Kudos to the Press Forward Chicago and Press Forward Springfield teams for hosting last week's Illinois Local News Summit. We enjoyed participating in an inspiring day of dialogue with local, regional and national leaders all invested in strengthening and elevating local news in our communities.

Strong local news is essential to civic life and democracy. It's why we invest in initiatives like Press Forward. On #LocalNewsDay, we celebrate the journalists and media leaders nationwide ensuring that communities have trustworthy information.

Opinion: Chicago has a real path to meaningful police reform, if we choose to take it Communities have made clear: they don’t want less police; they want better policing presence and response. But absent the mechanisms and structures to support that change, it’s merely hypothetical.

Communities want better policing rooted in trust. Two new @chicagopolice.bsky.social reports outline the structures to make that possible. This @crainschicago.bsky.social op-ed shows how structural transformation at CPD is necessary & achievable. #PoliceReform
www.chicagobusiness.com/opinion/comm...

Julie Morita: My parents were interned in camps for Japanese Americans. We are repeating that national sin. Reflecting on the interment of Japanese Americans and what is happening today challenges us to see how fragile our civil liberties are.

On this date 84 years ago, more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent were incarcerated during World War II, including the parents of our President and CEO Julie Morita. Julie's op-ed in today's @chicagotribune.com reminds us to choose discourse & actions that unite rather than divide us. ⬇️

In Remembrance: Robert G. Bottoms The Joyce Foundation mourns the passing of Board Member Emeritus Robert G. Bottoms. Bob served as a Joyce board member for 26 years, retiring in 2023.

The Joyce Foundation mourns the passing of Board Member Emeritus, @depauwuniversity.bsky.social President Emeritus & @depauwprindle.bsky.social founding director Robert G. Bottoms. He will be missed. Read our full remembrance ⬇️
www.joycefdn.org/news/in-reme...

We note with sadness the passing of former Joyce Foundation President & Board Member Emerita Charles U. Daly. Chuck passed away January 21. He was 98. He was Foundation president from 1978-1986 & Board member until 2019. Read more in our remembrance linked here. ⬇️

www.joycefdn.org/news/in-reme...

Cooper Center Releases Comprehensive Findings on Data Centers in the Great Lakes Region | Cooper Center Press release regarding Cooper Center work on data centers in the Great Lakes region.

Today @weldoncoopercenter.bsky.social released the first-ever comprehensive report on data centers in the #GreatLakes region, illuminating the rapid growth, and environmental & economic impact of these facilities. We're pleased to support this research. ⬇️
tinyurl.com/bdzm5c2b

Chicago Education Alliance seeks to bring clarity to CPS’ toughest issues The newly launched organization will offer research-backed guidance to Chicago school leaders and board members as they tackle the district’s thorniest issues, from budget deficits to struggling chart...

The Joyce Foundation is proud to be a founding funder of this promising initiative designed to strengthen
@chipubschools.bsky.social policies & help advance the best conditions for student success.
chicago.suntimes.com/2026/01/09/c...

Join our Thursday, 1/8 webinar at Noon CST discussing new research exploring the relationship between law enforcement and community cooperation in homicide investigations, and how that impacts homicide clearance rates. Registration link below.

joycefdn-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Commentary: Progress on gun violence doesn't deserve a trophy — yet. We must keep going. It will take ongoing commitment to build on the gains against the backdrop of declining federal support for prevention efforts, write philanthropic supporters.

Chicago's 10-year low in violent crime rebuts a challenging national narrative. Learn more in this month's @crainschicago.bsky.social Forum, including an op-ed from our Senior Program Officers Louisa Aviles & Quintin Williams.

www.chicagobusiness.com/crains-forum...

College enrollment has been falling for years. Is it time to overhaul the whole system? Michigan's one-of-a-kind college system may make change hard to coordinate among 15 schools, but there are things the state can do.

New @crainsdetroit.bsky.social Forum. Features op-eds from Joyce Education & Economic Mobility Program Officer Chibuzo Ezeigbo and our board member Russ Kavalhuna, president of Western Michigan University. #HigherEducation #StudentSuccess

www.crainsdetroit.com/crains-forum...

Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers Launch Initiative to “Future Proof” the Great Lakes Compact and Agreement Great Lakes Governors and Premiers The Governors and Premiers work as equal partners to grow the region’s $9.3 (US) trillion economy and protect the world’s largest system of surface fresh water.

Congratulations to the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers on launching a new multi-year initiative to strengthen the region’s water management institutions by “future proofing” the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Water Resources Compact and Agreement. ⬇️
gsgp.org/projects/wat...

We are pleased to welcome Courtney Lundquist as our new Program Officer in the Education & Economic Mobility Program, overseeing the Foundation's Post-Secondary Success portfolio. She will join the Foundation in January. #HigherEducation #StudentSuccess

Responding to Data Center Development: Emerging Insights for… The goal of this webinar is to share learnings and connect diverse stakeholders interested in how local communities are experiencing and responding to…

This year our Environment team kicked off a Data Center Initiative which includes a webinar series to better understand maximizing economic benefits while minimizing harm to communities. Our latest webinar explores trends on community response to emerging data center development. ⬇️

Congratulations to Rob Wilcox and the Fund for a Safer Future! His appointment as the organization's first CEO and President is a major milestone in its history. Joyce is proud to be a founding funder of FSF, the nation's only donor collaborative focused on reducing gun violence in America.

Our Fall newsletter includes a reflective & uplifting message from our President & CEO Julie Morita, along with details about the 114 grants totaling more than $23 million we awarded in our latest round of funding, and other key program notes. ⬇️

tinyurl.com/92pw9pev

Policing | Chicago News | WTTW WTTW News dives deep into why consent decree reform is so slow and how policing in Chicago continues to evolve.

New policing series from @wttw.bsky.social examines Chicago Police progress implementing the 2019 consent decree that mandates broad police reform. We're proud to support this project-an intersection of 2 of our core programs: #Journalism & #Justice Reform. 👇 #Chicago
news.wttw.com/policing

Picture of Soledad McGrath, the Joyce Foundation's new Program Director for the Gun Violence Prevention and Justice Reform Program.

We're excited to announce Soledad Adrianzén McGrath as our new Program Director for the Gun Violence Prevention and Justice Reform Program. Soledad was most recently executive director of Northwestern's Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science (CORNERS). She starts in January.

Announcing the 2025 Creative Impact Awardees Sixty artists and 57 organizations are recognized for their contributions to the Great Lakes region

We're thrilled to announce the 2025 Creative Impact Awards! $900K in unrestricted funding awarded to 60 artists & 57 organizations, celebrating their contributions to the #GreatLakes region. Administered by @unitedstatesartists.org & supported by Joyce. 🎉 ⬇️
www.joycefdn.org/news/announc...

Exciting news: the 2027 #AspenPrize Top 200 community colleges were announced today! Joyce is proud to be a founding funder of the Aspen Prize. Join us in celebrating their commitment to driving higher student success and outcomes. ⬇️ #HigherEd #StudentSuccess

Congratulations to our President and CEO Dr. Julie Morita on her formal induction into @nam.edu. Elected in 2024, Julie was noted as one of the nation's most respected public health leaders. Congratulations to all of the 2024 inductees and the Class of 2025, announced this week.

Join us October 7 at Noon Central for the final installment of our CDC-funded webinar series on firearms research. We'll be exploring new research on the risk and impact of firearm suicide on service members and veterans.

Register ➡️: joycefdn-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Opinion: Bold action needed to reform school districts Public education is at a crossroads. We must rise above our differences, confront hard truths with curiosity and act with courage.

The new @crainsdetroit.bsky.social focuses on historic changes and challenges facing urban school districts in Chicago, Cleveland & Detroit. It also features an op-ed from our Stephanie Banchero calling for bold action by public school districts to solidify needed reforms. ⬇️
tinyurl.com/5bdaf3ty

Statement on the Fundamental Freedom of Speech “Acts of political violence — from the recent murder of Charlie Kirk to the murder of Speaker Emeritus Melissa Hortman of Minnesota — have…

Joyce condemns political violence & attempts to destabilize democracy. We reject baseless efforts to weaponize political violence to target or impede charitable giving. We choose unity & categorically reject divisiveness. #UniteInAdvance #FreedomToGive
medium.com/@uniteinadva...

Former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan in conversation with Joyce President Julie Morita.

Former Education Secretary Arne Duncan with former Posse Foundation Scholars.

Big thanks to @arneduncan.bsky.social for joining our President Julie Morita in a "fireside chat" about ed policy & funding challenges resulting from federal policy shifts. Arne also greeted former Posse Foundation scholars, including our staffer, Jada.
#Education #EducationPolicy #StudentSuccess

Program Officer, Education & Economic Mobility: Post Secondary Success FOUNDATION OVERVIEW The Joyce Foundation is a private, nonpartisan philanthropy that invests in public policies and strategies to advance racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation in...

📢 We're Hiring: The Joyce Foundation is seeking a Program Officer to lead the Education and Economic Mobility Program's Post-Secondary Success portfolio. Learn more from the link below & please share with your networks. #Education #Philanthropy
joycefoundation.bamboohr.com/careers/31

A Model State Policy for Requiring Law Enforcement Use of Crime Gun… The Joyce Foundation builds on last year’s Optimizing Crime Gun Intelligence report with a new resource designed for policymakers and advocates: Model…

Our new report shows how law enforcement can implement @atfhq.bsky.social crime gun tracking tools to help solve gun crimes. This builds on our 2024 findings that most law enforcement agencies don't use these effective, accessible tools to solve gun crimes. ⬇️ #GunViolencePrevention #PublicPolicy

We recently awarded 73 grants totaling almost $17 million in our latest round of funding. Learn more about the recipients and their work in our summer newsletter. ⬇️
mailchi.mp/joycefdn/lat...

📣 We're pleased to announce that our President & CEO Dr. Julie Morita is the Closing General Session Speaker at the National Association of Community Health Centers 2025 Community Health Conference & EXPO in Chicago on August 19. #CHIexpo25

The State of Education in Minnesota: A Policy Roadmap for Student Success - EdAllies A deep dive into Minnesota’s education system—examining key data, persistent disparities, and bold policy solutions to help every student thrive.

We proudly invested in this new report from @edalliesmn.bsky.social, advocating for strong policy and bold action from the K-12 education sector to close longstanding inequities in Minnesota’s education system. ⬇️ #StudentSuccess #Minnesota #GreatLakes #Education
edalliesmn.org/research/the...