress — against: Chicago Tribune reporting quotes the initiative lead saying by sunset "about $50 million will have been distributed" — far short of $250M; program sunset after 2021–2025.

Grade: VERIFIED (primary cct.org release read) VERIFIED

Measures: M3, M4

D2. Chicago Community Trust — 10-year strategic plan (wealth gap)

Who: The Chicago Community Trust

Exact wording: "In 2019, The Chicago Community Trust embarked on a 10-year strategic plan to address one of the most critical challenges of our times — closing the racial and ethnic wealth gap for the Chicago region while responding to our most vulnerable residents' critical needs."

Date: Fall 2019 (deadline implied: 2029)

Target + deadline: No measurable target stated — directional goal ("closing the gap"), no numeric benchmark or interim milestones published.

Source: https://www.cct.org/press-releases/the-chicago-community-trust-names-andrea-saenz-as-president-and-ceo/

Progress — for: Operationalized into three pillars (growing household wealth, catalyzing neighborhood investment, building collective power) and vehicles like We Rise Together.

Progress — against: No public numeric definition of "closing the gap"; outcome-level progress unmeasurable as stated. UNKNOWN.

Grade: VERIFIED (primary cct.org text read) VERIFIED

Measures: M3, M4

D3. Pritzker Traubert Foundation — $100M / 10-year Chicago commitment

Who: Pritzker Traubert Foundation

Exact wording: "The Chicago Prize is part of Pritzker Traubert Foundation's $100 million 10-year commitment made in 2017 to increase access to economic opportunity for more Chicagoans."

Date: 2017; deadline 2027

Target + deadline: $100 million over 10 years; no outcome-level numeric target stated (dollar commitment only).

Source: https://www.ptfound.org/chicago-prize/overview

Progress — for: Three $10M Chicago Prizes awarded: Always Growing, Auburn Gresham (2020); Sankofa Wellness Village, West Garfield Park (2022/2023); Reclaiming Chicago, 2,000-home campaign (Dec 2025); plus $5M Chicago Talent Challenge (Mar 2026) for 1,000 healthcare job placements over 3 years.

Progress — against: No public accounting of total deployed against the $100M; full deployment by 2027 unverified. PARTIALLY UNKNOWN.

Grade: VERIFIED (primary ptfound.org page read) VERIFIED

Measures: M3, M4

D4. JPMorgan Chase — $150M / 5-year South & West Side commitment

Who: JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Exact wording: "JPMorgan Chase announced a new $150 million, five-year commitment in philanthropic capital and low-cost loans to Chicago's South and West sides... It will bring the firm's total business and philanthropic investments toward Black and Latinx and other underserved communities in Chicago to $800 million by 2025."

Date: June 17, 2021; deadline 2026 (five-year); $800M rollup by 2025

Target + deadline: Four numeric outcome targets — (a) Jobs & Skills: "Connecting 5,000 people with high-quality career pathways and engaging 100 employers"; (b) Neighborhood Development: "Preserving or creating 1,000 units of low-income housing to serve 2,500 individuals"; (c) Small Business: "Helping 9,000 small businesses receive services, including at least 1,000 minority business owners access capital"; (d) Financial Health: "Helping 10,000 people access high-quality products and services to improve their financial health." Companion (Oct 2020): "Committing an additional $600 million in home lending to increase homeownership among 3,000 Black and Latinx families across Chicago."

Source: https://Www.jpmorganchase.com/newsroom/press-releases/2021/commits-million-to-chicago-south-and-west-sides

Progress — for: Firm states prior $50M Chicago commitment was "deployed and exceeded" (since 2017: 12,000 workforce completers; 17,000 small businesses assisted; 10,000 placed into employment; 91,000 financial-health services; 132 affordable housing units developed/preserved).

Progress — against: No public accounting located of the four 2021 numeric targets against the 2026 deadline. PARTIALLY UNKNOWN.

Grade: VERIFIED (primary jpmorganchase.com release read in full) VERIFIED

Measures: M3, M4

D5. MacArthur Foundation — Chicago Commitment

Who: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Exact wording (2022 evaluation): "The goal of the Chicago Commitment is to advance racial equity and build a more inclusive Chicago region."

Date: Chicago Commitment team formalized January 2016 (ongoing "Enduring Commitment"); evaluation covering 2016–2022 published 2022

Target + deadline: No measurable target stated — no dollar figure, no numeric outcome targets, no deadline.

Source: https://www.macfound.org/media/article_pdfs/chicago-commitment-evaluation-2022.pdf

Progress — for: Office of Evaluation report "gauges progress toward the Chicago Commitment strategy's racial equity goals" (an evaluation exists).

Progress — against: With no stated numeric targets, the commitment is not auditable against the scorecard measures.

Grade: VERIFIED (MacArthur Office of Evaluation report, "Chicago Commitment Evaluation 2022," read directly 2026-10-08: "The MacArthur Foundation further formalized its commitment to its hometown through the creation of the Chicago Commitment team in January 2016. As an Enduring Commitment, the Chicago Commitment represents the Foundation's longstanding, deep, and unwavering dedication to advancing racial equity in the Chicago region." The quoted goal line — "The goal of the Chicago Commitment is to advance racial equity and build a more inclusive Chicago region." — appears verbatim in the report. Confirmed also: $120M+ disbursed to 235 organizations May 2016–Feb 2022.) VERIFIED

Measures: M2, M3 (directional)

D6. Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund — $15M over five years

Who: Chicago Racial Justice Pooled Fund (created 2020; 42 funders)

Exact wording: "Within the next five years, the Pooled Fund aims to distribute an additional $15 million to continue this essential work."

Date: Case for Support 2025 (deadline implied: 2030)

Target + deadline: $15 million distributed over 5 years; no outcome-level numeric target stated.

Source: https://www.crjpf.org/s/CRJPF-Case-for-Support-2025.pdf

Progress — for: First-four-years grantmaking summarized qualitatively.

Progress — against: No numeric distribution totals located. UNKNOWN.

Grade: VERIFIED (crjpf.org Case for Support PDF read directly 2026-10-08: "Within the next five years, the Pooled Fund aims to distribute an additional $15 million to continue this essential work." Confirmed also: 42 funders, 105 community organizations, over $9M distributed in the first four years.) VERIFIED

Measures: M3, M4 (directional)

D7. Reclaiming Chicago — 2,000 affordable homes (2025 Chicago Prize)

Who: Reclaiming Chicago — coalition of community leaders, developers, and organizers convened through United Power for Action and Justice (members per the foundation: Southwest Organizing Project, The Resurrection Project, Lawndale Christian Development Corp., Hope Center Foundation, Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives); $10M 2025 Chicago Prize from Pritzker Traubert Foundation

Exact wording (Pritzker Traubert Foundation, Chicago Prize 2025 page): "united by an ambitious longer-term mission: to build 2,000 new for-sale homes across four South and West Side neighborhoods." / "The Chicago Prize award will support a large-lot strategy at 74th & Talman in Chicago Lawn... Chicago Prize funds and other capital will be used to acquire the site and construct roughly 125 for-sale homes, most of which will be affordable to families earning 80-120% of the area's median income."

Date: December 16, 2025

Target + deadline: 2,000 new for-sale homes across four South and West Side neighborhoods (foundation's wording); the 1,000-South-Side/1,000-West-Side split is per Block Club Chicago's reporting, not the foundation's page. No deadline stated.

Source: http://www.ptfound.org/chicago-prize/chicago-prize-2025

Progress — for: Awarded; foundation page confirms the Chicago Lawn large-lot strategy at 74th & Talman as the first build-out (125 homes).

Progress — against: Too early to assess. UNKNOWN.

Grade: VERIFIED (foundation's own Chicago Prize 2025 page read directly 2026-10-08; the foundation's /news feed also carries the Dec 16, 2025 Block Club report of the $10M award. Correction: earlier entry quoted Block Club; replaced with the foundation's own language.) VERIFIED

Measures: M4

E1. Chicago Housing Authority — 25,000-unit Plan for Transformation

Who: Chicago Housing Authority, under its Moving to Work (MTW) Agreement with HUD

Exact wording (CHA FY2022 MTW Annual Plan, §IV — "Revitalization of 25,000 Units (2000-01)"): "CHA remains committed to replacing 25,000 housing units to expand housing options for low-income Chicagoans." / "Update: In FY2022, CHA plans to deliver an additional 282 PH and PBV units and will exceed the 25,000-unit goal." (Plan approved by HUD March 17, 2022.)

Date: Original commitment 2000 (pre-window); re-committed in FY2022 MTW Annual Plan (HUD-approved March 17, 2022)

Target + deadline: 25,000 units; original 10-year horizon (2010) long past; 2022 plan stated the goal would be exceeded in FY2022.

Source: https://www.thecha.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/2022MTWAnnualPlanHUDApproval_03.22_MTW.pdf

Progress — for: The FY2022 plan's "Update" states the 25,000-unit goal "will exceed" in FY2022 (forward-looking, not a completion declaration). Correction: the earlier "CHA told HUD in March 2022: 'CHA has achieved the goal of this activity'" line does not appear anywhere in this PDF — that claim would need the FY2021 MTW Annual Report or another March 2022 HUD filing; not verified here.

Progress — against: ProPublica analysis (2022) found CHA padded the count with housing/assistance types not in the original plan (>20% of the total) and delivered less than half the family units it once had; agency officials "remain committed to those goals but can't provide a timetable."

Grade: VERIFIED (thecha.org FY2022 MTW Annual Plan PDF read directly 2026-10-08.) VERIFIED

Measures: M2, M4

Primary-verification pass, 2026-10-08

Nine entries were upgraded to VERIFIED in a primary-document pass (all primaries read directly on 2026-10-08): A4 (chicago.gov ETOD page; Connected Communities Ordinance passage July 2022 confirmed), A5 (chicago.gov DOH Q4 2021 report: Dec 6 announcement, 24 developments / 2,428 units / >$1B confirmed), A6 (coalition's own ballot-language page), A7 (chicago.gov Cut the Tape report PDF: 107 numbered recommendations confirmed), C2 (ccc.edu news article; launch date corrected to March 5, 2026), D5 (macfound.org 2022 evaluation PDF), D6 (crjpf.org Case for Support PDF), D7 (ptfound.org Chicago Prize 2025 page), E1 (thecha.org FY2022 MTW Annual Plan PDF). Corrections made during this pass: A6's exact wording replaced with the ballot question's own words; A7's Johnson quote replaced with the report's own words (the earlier quote is not in the report); C2's release date corrected (March 5, 2026 launch, not April 22); D7's exact wording and coalition membership updated to the foundation's page; E1's "goal achieved in March 2022" claim corrected (not in the FY2022 plan PDF). Three entries remain PROVISIONAL for a next pass focused on the chicago.gov Press Room archive (Oct 2019, Nov 2022, Nov 2019/June 2021).

Measurable targets vs. vague language

17 entries carry at least one measurable target (dollar figure, unit count, percentage, or deadline): A1, A3, A4, A5, A7, A8, A9, A10, B1, C1, C2, D1, D3, D4, D6, D7, E1.

7 entries state no measurable target at all — A2 (Come Home), A6 (referendum had a target but was defeated before taking effect), A11 (We Will Chicago), B2 (MPC: recommendations, not commitments), B3 (Blueprint for Fair Housing, 8 goals), D2 (CCT 10-year plan), D5 (MacArthur Chicago Commitment).

The vague ones cluster at the top: the biggest institutional frameworks — the city's own fair-housing Blueprint, MacArthur's enduring commitment, CCT's 10-year plan, We Will Chicago — are the least auditable. Dollar commitments (bonds, prizes, pledges) are the most concrete. Money is specific; justice is directional. That asymmetry is itself a finding.

Coverage by scorecard measure

| Measure | Entries touching it | Assessment |

|---|---|---|

| M1 — Population retention | A1, A2, A7, A8, A9 | Weakest. Five entries, but no numeric Black population retention target exists on the record at any institution, 2015–present. CMAP acknowledges "prolonged net declines of Black residents" descriptively; Lightfoot's "Come Home" phase states no number. The measure the Scorecard leads with is the one nobody has committed to in measurable terms. |

| M2 — Segregation / neighborhood access | A1, A3, A4, A6, B3, D5, E1 | Strongest on instruments, weakest on outcomes. Regulatory tools (ARO, Connected Communities) and the fair-housing Blueprint are real, but no entry states a segregation-index target. Nobody has said "reduce Black-White dissimilarity to X by YEAR." |

| M3 — Household income | A8, A10, A11, B1, B2, D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6 | Broadest coverage, but mostly via dollar inputs (wages, lending, grants) rather than income-ratio outcomes. The $15 wage is the only completed, implemented income commitment. |

| M4 — Homeownership | A3, A5, A7, A8, A9, B2, B3, D1, D2, D3, D4, D6, D7, E1 | Most entries, driven by affordable-housing unit counts and dollar pledges. Homeownership by race as an outcome target appears only in JPMorgan's 3,000-families pledge. |

| M5 — Educational attainment | C1, C2 | Thinnest institutional coverage — just two entries, both from education institutions themselves (CPS, City Colleges), none from the mayor's office or major funders. No mayoral attainment commitment with a measurable target found, 2015–present. |

Key gaps for the register's next pass

1. No numeric Black population-retention target on the record, anywhere (M1).

2. No segregation-index target on the record, anywhere (M2).

3. No mayoral educational-attainment commitment with a measurable target (M5).

4. CHA 25,000-unit re-affirmation — RESOLVED 2026-10-08 (thecha.org FY2022 MTW Annual Plan PDF read directly; E1 now VERIFIED). Caveat: the plan says the goal "will exceed" in FY2022 (forward-looking); the "CHA has achieved the goal of this activity" declaration traces to a separate March 2022 HUD filing not yet opened — verify against the FY2021 MTW Annual Report before citing a completion claim.

5. HUD AFFH rule's current status vs. Chicago's AFH obligation — unverified; flag.

6. "Reclaiming Communities" North Lawndale pilot (250 $1 lots, $5.3M prep, ~$220K target price) — announced by Lightfoot + DOH but undated in this sweep; follow-up verification recommended.

7. Green Social Housing "600 affordable units every 5 years" — from the FY2025 budget deck, not opened; treat as PROVISIONAL if added.

What this register does not do

It does not rank remedies, endorse policies, or infer promises. It records what was said, by whom, when — and whether the record shows it happened. The next update should re-check every PROVISIONAL entry against its primary document and every "UNKNOWN" progress line against a dated source.