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RDLF News: Issue 36
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Pictured above: RDLF grantees networking at our community event in December.
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President's Note
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I’m not feeling overwhelmingly positive about 2026. Project 2025, like some horrific infection, continues to waste America despite the mighty resistance of its masses. My greatest hope is that powerful medicine will be delivered directly into the veins of this nation and world in the ballot boxes this fall, but those polls are a long way off and foul moves are afoot to undermine their integrity.
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And yet, there is real reason for gratitude.
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I am profoundly proud of our team—my co-executive director, staff, grantees and new board to be announced next week. In a moment that demands courage and care in equal measure, this group continues to shine.
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Our small staff continues to be an inspiration and bulwark for our difficult work:
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Empathy. A fair amount of tears are shed as we navigate how best to apportion our limited resources responsibly. These are not abstract decisions.
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Value-add. The real value of affiliation with RDLF is in the extras we offer. Our team, through extensive research and direct experience with scores of partners, are able to offer insights, practical advice and connections to our many grantees, other funders and to the broader community.
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Grit. Working long hours, offering extended mentorship, and providing hands-on support to those in need, our staff often operate at full capacity. The quality and care they bring is reflected clearly in the hard-won successes of so many of our grantees.
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In moments like these, institutions matter. People matter more. Thank you all for standing with the Reva and David Logan Foundation, for believing in this work, and for helping to sustain it. Your commitment is not only noticed—it is essential.
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Highlights and Aspirations
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Despite a harrowing year of rising fascism and despair, and another to follow, joy and hope continue to be a method of resistance. Below, our staff members share a highlight from 2025 and an aspiration for 2026.
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Jessie Mott, Senior Program Officer
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- Highlight: I am bolstered by the people surrounding me who lead with integrity, bravery and compassion in acts of resistance and care - from distributing whistles, to organizing food delivery, to providing safe housing.
- Aspiration: Continued solidarity and strength to mobilize collective power. I particularly want to focus on the arts as a way of amplifying voices that disrupt, tell the truth, and live generously.
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Jessica Jones-Lewis, Program Officer
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- Highlight: Our grantee convening and our Leaders of Color Collective events served as opportunities to replenish hope and fuel dreams; they also served as meaningful acts of resistance to the seeds of division and isolation sowed by ICE's terror.
- Aspiration: That everyday folks continue to show up for their neighbors physically, emotionally, and financially as organizations dig in deeper to the hard work of supporting their communities.
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Lyle Allen, Program Officer
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- Highlight: Finding inspiration from the smiles on the faces of thousands of families as they try a delicious Mick Klug strawberry as part of the 130+ fresh produce distributions we supported in 2026.
- Aspiration: Staying strong and serving as a reliable resource for our partners and providing as much hope and joy - and delicious, healthy food - for the thousands we reach through our work.
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Germán Castañeda, Program Officer
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- Highlight: The struggle to keep up with the constant output of essential reporting from our grantees.
- Aspiration: To work more closely with our grantees in order to find ways to provide deeper and more meaningful support as they do their work in such a tough environment.
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Lilly Torres, Movement on Montrose Operations Manager
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- Highlight: The Women Unite! Mutual Aid Fair in our parking lot, it was a great chance for our neighbors to stop and learn about neighborhood resources in one place and support local businesses.
- Aspiration: To continue to be a safe, accessible and creative space for the community!
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Vic Barquin, Movement on Montrose Facilities Coordinator
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- Highlight: Seeing folks dance in our parking lot during North River Commission's Lot Jams event this past summer.
- Aspiration: Continued moments of joy and community, in new shapes and forms.
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Sabrina Boggs, Administrator / Communications
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- Highlight: Attending Restore Justice and Mud Theatre Project’s sold-out show “Searching for Justice,” through which I found hope that changing the narrative can create positive change.
- Aspiration: To uplift more of our grantees’ voices and stories, especially those who barely have time to sit and write them themselves.
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In Memoriam
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We pay our respects and offer sincere condolences to the loved ones of two cherished leaders in our community who recently passed: A.J. Barks (left), Co-Executive Director of Chicago Women's Health Center, and Alice Swan (right), Managing Director of Restore Justice Foundation.
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"A.J. will be missed daily and in every aspect of CWHC's work. She showed deep commitment to relationships and knew them to be the foundation of a feminist community. She held a brilliant balance of minding everyday details while guiding long-term, large-scale projects. She reminded each of us that if we make a plan, we can make anything happen. So much of CWHC’s work has evolved due to A.J.’s leadership, vision, care, and creativity." -Chicago Women's Health Center
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"As Managing Director, Alice oversaw day-to-day and strategic operations, record-keeping, administrative processes, bookkeeping, team development, and human resources. She was deeply loved and respected for her reliability, problem-solving, and intellect. She was, in many ways, our foundation, and her contributions to our mission will be lasting."
-Restore Justice Foundation
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Nonprofit Legal Support Project
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Since the new Administration took office in January, nonprofits in Illinois and beyond are facing heightened federal scrutiny for their programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), as well as threats to their federal funding and other government pressures.
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The Nonprofit Legal Support Project was formed under the Nonprofit Resilience Hub, to expand access to legal, financial, and consulting services to nonprofits navigating emerging legal and compliance risks due to federal executive orders and administrative actions.
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Open Applications
- RJI Professional Innovation Fellowships: The Reynolds Journalism Institute invites proposals from individuals and organizations who wish to build practical and innovative resources for community-centered news, journalists and the communities they serve. The final deliverable of your fellowship will be a publicly available resource that journalists and newsrooms can utilize. The $75,000-$100,000 stipend is paid directly to individual, in three payments based upon completion of deliverables. The application deadline is February 6, 2026.
- Neighborhood Opportunity Fund: The Neighborhood Opportunity Fund (NOF) provides capital development grants up to $250,000 for small business and cultural projects located along West, Southwest, and South Side commercial corridors of Chicago. NOF grants are provided as reimbursement for up to 75% of eligible project expenses with a maximum grant of $250,000. The application deadline is February 13, 2026.
- Community Development Grant: The City of Chicago helps support business and neighborhood vitality through Small, Medium and Large Community Development Grant (CDG) awards. CDGs use proceeds from the 2024 Housing and Development Bond and other funding sources to support a variety of eligible, business-related investments that create and maintain jobs and quality-of-life improvements for local residents. The application deadline is February 13, 2026.
- AMPT Grant: This $10,000 grant supports organizations that have been directly impacted by recent shifts in the national political landscape. Priority given to organizations with a budget under $2,000,000 who are Black/Latine led and serving Black/Latine communities on the South and West sides of Chicago. The application deadline is February 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM CT.
- 2026 Health Open Call: The Coleman Foundation seeks to reduce health disparities and promote well-being for everyone in the Greater Chicago region. The Foundation will review letters of inquiry (LOI) and proposals that focus on the following tactics: adopting and strengthening innovative care delivery models, and reducing barriers to health services. The LOI deadline is February 27, 2026.
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Declassified Media: “Our revelations this year have triggered inquiries, suspended Israeli soldiers training in the UK and stopped the British army from firing white phosphorus in Kenya - and more"
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Airwars: "The UK has only accepted killing a single civilian in the past decade. How did it reach that conclusion? For five years, Airwars has been trying to force the government to reveal how it concludes if it has killed a civilian in warfare – taking the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to a freedom of information tribunal, which recently reached a verdict."
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InvestigateWest: "Redmond’s SpaceX site, under pressure to increase production for Starlink, did not take action to protect workers potentially exposed to dangerous chemicals for more than a year until the state got involved, then fired workers who dared to speak up."
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New York Focus: "According to New York Focus’s analysis of FBI documents and court records, at least 280 people or stables purchased illegal drugs from Fishman. Yet aside from 12 people convicted as co-conspirators, the gaming commission has not banned, suspended, or fined anyone for buying Fishman’s drugs."
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We craft this newsletter for you. If you have any comments or suggestions, please reply to this email and you might see your ideas implemented in our next issue.
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We have an open call for content from our partners to highlight the brilliant work they're doing in the community. If you are a current grantee or partner with The Reva and David Logan Foundation, please send your content to Sabrina Boggs, Communications Coordinator at sabrina(at)loganfdn(dot)org. Please note that we will not share fundraising campaigns.
Thanks for reading, and see you next time!
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