A Bold Investment in Chicago’s Workforce
Chicagoans deserve access to good jobs with family-sustaining wages. Employers need a strong, prepared workforce to fill critical roles.
To bridge those needs, Pritzker Traubert Foundation launched the Chicago Talent Challenge, a $5 million grant designed to accelerate training and hiring for high-demand careers across the city.
The grant is awarded through a competitive open call focused on supercharging ideas that create economic opportunity for more Chicagoans.
Congratulations HealthCatalyst Chicago!
Pritzker Traubert Foundation is thrilled to announce City Colleges of Chicago as the 2026 Chicago Talent Challenge recipient for the HealthCatalyst initiative.
Meeting workforce needs
Too many students complete training without a clear pathway to employment, while essential sectors face persistent talent shortages that strain the services we depend on.
To address this, the Chicago Talent Challenge invests in coalitions that expand high-quality training programs and streamline placement into good, entry-level jobs for overlooked talent.
First focus: health care
The 2026 Chicago Talent Challenge focused on health care, a sector critical to both economic mobility and community well-being.
Health care offers entry points into careers with strong potential for growth. It also faces persistent frontline staffing shortages that strain patient care, our institutions and the larger community.
Driven by collaboration
More than 50 teams representing more than 200 organizations across Chicago responded to the open call. Proposals were evaluated based on leadership strength, scale of impact, partnership depth and long-term sustainability.
Future Chicago Talent Challenges will source ideas with potential large-scale impact for other sectors.
“The Chicago Talent Challenge is an investment in the people and potential of this city. We want to help more Chicagoans start careers that pay well and offer real opportunity. We also want to help businesses that urgently need skilled workers. It’s part of our broader commitment to making Chicago work better for everyone.”
— Penny Pritzker, cofounder and trustee of Pritzker Traubert Foundation