Equity through the lens of West Side United grants
Photo Credit: Emily Corozo
West Side United (WSU), whose grants target Chicago's West Side small businesses and organizations, are providing economic vitality to help fight the life expectancy disparity the West Side of Chicago faces in comparison to other parts of the city.
West Side United is an organization focused on reducing inequalities that cause a life expectancy gap by building health equity using a cross-sector, place-based strategy.
Economic vitality is one of four impact areas WSU targets in their plan along with education, neighborhoods/physical environment and health/healthcare.
The cross-sector place-based strategy works by targeting entire communities and addressing issues at a neighborhood level using long-term relationships with organizations from more than one particular group.
Through this initiative, WSU has issued several grants, many going to nine neighborhoods on the westside, since launching in 2018-- these grants fall under West Side United’s economic vitality impact area.
Driven mostly by hospital partners, funders and separate economic vitality partners, WSU has given grants to nine non-profits and 29 small businesses in 2019.
With several categories to address to combat the life expectancy gap, there is a way to determine grantees.
“We want to make sure we are looking at it from a lense of equity,” said Rachael Wilson, the program manager of West Side United’s economic vitality impact area. “We work with our data and metrics team to look at some of our main health outcomes.”
These main health outcomes range from mortality rates to income and education, all put into account to determine the neighborhood’s proportion of the grant.
The grantees are chosen by an 18 member community advisory council that not only live within WSU’s 10 target neighborhoods but also work in the field of organization’s impact areas. West Side United’s target neighborhoods are: Austin, East Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Lower West Side, Near West Side, West Town, North Lawndale, South Lawndale, and West Garfield Park.
“We definitely look for businesses that are invested in the community and that have part of the purpose is to create jobs and fund the westside,” said Wilson.
Through partners such as Allies for Community Businesses, which provides help towards distribution of the grant, West Side United is also able to fund their small business grant.
“For any area of business we always make sure to invite and seek out those experts in those fields,” said Wilson.
The Firehouse Community Arts Center of Chicago is a non-profit organization focused on decreasing violence through the arts field targeting youths and is a 2019 West Side United grantee.
“We presented what we were doing and they supported us from that,” Pastor Phill Jackson, CEO and founder of the Firehouse Community Arts Center said.
Through the WSU grant the organization received they were able to launch a food distribution project aimed to feed the families in need during the pandemic in the North Lawndale neighborhood.
The food distribution project connects with the Culinary Arts program that provides community members with skills and resources they can use in future employment opportunities.
“As we hire these young cats, we train them in workforce development, a company arts,” Pastor Jackson said, “And they're now getting real time experience.”
Art West, a recent grantee, is a local art gallery run by business owner Alexie Young which focuses on creating a “new west side” by creating accessibility to arts and cultures. Art West launched their online store, is planning on beginning online art galleries, currently hosting private reservations amidst social distancing practices.
“Some level of optimism is now restored because of the grant that will be coming in from West Side United,” Young said.
Project Exploration, a non-profit organization and 2019 WSU grantee, delivers STEM educational programs to youths to combat underrepresentation in the sciences.
Project Exploration has established a STEM@Home program to keep providing the youth with skills for a lifetime of learning in a changing environment during the pandemic.
Though the grantees may address other inequalities, they all fall under WSU’s impact areas collectively.
“That’s another thing we want to do with West Side United is not just give them money, but also help to promote these businesses,” said Wilson.
The following is a list of West Side United’s 2020 Grantees:
Chicago Signs and Screen Printing
Tommy's Westside Foodmart