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ComEd Powering the Holidays Program
Community assistanceEnergy bill/utility assistance programsSeasonal community support
Who can apply: Determined by ComEd program guidelines (not specified on the Caucus pages).
Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
ActiveCommunity Improvement
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About Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
A membership organization of the Chicago region’s municipalities that provides a forum for mayors and local leaders to collaborate on public policy and improve regional quality of life through coordinated programs, advocacy, and technical assistance.
Focus Areas
Environment / energy / climateHousing and community developmentDiversity, equity & inclusionPublic safetyCensus outreach and civic participationGrant programs for municipalities (e.g., SMASS, Powering Safe Communities)
Who They Fund
asylum seekers and refugeesChicago metro residents/municipalitiesneighborhood residents impacted by public-safety risksvulnerable/low-income households receiving seasonal assistancecommunities needing climate resilience supports
Funding Style
direct service/program supportproject-specific/targeted grantscapacity building/technical assistance (toolkits, assessments)operations/infrastructure support
Topics
asylum seeker/refugee services and integrationhousing needs assessment/housing stabilitycommunity/public safety (neighborhood lighting, traffic calming, safety equipment)mental/behavioral health toolkit development (MMH toolkit)climate action/resilience projectsdiversity, equity and inclusion programmingholiday/seasonal emergency assistance
About Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
The largest recent grant in the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus record is $30,251,235 to the City of Chicago for asylum seeker services, showing how the Caucus functions as a regional intermediary for municipal needs at city scale. Most of its recent giving stays within Illinois and is directed to local governments and civic partners across the Chicago metropolitan area. That pattern fits its role as a membership organization for the region’s municipalities, where mayors and local leaders collaborate on public policy, regional quality of life, and coordinated programs. The Caucus funds both direct municipal support and technical assistance. Recent awards include $1,062,545 to the Village of Oak Park for asylum seeker services and $923,990 to Lake County for the same purpose, along with smaller grants for public-safety, climate, housing, and equity work. Its programs also show how it operates: census outreach subawards, housing planning support, age-friendly workshops, and municipal grant programs tied to local implementation. The result is a grantmaker centered on Chicago-region government capacity, with grants that often support public services, planning, and targeted community response.
What Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Funds
Asylum seeker services are the clearest recent focus. In 2025, the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus gave $30,251,235 to the City of Chicago, $1,062,545 to the Village of Oak Park, and $923,990 to Lake County for asylum seeker services, with additional support to the City of Elgin. Housing and planning also appear in its portfolio. In 2023, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning received $78,542 for a housing needs assessment, aligning with the Caucus’s housing and community-development work. The Caucus also funds local capacity building around climate and safety. It gave $25,333 to Opticos Design Inc for the Chicago Metro MMH toolkit, $15,000 to Active Transportation Alliance for taking climate action, and a series of $10,000 Powering Safe Communities grants to Illinois municipalities such as Elmwood Park, Orland Park, Lombard, Mokena, and Evanston.
How Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Gives
Typical grants cluster tightly around $10,000: the median is $10,000, with p25 at $9,100 and p75 at $10,910. That distribution matches a pattern of frequent small municipal awards, alongside a few much larger program grants. The Caucus is a regular funder, not a funder of individuals, and it does not make program-related investments. Recent grants show repeated annual use of the same program label, especially Powering Safe Communities, which appears across 2023, 2024, and 2025 to different Illinois municipalities. That points to recurring project support rather than one-off gifts.
Where Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Makes Grants
The grant map is overwhelmingly local and concentrated in Illinois: 98% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, and all listed recipient countries are in the US. Chicago anchors the distribution, with additional grants in Oak Park, Libertyville, Elgin, Ford Heights, University Park, Urbana, Evanston, Joliet, and several other Illinois municipalities. Outside Chicago, the pattern still stays within the metropolitan region and nearby Illinois communities, including Lake County and village-level recipients across the state.
Frequently Asked Questions About Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
What kinds of projects does the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus fund most often?
Its recent grants support asylum seeker services, housing needs assessment work, climate action, public-safety projects, and diversity, equity and inclusion programming. The active program list also includes census outreach, age-friendly planning, and municipal technical assistance such as housing and climate toolkits.
How large are typical Metropolitan Mayors Caucus grants?
Typical awards are small and clustered near $10,000. The grant-size distribution is p25 $9,100, median $10,000, and p75 $10,910, even though some program awards are much larger.
Does the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus fund outside Illinois?
Its grantmaking is local, and 98% of grants go to recipients in Illinois. The recipient-country distribution shows only US grants in the recent data.
Are grants recurring or one-time awards?
The data shows repeated use of the same grant program over multiple years, especially Powering Safe Communities, which appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025. That indicates recurring project support to different Illinois municipalities rather than a single isolated award pattern.
Who receives Metropolitan Mayors Caucus grants?
Recipients are mainly municipal governments and related public or civic organizations. Recent grantees include the City of Chicago, Village of Oak Park, Lake County, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Open Grant Opportunities
Current and upcoming funding from Metropolitan Mayors Caucus that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
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Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$33.8M
Total Assets
$1.2M
Total Revenue
$35.6M
Total Expenses
$35.3M
Latest 990 Filing
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $9K and $11K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$9K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$11K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
About 98% of grants go to recipients in IL.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
NEIL JAMES
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