Our Community
Bridges to Brighter Futures is building a community.
Our work brings together students, workers, educational institutions, employers, and other organizations, to support a diverse community of adults on pathways to good careers:
- Black and Latine adults who are graduates of Chicago public high schools
- Students currently enrolled in the City Colleges of Chicago or other workforce education programs that build the opportunity to earn a living wage
- Students living in poverty who are struggling to pay for public transportation to get to class, buy groceries, afford health care, pay for a computer or the internet, and pay tuition on top of everything else
- Students who are parents and/or have responsibilities to care for other family members
- Students who work in low wage jobs, and some work multiple jobs while going to school
Bridges to Brighter Futures believes equitable education career pathways prepare students for careers that offer living wages and the opportunity for career advancement with limited debt.
For some, this might mean earning workforce certifications that lead to a high earnings career in fields such as IT or healthcare. For others, it might include more affordable education options before transferring to institutions to earn a bachelor’s degree.
Community Highlights
Community Coaching
LIFT-Chicago
LIFT stabilizes and supports parents working to achieve economic security for their families in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and New York. LIFT’s two-generational approach leverages research in behavioral science, goal setting, and adult skill building to help low-income parents achieve their career and financial goals. Bridges to Brighter Futures supports LIFT-Chicago’s program to empower City Colleges of Chicago students to complete certifications and degrees while strengthening their personal, social, and financial foundations.
One Million Degrees
One Million Degrees (OMD) supports community college students’ progress on career pathways to economic mobility. A holistic, wraparound support model for low-income, high-potential students, OMD has four key program elements:
- Academic: Individualized tutoring for scholars who need academic support
- Personal: Program support in navigating challenges and connecting to resources
- Professional: Workshops and professional mentors support learning and goal setting
- Financial: Incentive-based stipends and access to financial aid supports
Bridges to Brighter Futures supports One Million Degrees with general operating support.
Middle Skills – Tech
i.c.stars
Inner-City Computer Stars (i.c.stars) provides technology career opportunities for young adults in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Kansas City. Their project-based model was developed alongside employer relationships to meet employer and community need. Participants develop employer-facing skills and experience while identifying career interests within technology pathways. Bridges to Brighter Futures supports i.c.stars’ Chicago program supporting students along technology career pathways and into well-paying jobs.
National Able Network
Able provides more than a dozen specialized workforce development programs in five states, including two in Chicago and two with suburban public partners. Able aims to address inequality in the workforce by breaking down systemic barriers to employment to help job seekers achieve their goals for family- and life-sustaining careers. Bridges to Brighter Futures supports National Able Network’ programs for students entering living wage technology jobs and wealth building careers.
Middle Skills – Construction
Hire 360
Hire 360 provides pre-apprenticeship programming for participants from neglected communities on Chicago’s South and West sides, minority-owned business development, youth outreach, and supply chain diversity initiatives. Hire 360 is currently supporting aspiring apprentices in an array of trades. Since 2021, hundreds of candidates from its pre-apprenticeship program have found employment and have transitioned into industry apprenticeships. Bridges to Brighter Futures supports Hire 360’s work supporting students into living wage construction jobs and wealth building careers.
Rebuilding Exchange
The mission, activities, and outcomes of Rebuilding Exchange (formerly known as Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse) center around building a sustainable community that values the environment and the people who live in it. Rebuilding Exchange works to promote the reduction of waste through sustainable deconstruction and renovation building practices while creating a place for used building materials to be repurposed. In concert with these goals, Rebuilding Exchange provides job training as well as community-based educational programs. Bridges to Brighter Futures supports Rebuilding Exchange’s Alumni Services Education offerings, including job placement support, one-on-one coaching, and connection to supportive services.
Cross Sector Collaboration
Economic Awareness Council
The Economic Awareness Council (EAC) promotes economic and financial literacy focused on youth services for individuals in low- to moderate-income communities. The EAC works to provide youth and adult clients with access to high quality financial products and tools as well as applied opportunities to build financial management skills through the organization’s peer financial education resources and financial education/coaching hybrid programs. Bridges to Brighter Futures supports the EAC’s work with the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) and other community partners as they improve financial health services offered to CCC students.
Inclusive Economies Lab
The goal of the University of Chicago Urban Labs is to help government agencies and nonprofits develop innovative approaches to improving residents’ welfare using rigorous research methods. The Inclusive Economies Lab (IEL) partners with city policymakers to identify, test, and help scale up policies and programs that are both successful and cost-effective. Bridges to Brighter Futures has supported multiple projects related to IEL’s partnership with the City Colleges Chicago (CCC).
City Colleges of Chicago
City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) is the largest community college system in Illinois and one of the largest in the nation, now serving over 60,000 students annually at seven colleges and five satellite sites across the city. CCC’s vision is to be recognized as the city’s most accessible higher education engine of socioeconomic mobility and racial equity—empowering all Chicagoans to take part in building a stronger and more just city. Over 75% of CCC students identify as Black or Latine and more than 74% of CCC students that requested financial aid were eligible for federal Pell Grants, the primary source of federal financial aid for students.
From Bridges to Brighter Futures’ inception, systems change at CCC has been the foundation of Bridges’ Institutional Equity strategy. CCC has demonstrated a strong commitment to new partnerships and has shown significant progress on moving toward more equitable outcomes.
Bridges has invested over $7.1M at CCC, supporting both students and systems change.
- $1M to the Chancellor’s Retention Fund for last gap tuition grants to students
- $1M to the Tech Equity Fund for laptops, connectivity and digital skill building for students
- $500K to planning grants in community coaching and developmental education
- $1.4M to Phase I of Championing Equity strategic plan
- $2.75M to Phase II of Championing Equity strategic plan
- $445K to Math Momentum
- $185K to the Chicago Blueprint with The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership
City Colleges of Chicago’s comprehensive approach to equity is delivering results. Black male student enrollment increased 16% between Spring 2022-Spring 2023 and increased another 13% Spring 2023 to Spring 2024. Similarly, Latine male student enrollment increased by 20% from Spring 2023 to Spring 2024 and increased another 9% from Spring 2023 to Spring 2024. Nationally, male student enrollment increased 3.7% between Spring 2022 and Spring 2023.
City Colleges also observed a significant 3.6% increase in Black, first-year student fall-to-fall retention in FY24. City Colleges’ outcome measure (the percentage of students completing or transferring in four years) increased to 40% from 36% CCC-wide; including a 3% increase for Black students and a 5% increase for Latine students in FY24.
Importantly, CCC has successfully placed equity at the center of its work, with 73% of faculty, staff, and administrators agreeing that: “It is a top priority for City Colleges to narrow equity gaps in student outcomes.” City Colleges of Chicago is doing exactly that.
