Adler University was recently awarded several grants from foundations and corporations to support our work in engaging communities and advancing social justice.

Allstate awarded Adler Community Health Services $25,000 for mental health services in June and July at The Ark at St. Sabina’s in Chicago’s Auburn-Gresham and Englewood neighborhoods. The grant provided youth with anti-bullying, conflict resolution, and resiliency programming and offered therapy to some staff members.

Illinois Humanities, with support from the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge, awarded Adler University $10,000 to create an interactive website, “Prison Communities: From Urban to Rural and Back.” The Institute of Public Safety and Social Justice will manage the project, which will promote public dialogue on the dependent relationship between urban communities of color, from which many prisoners come and return to; and rural prison towns, where they are housed during incarceration.

Illinois Campus Compact gave the Center for Civic Learning and Community Action a grant to support voter registration efforts for the November elections. The center is registering voters at the University and, in partnership with Chicago Votes, in Chicago communities with historically low voter turnout.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Illinois awarded Adler University $75,000 to support the expansion of Adler Community Health Services to two new sites in Chicago Heights. The new sites will allow the University to increase access to mental health care for vulnerable populations served by our partner organization, Aunt Martha’s.

Polk Bros. Foundation awarded the Institute for Public Safety and Social Justice $40,000 for capacity-building efforts at the Restorative Justice Hubs. Funded activities include technical assistance, training, data coordination, and advocacy.

We are grateful for the support of these organizations, which allow our students, faculty and staff to continue serve disadvantaged populations and create a more just society.