Holistic Healing Fund
WHAT
Chicago Beyond’s commitment to the freedom of all people through healing.
HOW
Investing in individual, organizational, and systemic institutions that prioritize community healing.
WHY
Because we all deserve to be free.
About The Holistic Healing Fund
Holistic healing has driven Chicago Beyond’s work since our founding in 2016. Today the need for holistic healing in our communities is greater than ever. So, we are doubling down on our commitment to healing by launching the Holistic Healing Fund, a $10 million commitment to support healing in Chicago’s communities.
To meaningfully invest in healing, we must:
- Name, acknowledge, and address the many layers of harm that exist in communities, and their interconnectedness. The layers of harm go beyond the harm experienced by an individual, but the harm experienced as a family, as a group, as a neighborhood, as a culture, and as a system.
- Recognize and honor the many paths to healing, and the numerous individuals and communities that do this work.
- Invest substantively and holistically over time, in a way that reflects true value of humans. Support the healers, too.
Chicago Beyond’s Holistic Healing Fund is designed with these fundamental beliefs in mind.
Holistic Healing Partners
Our newest investments include Resident Association of Greater Englewood (R.A.G.E.), Solutions and Resources.
The Holistic Healing Fund investments are intentionally directed towards Black and Brown leaders and Black- and Brown-led organizations who have not previously received substantial funding and have had limited access to the resources needed to grow their visions for healing, including supports for the wellbeing of the individuals and collectives doing the work.
Watch the video below to meet our new partners.
What we mean by Holistic Healing
All young people deserve the opportunity to be free and live their fullest human potential. This includes the opportunity to be well, not only physically, but emotionally, socially, and structurally. We know that the combination of disinvestment and structural racism has created conditions that take away those opportunities, in some cases showing up as traumatic experiences for our young people.
Holistic healing means identifying and addressing toxicity which is developed from four different types of harm and instead focusing on the freedom to heal:
- Physical harm: Creating the space to heal and free the body from physical wounds and traumas impacting communities of color
- Emotional harm: Freeing and healing the mind from mental suffering, distress, and psychological traumas impacting communities of color
- Social Harm: Amplifying the beauty of true narratives in communities of color versus perpetuating oppressive written word
- Structural Harm: Providing opportunities for communities of color to safely obtain basic needs while healing from barriers such as systemic racism and discriminatory policies standing in the way of that freedom
These four types of harm show up and impact the daily lives of our young people and communities, and they continue to present obstacles to living a full and free life.
