RUSH is a part of the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative that was recently named one of six finalists for the prestigious 2022 Chicago Prize Award. The Chicago Prize is a $10 million award offered by the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, which offers capital investments to community leaders to support bold, transformative plans Chicago’s South and West sides.
The foundation announced the finalists for this year’s prize in June of this year. The Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative is a group of residents, faith-based and health care institutions, nonprofits and other stakeholders that work and live in Chicago’s Garfield Park neighborhood.
The collaborative’s mission is to cultivate Black Culture Wellness by addressing spiritual, socioeconomic, political and physical needs of Garfield Park through engaged, cooperative participation among all residents and stakeholders. Their plans for the prize would include investments in primary care, fitness and mental health services, workforce development for health care and other professions, a business incubator and makerspace, a community led credit union, and a community-owned grocery store, all of which are critical to community health equity and wealth creation.
Check out this video about the project on YouTube.
The foundation is conducting interviews and site visits this fall in order to select a winner, which will be announced by the end of the year. Of the six finalists, one project will receive $10 million, while the other five get $500,000 matching fund grants.
Established in 2019, the prize aims to help accelerate investment-ready projects, offering technical assistance and creating economic opportunity for residents on the South and West sides of Chicago. The two-year process involves a team of advisors comprising civic leaders and development experts.
“This set of projects in RUSH’s backyard can really change the course of inequities on the West Side and epitomizes our commitment to the communities we serve. It’s taking an abandoned lot and turning it into an open, culturally celebratory and inviting space that partners with residents where they live, work and play, to get to the best health,” said Anisa Jivani, System Director of Strategic Equity Initiatives.
Learn more about this work from the following media stories:
Group wants to create walkable village with grocery stores, arts center, clinic on West Side
Chicago Prize 2022 finalist focuses on health to reinvest in West Garfield Park
Communities need massive capital investment to combat gun violence
