The Chicago Housing Initiative is a left-of-center coalition of nine organizations focused on housing policy in Chicago. The group was formerly a fiscally sponsored project of the Alliance for Global Justice, a controversial fiscal sponsor of left-of-center and radical-left advocacy campaigns.  ¹

Background

The Chicago Housing Initiative is a coalition of nine organizations that work with low-income renters. The nine organizations are Access Living, Northwest Center, Neighbors for Affordable Housing on the Northwest Side, Southside Together Organizing for Power, the Lugenia Burns Hope Center, the Metropolitan Tenants Organization, ONE Northside, People for Community Recovery, and the Pilsen Alliance.  ²

The coalition advocates for the critical race theory-inspired concept of equity, stating it works to “advance racial and economic equity and inclusion across all of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods.” ³

In 2023, the Alliance for Global Justice claimed the Chicago Housing Initiative as a fiscally sponsored project. In 2018, the group was granted tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and has its own unique EIN; however, the group has not published tax returns as of June 2025. ^{1 4}

Alliance for Global Justice

The Alliance for Global Justice (AfGJ) is a left-of-center group that claims to focus on grassroots organizing. The group is heavily critical of what it perceives to be elements of “Empire,” including “U.S. Militarism” and transnational corporations.  ⁵

As part of its mission, AFGJ fiscally sponsors numerous groups. Fiscal sponsorship is an arrangement by which an established nonprofit can lend its tax-exempt status to groups that have not yet been granted tax-exempt status, receiving tax-exempt donations on those groups’ behalf.  ⁶

AFGJ has received criticism for having provided fiscal sponsorship to groups such as the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, a group which the United States and Canada designated in 2024 as a “sham charity that serves as an international fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization,” according to the United States Department of Treasury. ^{7 8}

Activities

The Chicago Housing Initiative advocates on housing policy in Chicago.  ²

In 2023, the Chicago Housing Initiative, the Coalition to Protect CHA Land, and the Lugenia Burns Hope Center sued the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Chicago Housing Authority over plans to build a training facility for the Chicago Fire Major League Soccer team. The lawsuit sought to “delay any further development of the site and compensate the plaintiffs for alleged damages,” according to the Chicago Tribune. In October 2023, the lawsuit was dismissed on the grounds that there was no legal standing for the suit. ⁹

Funding

The Chicago Housing Initiative received tax-exempt status in 2018 from the IRS, and began stating that it is a 501(c)(3) organization on its donation page. However, there are no published tax returns for the organization as of June 2025. ⁴

In 2024, the Michael Reese Health Trust gave $10,000 to the Chicago Housing Initiative.  ¹⁰

The Wieboldt Foundation gave $20,000 in 2023, $25,000 in 2022, $20,000 in 2021, $20,000 in 2020, and $15,000 in 2019. ¹¹

In 2021, the Field Foundation of Illinois gave $25,000 to the Chicago Housing Initiative for “pursuing equitable development.” ¹²

In 2021, the Crossroads Fund gave $9,000 to the Chicago Housing Initiative. ¹³

In 2021, the Chicago Housing Initiative received $10,000 from the Chicago Teachers Union Foundation, and $7,500 in 2020. ¹⁴

In 2019, the Conant Family Foundation gave $10,000 to the Chicago Housing Initiative. ¹⁵

In 2012, the MacArthur Foundation gave a two-year grant of $200,000 to the Chicago Housing Initiative. ¹⁶

People

Don Washington is the executive director of the Chicago Housing Initiative. According to the Chicago Housing Initiative’s website, Washington is heading a project in tracking connections “between both violent/dangerous right-wing organizations and movements, conservative think tanks/funders and politicians.” ¹⁷

1. “AFGJ’s Fiscally Sponsored Projects.” Alliance for Global Justice, January 23, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230206002753/https:/afgj.org/sponsored-projects/fiscally-sponsored-projects/fiscally-sponsored-projects
2. “About Us.” chihousing. Accessed June 21, 2025. https://www.chicagohousinginitiative.org/about-us.
3. “About Us.” chihousing. Accessed June 25, 2025. https://www.chicagohousinginitiative.org/about-us
4. “Tax Exempt Organization Search Details: Internal Revenue Service.” Tax Exempt Organization Search Details | Internal Revenue Service. Accessed June 25, 2025. https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/details/.
5. “Our Mission.” Alliance for Global Justice, August 23, 2012. https://afgj.org/about/our-mission.
6. “Fiscal Sponsorship.” Alliance for Global Justice, March 21, 2023. https://afgj.org/fsp
7. “United States and Canada Target Key International Fundraiser for Foreign Terrorist Organization PFLP.” U.S. Department of the Treasury, October 15, 2024. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2646.
8.   Mauro, Ryan. “Samidoun Sanctioned as Terrorists: Why It’s a Bigger Deal than Realized.” Capital Research Center, October 16, 2024. https://capitalresearch.org/article/samidoun-sanctioned-as-terrorists-why-its-a-bigger-deal-than-realized/.
9. Kane, Lizzie. “Chicago Fire Land Lease Lawsuit against Chicago Housing Authority and HUD DISMISSED.” Chicago Tribune, October 24, 2023. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2023/10/23/chicago-fire-land-lease-lawsuit-against-chicago-housing-authority-and-hud-dismissed/.
10. “Michael Reese Health Trust,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2024. Schedule I.
11. “Wieboldt Foundation,” Return of Private Foundation Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990 PF) 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Page 11 Part XIV.
12. “Field Foundation of Illinois,” Return of Private Foundation Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990 PF) 2021. Page 11 Part XIV.
13.  “Crossroads Fund,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2021. Schedule I.
14. “Chicago Teachers Union Foundation,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2020 and 2021. Schedule I.
15. “Conant Family Foundation,” Return of Private Foundation Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990 PF) 2019. Page 11 Part XIV.
16. “Chicago Housing Initiative – Macarthur Foundation.” Menu. Accessed June 20, 2025. https://www.macfound.org/grantee/chicago-housing-initiative-43334/.
17. “Staff.” chihousing. Accessed June 20, 2025. https://www.chicagohousinginitiative.org/staff.