Chicago Faith-based Advocacy to Improve and Transform Health (Chicago FAITH)

The Chicago Faith-based Advocacy Initiative to Transform Health (Chicago FAITH) is made up of diverse denominations working together to enhance their shared capacity to advocate for childhood-obesity prevention policy, environment, and systems change.

The Chicago FAITH Coalition will contribute to the childhood obesity prevention movement in Chicago in a number of ways. Faith-based institutions can lend a powerful voice to health advocacy. The coalition approach helps to raise the efforts of individual institutions to the level of city-wide collaboration. Engaging faith-based institutions means engaging members who may not be “called to action” by traditional advocacy organizations but who may be inspired to join the movement when it has a faith perspective. Faith leaders can develop tools that are rooted in faith culture that can be disseminated to others who are interested in working within their institutions to promote advocacy. Finally, faith-based institution leaders can teach non-faith-based organizations how to connect with community members who may be more inspired by messages grounded in a faith perspective than by traditional advocacy.

For more information on Chicago FAITH, please contact Rev. James Kenady at 312-573-7749 or jkenady@childrensmemorial.org.

What's New - Chicago FAITH Announces Advocacy Seed Grants and Workshop

The goal of this Seed Grant Program is to support faith-based institutions to change policies and environments within their institutions or in the communities in which they are located and serve. Chicago FAITH will award Advocacy Seed grants in the range of $1,000-2,500 to support faith-based institutions in childhood obesity prevention advocacy efforts. The proposal submission deadline is April 30, 2010.

Application Guidelines
Cover Sheet (Please fill out and include with application)
Policy and Environmental Change Process

Also, CLOCC will offer a Advocacy Seed Grant Workshop on April 15, 2010 at 6 p.m. to help assist interested applicants. Attendance for the workshop is not required but strongly recommended. Please contact Teresa Blumenberg at 312-573-7764 or tblumenberg@childrensmemorial.org to receive more information.