Impact Report 2025
We Get Big Things Done
Welcome
I am proud to share Civic Consulting Alliance’s 2025 Impact Report, marking a milestone year—our 40th anniversary—and the launch of a five-year strategic plan that positions our organization as the cornerstone of a civic ecosystem that creates a more vibrant, equitable, and prosperous Chicago region for all.
In 2025*, our team and pro bono partners worked alongside regional leaders to advance systems change across our focus areas of Economic Vitality, Education, Health and Safety & Justice. The projects highlighted in this report reflect the collaborative work of many to strengthen public systems, expand opportunity, and improve outcomes for communities. From our work on the City of Chicago’s Cut the Tape initiative and the Chicago Police Department’s vision for community policing, to Cook County’s much-needed property tax reform initiatives, to working with the State of Illinois to improve childcare licensing and help make Illinois “site ready” for investments that lead to regional economic vitality — these are just a few of the 21 projects featured in this report.
An exciting outcome of our new strategic plan is to formalize Health as a focus area, recognizing that community well-being underpins economic mobility, educational success, and public safety. By deepening our work at the intersection of health and systems change, we aim to help clients meet rising demand and drive lasting impact. This new focus area builds on our strong track record of success working to reduce the life expectancy gap with West Side United and related initiatives, and our burgeoning work with leaders at the City, County, and State.
*Fiscal year 2025: July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025
As federal priorities shift and resources tighten, the need for effective cross-sector collaboration is only growing. Chicago’s long-standing strength lies in its civic leadership and collective action, and Civic Consulting Alliance is proud to support the leaders and institutions working together to meet this moment of unprecedented challenges and opportunities to reimagine government service delivery.
This Impact Report reflects the extraordinary civic ecosystem that makes our work possible: Board members, clients, funders, pro bono partners, and my incredible team. I invite you to explore the report, share it with your network, and join us as we enter our fifth decade focused on deeper impact and continued partnership across the Chicago region.
All the best,
Rebekah Scheinfeld
CEO and President
Civic Consulting Alliance
2025 Impact
$12M
invested through
pro bono consulting services
25
partners engaged
in pro bono projects
54
projects completed
for the Chicago region
611
people involved
as partners, clients, staff, and board members
Our Focus Areas
We organize our work into four focus areas that are integral to creating a more vibrant, equitable, and prosperous Chicago region for all.
Each focus area includes strategies that address root causes and promote lasting solutions. Across all four, we work to make institutions more responsive and effective.
We invite you to keep scrolling to learn more about key projects in each of our focus areas.
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Our Goal: A thriving economy that builds individual and community wealth in support of regional revitalization
Strategies to address the root causes and build lasting solutions:
Inclusive regional economic growth
Equitable investment across communities
Individual opportunity & prosperity
Responsive and effective institutions
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Our Goal: High-quality education and access to opportunity for all students prepares them for lifelong success and fulfillment.
Strategies to address the root causes and build lasting solutions:
High-quality learning experiences
Fair distribution of resources
Connectivity across the continuum
Responsive and effective institutions
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Our Goal: Accessible healthcare that increases holistic well-being and allows all people to live longer, healthier lives
Strategies to address the root causes and build lasting solutions:
Interventions for drivers of premature mortality
Efforts to address social determinants of health
Investment in responsive care and social health
Responsive and effective institutions
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Our Goal: Collaborative violence prevention and intervention strategies that create safe and just communities
Strategies to address the root causes and build lasting solutions:
Holistic community safety infrastructure
Constitutional and accountable policing
Equitable justice system
Responsive and effective institutions
Thank You to Our Funders and Pro Bono Partners
Reports Released in 2025
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First Year of Cutting the Tape: Laying the Foundation for Opportunity and Investment
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Arts Education Plan 2.0: Cultivating Creativity
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Community perspective on CPD: Synthesis of Focus Groups with Community Representatives
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CPD member perspective: Synthesis of Focus Groups with Chicago Police Department Members
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Black Student Success Plan
In 2025, we celebrated 40 Years of getting big things done.
Every dollar invested in our mission is multiplied fivefold, providing an estimated investment of $300M in pro bono consulting services since 1985.
Economic Vitality
“Civic Consulting Alliance brings not only deep expertise but also access to the right partners to support our initiatives quickly and effectively. Their ability to mobilize pro bono resources and convene the right teams has been critical as we work to advance site readiness and attract strategic investment to Illinois.”
Christy George, President and CEO, Illinois Economic Development Corporation
Key Projects
Economic Vitality Snapshot
19
Projects Executed
$4.4M
Invested
7
Partners Engaged
207
People Involved
Education
“Over the past three years, Civic Consulting Alliance has partnered with us to strengthen how our system operates and to clarify how the Harold Washington Library Center serves as the flagship library of our system and a vital civic and cultural space for Chicago. This work ensures our libraries do not simply keep up with the city. They help lead it.”
Chris Brown, Commissioner, Chicago Public Library
Key Projects
Education Snapshot
11
Projects Executed
$1.5M
Invested
6
Partners Engaged
75
People Involved
Health
“Over the past several years, I’ve called upon Civic Consulting Alliance again and again to support critical initiatives for Rush and for Chicago’s West Side – initiatives including the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative, Sankofa Wellness Village, Live Healthy Chicago, and inter-hospital collaboration to establish a firearm injury registry. In each case, Civic Consulting Alliance served as the cornerstone for institutions, communities, and civic leaders to collaborate and to make meaningful place-based investments on the West Side.”
Dr. David Ansell, Senior Vice President for Community Health Equity, Rush University Medical Center
Civic Consulting Alliance's 2025 Strategic Plan established Health as a new focus area, building on our existing impact, client relationships, and institutional knowledge.
Our work in the health space includes scaling West Side United, coordinating pandemic response with the City of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools, and advancing efforts to address violence as a public health crisis — work that aligns with growing interest from our partners and funders.
In 2026, we launched multiple projects with the Chicago Department of Public Health, Cook County Health, and Rush University. We look forward to sharing projects from the new Health focus area in our next Impact Report!
Safety & Justice
“Civic Consulting Alliance is a close partner in helping the Chicago Police Department strategize on the operational reforms and policy changes necessary to enhance the training and well-being of officers. By prioritizing these reforms, the officers will better be able to take care of the communities they serve.”
Larry Snelling, Superintendent, Chicago Police Department
Key Projects
Safety & Justice Snapshot
18
Projects Executed
$3 Million
Invested
10
Partners Engaged
184
People Involved
Special thanks to our
Clients, Partners, and Funders
"Together, Civic Consulting Alliance and BCG are strong complementary partners working in the complex public safety ecosystem. We each have our strengths and areas of expertise that help us be force multipliers for each other and our clients. The growth of BCG’s work across CVI and CCA’s in policing and criminal justice systems, each with distinct but complementary stakeholders and goals, shows that we are powerful when we come together, play to our strengths, and support an ecosystem that works collaboratively."
— Cassandra N. Di Prizio, Director, Social Impact & Marketing, BCG
What Our Partners Are Saying
“Partnering with Civic Consulting Alliance strengthens our firm’s ability to deliver high-impact pro bono work in the community. Our teams bring problem-solving expertise and move quickly on complex challenges, knowing the CCA team remains alongside the client to implement, sustain, and see the work through. This continuity makes CCA a key partner to our social impact program.”
— Matt Straus, Partner, McKinsey
“Working alongside Civic Consulting Alliance enables MGT Consulting Group to advance our social impact goals in partnership with leaders who are equally committed to community progress. Helping City Colleges of Chicago enhance operational effectiveness was deeply rewarding because when institutions run stronger, students can access economic mobility, and communities thrive.”
