Trinity Chicago's Imani Village Highlighted in Crain's Business
Reposted from Crain's Chicago Business
Imani Village Lays Down a Model for Transforming Far South Side
by Judith Crown, October 14, 2025
Over the summer, Chicago seniors began moving into a $36 million, 70-unit building with modern appliances and community spaces just steps from a new Metra station scheduled to open in 2027. It’s the first project at Imani Village at 95th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, a mixed-use development initiated by Trinity United Church of Christ.
Trinity says Imani, which means faith in Swahili, is envisioned as a beacon of hope in a neighborhood accustomed to poverty and disinvestment. It’s a “blueprint for transforming the face and future of Chicago’s Far South Side,” according to the Pritzker Traubert Foundation. The project is a finalist for the foundation’s 2025 Chicago Prize , which supports real estate development on the city’s South and West sides.
“We're building a model community, and we're anchoring the 95th Street Corridor Plan,” says Patricia Eggleston, executive director of Imani Village. The project is inspired by principles of economic development, health equity, environmental justice and reversing the negative impact of mass incarceration, she says.
Earlier this year Advocate Health Care announced plans to add an immediate care center to its outpatient clinic at Imani, a $10 million investment. The expansion will add 4,600 square feet to the clinic, which opened in late 2018, and include equipment to support triage and treatment, cardiac and vascular diagnostics, imaging services and virtually assisted care. It is scheduled to open by the end of the year.
A charter school on the site was converted to community and office space for Trinity’s nonprofit arm, The Endeleo Institute. The senior apartments, built with co-developer SPM Properties, required a capital stack that included tax credits and participation by the city of Chicago, the state of Illinois and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. A second group of 62 apartments also is planned.
An ambitious part of the plan is conversion of the former Carpenter Technology steel distribution facility to build modular homes, called Imani Works, in partnership with Chicago-based builder Inherent L3C, which has been constructing affordable single-family homes on the West Side since 2022. Inherent will manufacture the first batch of homes at its West Side facility, then “gradually train us and our partners,” Eggleston says.
Imani’s vision and its standing as a finalist for the Chicago Prize open a major opportunity, says Juan Sebastian Arias, executive director of the nonprofit Elevated Chicago, one of the partner agencies on the plan to revive the 95th Street Corridor. “With all the infrastructure investment in the works, Imani will continue as a major hub of activity and it can be a generator of equitable community wealth building,” he says.
Cornerstone Fund Guests on United Church Funds Podcast
The United Church Funds "Just Investing" podcast had Cornerstone Fund VP & Chief Relationship Officer Rev. Dr. Courtney Stange-Tregear as a guest this week. They talked about what we mean by "God Math," and so much more. Listen by clicking on the image, or on the podcast services listed below.
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Hoyleton Youth and Family Services
Helping Kids In Need
Hoyleton Youth and Family Services in Fairview Heights, Illinois, is a residential treatment program for children and adolescents as well as a transitional living for older adolescents with developmental disabilities who may also have severe emotional and behavioral problems. The organization is the single largest residential care provider in the state for children diagnosed with intellectual disabilities and mental illness. Hoyleton can attest that given the right care, even children in worst case scenarios can experience remarkable growth and recovery.
NEED
Hoyleton’s five residential cottages were grossly outdated. The oldest cottage was built in 1915 and the newest in 1995. While the cottages have been maintained and updated (roofs, flooring, etc.) they were largely in their original form—outdated and not built for their current use.
CALLING
Hoyleton’s facilities were unable to accommodate Illinois Department of Children and Family Service’s need for more therapeutic beds for this population of youth. The organization saw the need for updated and safe facilities for their patients and dedicated themselves to building six new cottages.
God Math
A Cornerstone Fund loan of $5.5 million helped Hoyleton meet the need and build the new cottages. These new buildings that are suitably designed for children and adolescents will lead to a shorter stay in therapeutic care. With the new facilities, Hoyleton expects to reduce the average stay from 17.5 to 12 months or less, and the anticipated result is that more than 70 children will be served on an annual basis.
“Cornerstone’s guidance and assistance were instrumental in transforming a long-held dream into reality. I can’t envision a more ideal partner to have worked with.”
— Chris L. Cox, President and CEO of Hoyleton Family and Youth Services.
West Concord Union Church
Creation Care in Action
West Concord Union Church is a historic United Church of Christ congregation in Concord, Massachusetts, that strongly supports a range of social justice causes. To demonstrate their commitment to Creation Care, they knew it was time to invest more in “greening” the church.
NEED
After installing solar panels on their roof several years ago, WCUC wanted to update the church’s oil-fueled HVAC system (pictured on the right). It was old, inefficient, and expensive. The system generated more than 140,000 pounds of greenhouse gases annually.
CALLING
West Concord Union Church was called to increase their commitment to Creation Care by installing a more efficient and less expensive heat pump HVAC system. With a total project cost of $1.3 million for the HVAC construction, West Concord Union Church was prompted to look outside of the congregation for the necessary financial solutions.
God Math
The Cornerstone Fund’s Creation Care loan, which came with a reduced interest, was put to work to finance the new HVAC project’s $1.3 million price tag.
Thanks to an effective capital campaign, revenue from various church tenants, notable property assets, and the Cornerstone Fund loan, the congregation updated its HVAC system. The new system is expected to save the congregation $30,000 to $40,000 annually. And thanks to this new HVAC system, the church is now carbon neutral.
“Our community believes that God calls us to care for the earth. Transforming our energy use is an expression of our beliefs and aligns of our practices with our faith.”
– Rev. Hannah C. Brown, pastor of WCUC.
Cornerstone Fund Disaster Care Program Helps Florida Church Rebuild After Hurricane Helene
On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene came ashore as a Category 4 storm in the Big Bend area of Florida. A year later, the congregation of Pass-A-Grille Beach Community Church in Pass-A-Grille, Florida is remembering the disaster and its effects on the whole area.
"Our church is on a barrier island—one side is the Gulf of Mexico and the other side is Tampa Bay," said the Rev. Dr. Angela Wells-Bean, senior pastor of the church. "The island is maybe two miles long and very narrow. We're very vulnerable.
"Helene's storm surge flooded our whole campus with almost three feet of water."
The church's sanctuary, narthex, commons, offices, nursery, thrift store, and first floor education wing were devastated. The sanctuary's damage also prohibited any services.
"Where were we going to worship? Our pews had been floating in three feet of water," said Rev. Wells-Bean. Thankfully they were able to hold services at Pilgrim United Church of Christ in nearby St. Petersburg.
The community pulled together quickly for the recovery and rebuilding. Thanks to a United Church of Christ Ministry Capacity Rebuilding Grant, PAGCBC was able to restore its thrift store.
On top of that, a Disaster Care Program loan from the Cornerstone Fund continues to assist in the rebuilding and disaster mitigation projects. The congregation's weekly worship services returned to the repaired sanctuary in late January of this year. The rest of the building’s repairs continue – from drywall replacement to new electrical wiring and more.
"It's been amazing to work with the Cornerstone Fund," said Rev. Wells-Bean. "We're grateful for how supportive and understanding you are."
The Cornerstone Fund's Disaster Care Investment and Recovery Program launched in late 2024 in response to the increasing number of natural disasters each year. Cornerstone Fund leadership collaborated with the United Church of Christ Disaster Ministries and the United Church of Christ Insurance Board in planning the program, which provides loans at a lower interest rate than would otherwise be available to churches that have experienced destruction.
The Southern California – Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ saw the critical need for this program and made the first generous investment. The conference leaders know that these low-rate loans are made possible because the individuals and institutions that invest in Disaster Care willingly accept lower investment rates.
To recover after disasters, these loans help United Church of Christ congregations undertake projects such as:
- Repairing or replacing roofs
- Repairing or rebuilding worship and fellowship spaces
- Installing facilities to support incoming recovery volunteers
- Improving facilities to mitigate future disaster impacts
Pass-A-Grille Community Beach Church's Disaster Care loan also requires disaster mitigation projects, so the church purchased door barriers to prevent water intrusion in the future.
As the rebuilding continues for the church and the surrounding community, the congregation will hold a First Anniversary Service of Healing and Remembrance on September 28 with Church of the Isles UCC, which was also damaged by Hurricane Helene.
"That service is on the beach to recognize that this is why we're all here," said Rev. Wells-Bean. "The beach is the magnet that pulls us all here, but it is also the source of our destruction. How to do we wrestle with that – how do we name our gratitude of the ocean, but at the same time, acknowledge that it's also incredibly powerful and destructive?"
Learn more about the Disaster Care Investment and Loan Program
Cornerstone Fund and Trinity Church New York Announce Ground-Breaking Partnership Offering Millions for Church and Faith-Based Projects
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: September 8, 2025
CONTACT:
Heather Moyer, Cornerstone Fund
443-418-4653; hmoyer@cornerstonefund.org
Cornerstone Fund and Trinity Church New York Announce Ground-Breaking Partnership Offering Millions for Church and Faith-Based Projects
This week the Cornerstone Fund and Trinity Church New York announced a partnership that will create more than $23 million in low-cost financing for churches and other faith-based organizations throughout the United States creating change in their communities.
Named Good Soil Fund, based on the Biblical Parable of the Sower, this partnership provides a $2.3 million investment from Trinity Church that the Cornerstone Fund will use, along with other sources of capital, to multiply the investment ten-fold, creating more than $23 million in impacts via churches and other faith-based organizations.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matt 13:23)
“The Cornerstone Fund is thrilled to partner with such a missionally aligned organization as Trinity Church New York on this very important work of utilizing church property to create sustainable community impact,” said Maria Coyne, President and CEO of the Cornerstone Fund.
“The Cornerstone Fund has long expertise in lending to churches and other faith-based organizations for projects that do everything from simply enhancing the spiritual home and allowing the church to better serve its community, to ‘creation care’ projects that assist in lowering the property's carbon footprint, to projects which provide food or shelter all by providing creative and often gap-filling borrowing solutions.”
Loans include lines of credit, bridge financing, pre-development and construction financing, and permanent financing for mission real estate development projects.
To qualify for Good Soil Fund financing, projects should involve a real estate development that generates social impact while building financial capacity to support ministry. Developments may include difficult to finance projects such as low-density housing, transitional housing for vulnerable populations such as refugees, immigrants, returning citizens, and LGBTQIA+ youth, and projects supporting community education, social services, health and economic development, among many others.
“This partnership creates a critical source of flexible capital to help churches advance their real estate projects from pre-development through construction and operation, ” said Rev. James Clark III, managing director of Mission Real Estate Development at Trinity Church New York.
Churches and other faith-based organizations interested in more information about these loans or finding out about investing in the Cornerstone Fund should contact info@cornerstonefund.org or 888-822-3863 or visit our website at cornerstonefund.org
About the Cornerstone Fund
Founded in 1993, the United Church of Christ Cornerstone Fund’s mission is joining together in faith to invest in and build community. The Cornerstone Fund is a non-profit financial institution that offers investments for individuals, churches, and faith-based non-profit organizations. The Cornerstone Fund then loans those funds directly to other churches and faith-based non-profit organizations for projects that create change in their communities.
About Trinity Church
Trinity Church is an Episcopal parish in New York City founded in 1697. We work for justice, serve our neighbors, and bring people together to experience God’s love in community. Trinity’s outreach in the city includes 20 weekly worship services, food assistance seven days a week for people in need, support for asylum seekers, housing for the elderly and people living with disabilities, youth programs, and a wide array of free music and educational events throughout the year. The church also supports communities and ministries serving the world in Africa, Asia, and across the Americas.
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Helping Those in Need After Disasters
As hurricane season ramps up, many of us worry about hurricane damage to our communities as well as how we can help others recover if they’re hit by a powerful storm.
Because an increasing number of natural disasters continues to devastate communities, the United Church of Christ Cornerstone Fund recognizes the importance of offering ways to support those rebuilding in the aftermath.
Investing with the Cornerstone Fund allows us to make loans to UCC churches and missionally aligned non-profits, including Disaster Care loans.
Through our Disaster Care Investment & Loan Program, introduced in the fall of 2024, the Cornerstone Fund supports post-disaster efforts by offering more favorable terms on loans to organizations affiliated with the UCC for projects specifically aimed at repairing or rebuilding facilities following the devastating effects of disasters.
“I chose to invest in the Cornerstone Disaster Care Fund which provides crucial funding for churches that have experienced a disaster,” said Katie Howe, the UCC Minister for Disaster Response and Recovery. “These loans are used for repairs, rebuilding work, or while waiting on insurance claims.
“While earning interest on my investment, I know that my money is being used faithfully by helping to make these low-interest loans available. As Minister for Disaster Response and Recovery with the National Ministry of the United Church of Christ, I have seen first-hand the positive impact that these loans can make on our churches when they need it most.”
To recover after disasters, UCC congregations undertake projects such as:
- Repairing or replacing roofs
- Repairing or rebuilding worship and fellowship spaces
- Installing facilities to support incoming recovery volunteers
- Improving facilities to mitigate future disaster impacts
Learn more: cornerstonefund.org/disaster-care
If you have questions, please call us at 888-UCC-FUND or email info@cornerstonefund.org
*This is not an offer to sell securities and is not a solicitation to buy securities. The offering is made solely by the Offering Circular. The Cornerstone Fund securities are unsecured debt securities subject to terms, conditions, and risks, which are described in the Offering Circular, including risk of possible loss of the amount invested. Payment is dependent on Cornerstone Fund’s financial condition at the time payment is due. Cornerstone Fund will offer and sell securities only in states where authorized. Not FDIC or SIPC insured. Not a bank deposit. Not guaranteed by the United Church of Christ. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Rates subject to change. View the Offering Circular at cornerstonefund.org/offering-circular/
Join the Cornerstone Fund at General Synod 35
The Cornerstone Fund is excited to take part in the United Church of Christ's General Synod 35! Here's where you can find us and learn more about us during the event:
- See the debut of our new documentary at our luncheon on Saturday, July 12, at 11:45am.
- Attend our workshop "Covenant of Mission and Money: How to Invest In and Build Community" on Sunday, July 13, at noon.
- Visit us at our table with the other UCC financial ministries in the exhibition hall all weekend. Meet our staff and leadership and learn more about us.
You can learn more about and register for these events on the General Synod website. See you July 11-15 in Kansas City, Missouri!
General Synod 35 Sponsors, Including the Cornerstone Fund, Offer Generous Contributions to Those Gathering in Kansas City
Written by Renee DeLuca
When the United Church of Christ gathers in Kansas City this coming July 11-15 for General Synod 35, there will be many generous donors to thank for making it happen. Through these partnerships, UCC members, colleagues, and national staff will gather for inspirational worship and fellowship, engaging youth activities, and plenaries that lift issues that demand a faithful witness.
Once again, the five UCC financial ministries have joined to pledge a large chunk of those contributions at $65,000. Great thanks go to the Church Building & Loan Fund, Cornerstone Fund, Insurance Board, the Pension Boards and United Church Funds. The UCC financial ministries have a long history of providing resources and services to help protect and grow churches, and they have stepped up once again as we go “Into the Deep,” the theme of this year’s Synod.
Representatives of the financial ministries will be present during Synod, with exhibits, learning opportunities and more. Attendees will be able to discover the many different services, resources and programs that they each offer.
Grateful to our partners
“We are grateful to our partners and champions for their continued commitment to the United Church of Christ. Sponsor funding for General Synod is an important supporting component to offering this extraordinary and inspiring event,” said Michelle Carver, director of philanthropy for the UCC National Ministries. “We are excited to engage with everyone as together we explore Into the Deep at Synod in July.”
There are others to thank as well.
Silver Sponsors ($5,000):
Affiliated UCC seminaries for their joint sponsorship of $3,000:
- Andover Newton Seminary at Yale
- Chicago Theological Seminary
- Eden Theological Seminary
- Moravian University/Lancaster
- Pacific School of Religion
- United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities
Bronze Sponsor ($2,500):
The Rev. Dr. Ron Patterson and Ms. Charnley Marsden.
Blue Sponsor ($1,000):
To learn more about sponsorships at General Synod 35, visit the website here.
Registration is open for General Synod now. You can make your reservation HERE.