Healing, Leading, Changing: Bright Promises Announces 2025–26 Cohort Tackling Racial Trauma in Youth

Bright Promises Foundation announces the 2025–26 Healing, Leading, Changing cohort—15 nonprofits advancing trauma-informed care and racial healing for BIPOC youth in Chicago.

🔍 Quick Facts

• $2M invested over 6 years
• 15 organizations funded in 2025–26 through multi-year partnerhsips
• Focus: racial trauma, youth leadership, systemic change

💡 Why Healing, Leading, Changing Matters

Racial trauma is a persistent and often invisible barrier to youth thriving. From microaggressions to systemic discrimination, BIPOC youth face daily challenges that impact their mental health, development, and future opportunities.

Bright Promises Foundation launched the Healing, Leading, Changing (HLC) initiative to address this trauma head-on. Over six years, we are investing $2 million in trauma-informed, culturally responsive programs that promote healing, leadership, and systemic change.

These are not one-time grants—they are multi-year, ongoing partnerships designed to build long-term capacity and deepen impact. Several organizations in this year’s cohort have renewed their partnership for additional multi-year support, reflecting the strength and sustainability of their work.

🌟 2025–26 Cohort of Nonprofit Partners

This year’s cohort includes a mix of renewed and new partnerships, each selected for their strategic alignment and measurable impact:‍

Renewed Multi-Year Partners:

• A Long Walk Home
  Expanding its Black Girls in Art Therapy initiative and alumni leadership program, reaching over 2,000 youth. Their trauma-informed, arts-based programming centers healing justice and cultural organizing.
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• BUILD, Inc.
  Strengthening its Youth Leadership Council and Youth Ambassador program with restorative justice strategies and mentorship for middle school youth.
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• Project VISION
  Serving immigrant and first-generation youth in Chinatown and Bridgeport with academic enrichment, mentoring, and civic engagement through culturally competent programming.
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• Alternatives
  Integrating restorative justice and trauma-informed care into its Leadership Development Program to support healing and growth among Black and Brown youth.
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• UCAN
  Continuing its work to empower youth through trauma-informed services and leadership development in high-need communities.
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• Chicago Youth Programs
  Providing long-term, holistic support to youth in underserved neighborhoods through education, health, and mentorship.
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• New Community Outreach
  Engaging youth in healing-centered education and community organizing in Chicago’s South Side.
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• Alliance of the SouthEast (ASE)
  Supporting youth-led advocacy and leadership development in Southeast Chicago through racial equity and civic engagement.
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• Kuumba Lynx
  Using hip-hop arts and culture to promote healing, identity, and activism among youth of color.
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• Palenque LSNA
  Empowering immigrant youth through organizing fellowships, community-based education, and advocacy for safety and belonging.

Capacity Building and Operating Support:

• Arab American Action Network
  Continuing youth-led workshops on racial profiling and trauma, sustaining momentum in community-centered racial justice work.
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• Chicago Freedom School
  Training youth leaders in emergency response, conflict de-escalation, and transformative justice to co-lead programming and advocacy.
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• Girls Inc. of Chicago
  Supporting youth advocacy against hair discrimination through the Crown Act, empowering girls to lead change in their communities.
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• Gads Hill Center
  Producing youth-led podcasts on racial trauma and community change, while refining program strategy through capacity-building support.
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• Northwest Side Housing Center
  Facilitating intergenerational dialogues on racial trauma and expanding youth leadership in Belmont Cragin.

Each organization is part of a broader strategy to create safe spaces, empower youth, and address racial trauma through culturally responsive, trauma-informed care.

📈 Outcomes That Matter

The Healing, Leading, Changing initiative is producing real, measurable change:

• 100% of youth participants in Chicago Freedom School’s Freedom Fellowship believe in standing up for social justice.
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• Youth-led advocacy has resulted in public forums, policy engagement, and community organizing.
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• Art, storytelling, and performance are being used as tools for healing and self-expression.
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• Restorative justice and trauma-informed care are integrated into leadership development programs.

Research shows that trauma-informed care for BIPOC youth leads to:
Lower teen suicide rates
Reduced youth arrests for violent crime
Higher high school graduation rates
Millions in savings in public services and lost productivity

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🧭 Bright Promises: A Thought Leader in Holistic Support

Bright Promises Foundation is more than a funder—we are a strategic partner and convener. Through wrap-around support, we help nonprofits scale their impact, build capacity, and share best practices.

Our vision is bold: a thriving nonprofit ecosystem where every child and youth has access to healing, leadership, and opportunity, and where racial trauma is addressed with compassion, strategy, and community power.

📣 Get Involved

Want to learn more or support this work?
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👉 Visit brightpromises.org
📧 Contact us at info@brightpromises.org

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