OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
LORI E. LIGHTFOOT
MAYOR
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 2023-12
WHEREAS, in recent years, the City of Chicago has prioritized a more inclusive and equitable approach towards contracting to counter decades of disinvestment in communities across the City; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago possesses one of the most robust, dynamic, and diverse economies in the world; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago, despite its great wealth and productivity, nevertheless possesses an unfortunate legacy of racial, ethnic, gender-based and economic inequities, discrimination, and disparities in health, wealth, and wellbeing; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago seeks to support diverse organizations and investment in all city residents, and strengthen the network of organizations providing vital neighborhood- based social services; and
WHEREAS, through our budgetary investments and corresponding delegate agency contracts, the City can improve life outcomes for generations of residents, and support service organizations and their employees who do this work every day; and
WHEREAS, in 2020, the City of Chicago funded nearly 400 non-profit delegate agencies to deliver social services across seven departments through 1,200 contracts totaling over $280 million; and
WHEREAS, a disproportionate share of current non-profit delegate agencies are headquartered in the Downtown/Loop area, and others are clustered in the Near West Side, West Town, Lower West Side, Uptown, and Humboldt Park, a fraction of the 77 community areas across the city; and
WHEREAS, the City is committing to reducing the barriers preventing many small, local, community-based organizations from applying for City of Chicago contracts, despite their strong track records of aligned initiatives and outcomes; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago desires grant dollars to go to local organizations that provide best-in-class services focused on our most vulnerable residents and are sustaining programs and jobs in diverse...
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