The Monroe Foundation - A Community & Enterprise Development Organization

Creating Opportunities. . .The Monroe Foundation makes it happen!
The Monroe Foundation provides technical assistance, training and grant writing consulting and program development in all aspects of not-for-profit start-up, applying for grants and linkages to Chicagorea grant-makers who participate in our "Meeting With A Chicago Grant Maker" program.

The "Meeting With A Chicago Grant Maker" program places our members "face to face" with potential funders, allowing them an opportunity to "pitch" project's to in advance of grant deadlines.

Groups that have recieved funding in 2011 as part of the Monroe Foundation's "Meeting with a Chicago Grant Maker" program, includes:

Nobel Neighbors Housing Resource Center
Westside Ministers Coalition
Agora Community Services Corporation
Genesis Housing Development Corporation
The STABLE Project
THE F.L.E.D. Project (Financial Literacy Equals Deposits)
The Black Star Project

To become a Member of The Monroe Foundation, please download and submit the Monroe Foundation Membership Application (see below).

Direct all membership and technical assistance inquiries to:

Otis Chandler Monroe, III
CEO
The Monroe Foundation
omonroe@themonroefoundation.org

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE MONROE FOUNDATION

Click Here for a PACT Project Partners Orientation

Click Here for a The Monroe Foundation Brochure

THE MONROE FOUNDATION IN THE MEDIA

March, 2009 WBEZ interview of Monroe Foundation CEO Otis Monroe on Community Reinvestment Organizing. Click the link for the video and picture slides. The interview was conducted by Natalie Moore of the WBEZ Englewood Bureau.

http://wbez.org/Content.aspx?audioID=32902

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Creating Opportunities.....The Monroe Foundation Makes It Happen for Community Development Grants

PNC BANK WORKS WITH THE COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT ORGANIZING PROJECT TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OR GENESIS HOUSING DEVCORP

PNC Bank, a new leading financial institution in the Chicago land area, provided Genesis Housing Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization that develops affordable housing and workforce development opportunities on the Southside of Chicago, received a community development investment grant of $ 15,000 from PNC Bank (formerly National City). The grant was presented a community presentation that took place at the PNC branch at 35th & State Street.

PNC Bank was an early supporter and signed-on to Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias' CRA Policy for state depositories last year after participating in dialogue with leaders of the Community Reinvestment Organizing Project, a public policy initiative of the Monroe Foundation.

Monroe Foundation President, Otis Chandler Monroe, III, stated, "This CRA (Community Reinvestment Act) qualifiable grant to Genesis Housing Development Corporation, is strong example of the intent and outcome of the CRA policy Treasurer Giannoulias adopted after working with the Monroe Foundation to develop it. The outcome is one that provides opportunities for community development groups that normally are not on the radar of financial institutions, to become engaged in community reinvestment and investment opportunities that are mutual to the communities served where there is a branch presence in a lender's immediate market or assessment area".

ATTACHMENT: PNC CHECK PRESENTATION TO GENESIS HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LEADERS BY BRANCH MANAGER.

The Community Reinvestment Organizing Project is funded by a grant from the Woods Fund of Chicago.

Public Policy Action:

Advocating for Community Reinvestment Public Policy...The Monroe Foundation Makes It Happen!

On June 1, 2009, Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias adopted the Community Reinvestment Organizing Project (COP) Revised CRA Policy Recommendations (see "Treasurer Proposing Institutions Commitment to Community Reinvestment") CRA Pledge Form as policy for financial institutiions that receive state deposits and public investments.
(see State Treasurer's Anti-Bailout Press Release)

This revised CRA policy for Illinois, sets forth a set of community reinvestment principles that community groups can use to engage and neogitate community lending, banking and investment partnerships with state depositories in Illinois.

Additionally, Treasurer Giannoulias added a "CRA Compliant" form to the Treasurer Office website that allows community groups and Illinois citizens to file concerns about state depositories that are acting in the best interests of Illinois citizens
(see attached "CRA Compliant Form").

To help community groups and citizens understand how to use the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) to negotiate community lending, banking and investment benefits, the Monroe Foundation has published a "CRA Organizing Guidebook". Download the guidebook.

Sponsors Bank Branch Closing Notification Bill
(Download PDF Here)

State Representative LaShawn Ford Sponsors
Bank Branch Closing Notification Bill Responds
To Community Concerns On Urban Partnership
Bank Branch Closings

CALL TO ACTION LAUNCHED TO URGE LEGISLATORS TO SUPPORT PASSAGE

State Representative LaShawn K. Ford, (D., Proviso Township, Oak Park, Austin), has filed an amendment to the State Deposits of Moneys Act that will require financial institutions that receive state deposits or investments on behalf of Illinois taxpayers, to file a notice of any plans to close, re-locate or consolidate a branch in a low-moderate income community in Illinois.

The "Branch Closing Notification Act" was drafted over the weekend by the Community Reinvestment Organizing Project of(COP), a community reinvestment and public policy initiative of the Monroe Foundation, in response to concerns about plans of Urban Partnership Bank (formerly Shorebank), to close its' branches in the communities of Bellwood and Austin in Proviso Township and Chicago's Westside in May, 2011.

Rev. Dr. Lewis Flowers, Chairman of the Westside Ministers Coalition in the Austin community, stated, " Any bank that is a state depository and apparently decides that it wants to continue to receive taxpayer deposits, but not have a commitment to a community any longer because its' low-income, should be be required explain how leaving the community is in the interest of the community and not the interest of its' bottom-line".

Below and attached is the link to the legislation that is currently in the Rules Committee of the Illinois General Assembly.

For more information about joining the campaign to pass this amendment, please contact Otis Monroe of the Monroe Foundation, at (773) 325-9720.

The Community Reinvestment Organizing Project of the Monroe Foundation is funded by a grant from the Woods Fund of Chicago.

http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=3781&GAID=11&SessionID=84&LegID=61717

Please Consider Making A Year End Contribution To The Monroe Foundation

(Click to Play Message)

A Special Message from Otis Monroe, President & Founder of The Monroe Foundation.

Please consider making a 2011 Year End Contribution to the Foundation.
Make checks payable to The Monroe Foundation, 1547 South Wolf Road, Hillside, IL 60162.

Contributions can also be made online here

THE MONROE FOUNDATION UPCOMING EVENTS (December 2011)

Newsletters:

December 2011 Grass Roots Newsletter

September 2011 Grass Roots Newsletter

May 2011 Grass Roots Newsletter

March 2011 Grass Roots Newsletter

Feburary 2011 Grass Roots Newsletter

January 2011 Grass Roots Newsletter