The Healthy Chicago 2.0 Seed Grant program builds community power to address local conditions that influence health by funding projects that improve the built environment. Residents can then live and age well in healthy communities.

PHIMC managed this program in 2019 and 2020, building cross-sector partnerships to support community organizations leading walkability work. This included creating opportunities for ongoing dialogue on systems level approaches to promote health equity and dismantle the oppressive racist systems and structures that create economic, environmental, and health disparities. The program is funded by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Through this Seed Grant program, PHIMC and CDPH strive to advance the Healthy Chicago 2.0 vision of a city with strong communities and collaborative stakeholders, where all residents enjoy equitable access to resources, opportunities, and environments that maximize their health and well-being.

2020 Seed Grant Projects

The following selected projects address barriers to walkability surrounding CTA stops which align with Elevated Chicago’s eHubs. Each project focuses on the experiences of community members who are at higher risk of displacement due to gentrification and disinvestment.

  • Foundation for Homan Square (FHS) / IFF will complete beautification work along the Homan Corridor and Sunken Gardens through a resident-led redesign process. FHS/IFF will also consult on design and prototype for the Homan/Harrison intersection adjacent to the Homan Blue Line station, in collaboration with Seed grantee North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council.
  • Garfield Park Community Council (GPCC) will conduct a walkability assessment within the ½ mile radius surrounding the CTA Pulaski Green Line station and will assess the Pulaski commercial corridor between the station and surrounding community. Using the walkability assessment results, GPCC will develop an action plan to increase access to safe, walkable spaces.
  • Latinos Progresando will facilitate a virtual community engagement strategy, gather community priorities, and develop a communications plan to support a full Complete Streets planning process for California Avenue in the Little Village community. This will strengthen walkability and equitable neighborhood development near the California Pink Line station.
  • Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA) will develop a plan for La Placita near the Logan Square Blue Line stop, a community place-keeping strategy that installs mosaic butterflies along Milwaukee Avenue’s local businesses to promote cultural resilience and walkability in Logan Square. LSNA is also convening a diverse bilingual community to promote findings from its 2019 walkability assessment and continues to build and sustain relationships with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and aldermen to inform the traffic circle re-design process.
  • North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council (NLCC) will develop a comprehensive, resident-led solution to address the barriers to walking at the Homan/Harrison intersection in North Lawndale, transforming it into a gateway to the neighborhood and improving the walkability of the Homan corridor. Developed in partnership with residents and students from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and in collaboration with Seed grantee FHS/IFF, this strategy will also improve pedestrian safety navigating the intersection adjacent to the Homan Blue Line station.
  • South East Chicago Commission (SECC) will identify and support two community-based projects – a playlot and vacant lot beautification – to improve walkability and the built environment near Green Line stations in Washington Park. These strategies promote walkability and strengthen pedestrian pathways to transit. SECC will also conduct a walkability audit in partnership with two neighborhood grantees and a diverse group of community residents.

“By focusing funding around these CTA stations, these Seed Grants help to build community capacity to implement built environment improvements that leverage resources for lasting impact and can be replicated throughout the city,” says Karen A. Reitan, PHIMC President and Chief Executive Officer.


The Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University describes the evolution of this project and their collaboration with PHIMC, Communities United, Elevated Chicago, and Rudd Resources in more detail here: Using Data and Community Engagement Collaborations to Guide an Equitable COVID-19 Recovery

For more information, please contact Meghana Menon.