What Enlace Chicago does

Enlace Chicago is a 501(c)-equivalent nonprofit community development organization founded in 1990 (originally as the Little Village Community Development Corporation, renamed in 2008) that operates exclusively in Chicago's Little Village / South Lawndale neighborhood, a 71,000+ resident, predominantly Latinx (81%) community. The organization functions as the backbone convening entity for Little Village, delivering programs across four interconnected focus areas — education, community health, immigration, and violence prevention — and stewarding four multi-stakeholder networks (VPC, LVYSN, LVEC, PAES) that collectively engage 25+ partner organizations and 150+ community health workers.

The service portfolio includes direct programming such as Community Schools partnerships at four local schools, AVANZA postsecondary support, Parent Mentor Program, the Dreamers Unidos Scholarship Fund, a free Legal Clinic (operated with Beyond Legal Aid), Street Intervention and Safe Passage programs, School-Based and Street-Based clinical counselors, multiple community gardens, and the annual Villapalooza music festival. All services are delivered free of charge to community members. Underlying operations are non-technological: coordination runs through human organizers, promotorxs de salud, and coalition meetings rather than software platforms or AI tooling.

Enlace's business model is grant- and donation-funded rather than revenue-generating. FY2020 total revenue was $9,289,983 (up from $4,591,275 in FY2017, a ~26% CAGR), sourced from institutional foundations (MacArthur, McCormick, Bank of America, LISC Chicago), government agencies (Chicago DFSS, Illinois DHS, CPS, Illinois DPH), and individual donations (which grew from $16,666 in FY17 to $59,910 in FY19). FY2020 total expenses were $6,763,202. There is no pricing model, no fees to recipients, and no productized revenue stream.

Name

Enlace Chicago

Legal name

Enlace Chicago

Website

https://enlacechicago.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Enlace Chicago is a community development nonprofit in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, founded in 1990, that convenes 25+ partner organizations and delivers free programs in education, community health, immigration legal services, and violence prevention to over 8,000 residents annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Social Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Services (611), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Wraparound Student Support & Case Management Services (At-Risk K–12) (EDAJAEAJ), Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG)

Keywords

• Community development services
• Violence prevention programs
• Immigration legal services
• Community health workers
• Youth education support

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funders and Grants: Enlace receives significant funding from institutional supporters including foundations (John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Robert McCormick Foundation, etc.), government agencies (Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, Illinois Department of Human Services, Chicago Public Schools), and corporate foundations. Fiscal Year 2020 revenue was $9,289,983.
2. Individual Donations: The organization receives donations from individual supporters. Individual non-event donations have grown from $16,666 in FY17 to $59,910 in FY19, demonstrating increasing community financial support.
3. Free Services Model: All programs and services are provided free of charge to community members, funded entirely through grants and donations rather than user fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Enlace Chicago provides free, community-based programs and services to residents of Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, organized around four interconnected focus areas: Education (Community Schools, AVANZA postsecondary support, Parent Mentor Program), Community Health (Community Health Workers/promotorxs de salud, CommunityHealth free clinic, Community Gardens), Immigration (Legal Clinic with Beyond Legal Aid, DACA/citizenship/know-your-rights support), and Violence Prevention (Street Intervention, Safe Passage, School-Based and Street-Based Counselors). All services are delivered free of charge to community members and are funded through grants, foundation support, government contracts, and individual donations; the organization also convenes neighborhood-wide coalitions such as VPC, LVYSN, LVEC, and PAES.

Product overview

Enlace Chicago operates as a comprehensive community development organization offering interconnected programs across four focus areas: Education, Community Health, Immigration, and Violence Prevention. Rather than a unified software product, it provides direct service delivery through programs including Community Schools, Community Health Workers, Legal Clinic, Street Intervention, Safe Passage, AVANZA postsecondary support, and the Dreamers Unidos Scholarship. These programs are coordinated through neighborhood networks (VPC, LVYSN, LVEC, PAES) and supported by the Leadership Academy for capacity building. The organization directly serves more than 8,000 youth and adults annually in Little Village through grassroots organizing, advocacy, and human services provision.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Schools Enlace Chicago partners with public schools to turn them into safe, accessible community centers offering wrap-around programming including academic achievement support, summer youth employment, arts, mental health, and immigration support.
• AVANZA Postsecondary Program College-going culture program offering individualized support to undocumented and first-generation students including post-secondary planning, essay writing help, FAFSA completion, scholarship applications, and college visits.
• Parent Mentor Program Leadership training program that places parent leaders in classrooms to support students needing individualized attention, combined with 47 hours of leadership training to build broader community advocacy capacity.
• Legal Clinic Free legal services coordinated in partnership with Beyond Legal Aid covering immigration, family law, employment, housing, criminal records, public benefits, and consumer issues for Little Village residents.
• Immigration Education and Application Assistance Educational workshops and application support for immigration processes including DACA, adjustment of status, citizenship, U-Visa, and know-your-rights education, in addition to supporting local institutions as sanctuary spaces.
• Street Intervention Program CeaseFire-modeled street outreach providing targeted mediation, case management, mentorship, and service connections for at-risk youth aged 13–24 who are most likely to be victims or perpetrators of gun violence.
• School-Based Counselors Master's-level clinical social workers embedded in schools providing comprehensive mental health services to youth and families, with risk-factor reduction and coping, problem-solving, and communication skill building.
• Street-Based Counselors Clinical case management and mental healthcare for individuals returning to the community after contact with the criminal or juvenile justice system, using an interdisciplinary approach.
• Safe Passage Program improving student routes to and from school by stationing dedicated team members at posts before and after school to create safer outdoor environments in partnership with schools.
• Community Health Workers (Promotorxs de Salud) Trained community health workers serving as liaisons between residents and healthcare providers, providing health education, peer support groups, and assistance with public benefits and health insurance enrollment.
• Community Gardens Transforms empty lots into community gardens offering healthy food production, safe outdoor recreation, and community-based and youth/family environmental education; locations include El Jardin de la Calabaza and the El Jardin de los Cielos rooftop garden.
• CommunityHealth Free Clinic (On-site) Free clinic operated by CommunityHealth at Enlace's main office providing check-ups, lab work, and primary/specialty care referrals for uninsured adults with income at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level.
• Leadership Academy Two-day intensive training covering organizing, leadership, and advocacy topics in the Little Village context, challenging participants to consider their role as change agents and building campaign skills.
• Dreamers Unidos Scholarship Fund Scholarship program awarding tuition and book scholarships to undocumented seniors at local high schools as part of broader education and immigration systems-change advocacy.
• Community Writing Project Writing workshops offering creative expression opportunities for residents typically excluded from writing spaces, publishing reflections about everyday life in Real Conditions magazines.
• Villapalooza Annual grassroots music festival showcasing local talent, promoting youth arts culture, and supporting community development and violence prevention through arts and music.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 8,000 lives impacted annually through community programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Beyond Legal AidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeyond Legal Aid coordinates the free Legal Clinic at Enlace Chicago, providing free legal services including immigration, family, employment, housing, criminal records, public benefits, and consumer issues. They use an innovative community activism lawyering model.
• CommunityHealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunityHealth is a free clinic and medical home for uninsured adults. They operate at Enlace providing check-ups, lab work, and primary/specialty care referrals for adults with no health insurance and income at or below 300% of Federal Poverty Level.
• Promoviendo, Abogando, y Educando por la Salud (PAES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPAES is a network of predominantly Spanish-speaking Latinx/e Community Health Workers (CHWs) based in Little Village that coordinates peer support, training, professional development, and health advocacy efforts. Enlace facilitates this network as part of its community health focus area.
• Little Village Education Collaborative (LVEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLVEC was established in 2014 to implement educational strategies from the 2013 Quality of Life Plan. It connects key players in Little Village's education system including community-based organizations, local public schools, early childhood centers, higher education institutions, CPS, and City Colleges of Chicago.
• Violence Prevention Collaborative (VPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVPC creates space for community leaders and organizations to work toward a just and peaceful community. Started over a decade ago, VPC includes over 25 diverse organizations including community organizations, schools, churches, and the Chicago Police Department.
• Little Village Youth Safety Network (LVYSN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLVYSN is a collective impact effort founded in 2011 to create a safe neighborhood by providing high-quality youth programming to at-risk youth and their families during 5th to 9th grade. Partners include Beyond the Ball, Central States SER, Chicago Youth Boxing Club, Erie Neighborhood House, and others.
• Chapin HallminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLVEC worked with Chapin Hall to conduct community-driven participatory research focused on early childhood education in Little Village, including reports on childcare access and experiences with Chicago Early Learning application process.
• StoryCorps ChicagominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnlace partnered with StoryCorps Chicago to record and celebrate stories of Little Village leaders. Stories are archived in the Library of Congress and The Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection at the University of Texas at Austin.
• UIC School of Public HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Enlace on the Oral History Archive project to record and preserve stories of Little Village community leaders.
• City Colleges of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Colleges of Chicago (Richard J. Daley College, The Arturo Velasquez Institute, and Malcolm X College) partner with Enlace and PAES to offer a Spanish-language Community Health Worker basic college certificate program, launched in Fall 2019.
• Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee RightsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnlace is a member of broader coalitions pushing for fair immigration reform, including the Chicago Immigration Working Group and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
• Chicago Immigration Working GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnlace participates in this coalition focused on immigration policy advocacy and reform efforts.
• Telpochcalli Community Education ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTelpochcalli Community Education Project (TCEP) mobilizes youth and adults for social justice through culturally relevant community education, leadership development, and organizing. Enlace honors TCEP through the Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia Spirit Award.
• Illinois CHW AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Spanish-language Community Health Worker certificate program development alongside Enlace, PAES, LVEC, City Colleges of Chicago, and Illinois Department of Public Health.
• Illinois Department of Public HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Spanish-language Community Health Worker certificate program development.
• Erikson InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErikson Institute provides training to facilitators of GEMAS (Grupos de Empoderamiento para Mujeres con Apoyo y Superación) women's support groups offered through Enlace's Community Health department.
• Malcolm X CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Peer-Mentor initiative for first-year college students, with mentors studying at this institution supporting students from Little Village.
• Harold Washington CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Peer-Mentor initiative for first-year college students.
• Richard J. Daley CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Peer-Mentor initiative for first-year college students.
• University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Peer-Mentor initiative for first-year college students.
• Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Peer-Mentor initiative for first-year college students.
• National Louis UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Peer-Mentor initiative for first-year college students.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR): Statewide immigrant-rights coalition in which Enlace participates; operates advocacy, policy, and capacity-building at a larger scale than Enlace's direct services.
• Hispanic Federation: National Latino advocacy and capacity-building organization with grantmaking and convening capabilities that overlap with Enlace's broader policy and coalition role across multi-state networks.
• Chicago Urban League: Long-established Chicago nonprofit working on education, workforce, and equity in Black and Latinx communities with a broader portfolio and deeper institutional donor base.
• LISC Chicago: Chicago affiliate of Local Initiatives Support Corporation; a key Enlace funder and New Communities Program lead — comparable as a neighborhood-convening intermediary with deep place-based programming.

Direct peers

• Northwest Side Housing Center: Chicago nonprofit offering immigrant integration, community schools, and adult education services to a similar Latinx immigrant population on the city's Northwest Side.
• Erie Neighborhood House: Chicago-based nonprofit providing similar wraparound education, immigration, and youth services to a Latinx community, with a comparable family-services model and community schools work.
• Brighton Park Neighborhood Council: Southwest-side Chicago community organization serving immigrant families with advocacy, education, and health programming — directly comparable to Enlace's Little Village footprint and immigrant-services focus.
• Central States SER (Ser Jobs for Progress): Workforce development and youth services organization that is a direct partner in the Little Village Youth Safety Network; comparable in mission and population served.

Emerging players

• Beyond the Ball: Chicago nonprofit using sports and mentorship for at-risk youth, a direct LVYSN partner of Enlace operating overlapping violence-prevention and youth-development programming at smaller scale.
• Cure Violence / CeaseFire: National network behind Enlace's CeaseFire-based street intervention model; focused on a narrower violence-prevention mandate but overlapping in interrupters and CHW methodology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxszQfC2O6QERraYAs07UJw
• Facebookfacebook.com/enlacechicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1222746
• Instagraminstagram.com/enlace.chicago
• Xx.com/EnlaceChicago

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Enlace Chicago