Since Mayor Harold Washington asked the business community for pro bono help analyzing the City budget, we have proudly served the Mayor’s Office to advance its most important and timely initiatives. Beginning with supporting the mayoral transition in 2019, we have worked closely with Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Office to advance initiatives aligned with our mission and to support projects where Civic Consulting Alliance was uniquely positioned to make an impact.

Women, and even more so women of color, were disproportionately negatively impacted in the workforce by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to have an equitable recovery, policymakers, workforce development practitioners, and employers need to address the systemic inequities in our labor market.

The resources made available via the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a more equitable Chicago region by addressing challenges— including poverty, community disinvestment, and inequitable access to opportunity—that were exacerbated by the pandemic, and that must be rectified to build a better region.

In January of 2022, Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union reached an agreement to re-open classrooms for in-person learning based on the implementation of additional measures and investments in COVID-19 mitigation efforts across the school district. This included COVID-19 testing of at least 10% of the student population at each school, KN95 masks for every student and staff member, and metrics that guide a school’s decision to convert classrooms or the entire school to remote learning, among others. However, CPS’ ability to manage, launch, and monitor the implementation of these efforts was limited by capacity constraints at the executive and strategic planning levels following the recent CEO leadership transition. CPS and the Mayor’s Office requested that Civic Consulting Alliance provide implementation planning and management support during this critical period for public health and the CEO’s first 90 days.

Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) five-year vision for 2019 – 2024 committed to building upon the district’s academic progress, ensuring continued financial improvements, and strengthening integrity through regular parent and community engagement in all parts of the city.

The Chicago region is the last major metropolitan area that does not have 211, an easy-to-remember resource for residents to access human and social services 24/7 by phone, text, and website. Without a 211 line, residents must navigate over a dozen call lines for different services, operated by multiple agencies. Implementing a 211 system has long been a goal for City and County officials, community- based organizations, and the philanthropic community. The COVID-19 Recovery Task Force also identified 211 implementation as a high priority and both the City and County allocated ARPA funding to establish a 211 system.

Civic Consulting Alliance was called on by the Chicago Mayor’s Office to support the Mayor’s Women Advisory Council to analyze the impact of the ‘she-cession,’ a gender gap in employment rates and pay in Chicago that was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The final report, “Creating a More Equitable Recovery: Addressing the Economic Barriers COVID-19 Exacerbated for Women in Chicago,” provides decision-makers with recommendations to center women’s economic recovery in their planning and policies.

Civic Consulting Alliance staff are experienced in coordinating large groups of stakeholders with diverse ideas and priorities to “get big things done.” We partnered with the Mayor’s Office to support and facilitate the Museum Campus Working Group. The final report, “Where Worlds Connect,” provides recommendations to transform Museum Campus into a more accessible, relevant, and attractive public space that is activated year-round.

One of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s policy priorities is to eradicate poverty and address systemic inequities. This priority only grew in importance due to the COVID-19 crisis, as thousands of residents faced unemployment, loss of income, and other hardships. While the City worked to address the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, it sought to ensure an inclusive and equitable economic recovery—pursuing strategies that would lead to enduring change. Throughout 2020 and 2021, Civic Consulting Alliance supported a series of critical projects with the City to achieve this vision for economic equity and vitality.

ince summer 2020, Civic Consulting Alliance has devoted considerable staff resources to support the City of Chicago, Cook County, and other public and social sector clients across our three platforms in working towards an equitable recovery that results in enduring change. This work amplified our initial collaborative COVID-19 crisis response management—which you can read about in our 2020 Impact Report—and relied on our unique institutional knowledge and our deep public and private sector relationships.