Redefining Civic Leadership, Reimagining Our City’s Future
Eight Leaders Driving Transformative Change Across the City to Receive $50,000 No-Strings-Attached Awards
CHICAGO – The Field Foundation, in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation, today announced the recipients of the 2026 Leaders for a New Chicago Award. Eight grassroots leaders will receive $50,000 in unrestricted funding, along with $25,000 general operating grants for their affiliated nonprofits.
The 2026 awardees are leading transformative change across the city — advancing housing justice; advocating for immigrant and disability rights; ensuring residents have access to trusted local news; and creating spaces for art, storytelling, cultural pride, and neighborhood connection.
Now in its eighth year, the Leaders for a New Chicago Award recognizes community-based leaders who are bringing new voices, creativity, and innovation into the decisions and structures that shape Chicago. The award reflects the foundations’ belief in the important work of community leaders and in ensuring they have the necessary resources to continue driving change.
“The awards are a gift to these leaders, who have given so much to our communities. We want them to invest in themselves, to rest, to dream. Because Chicago needs their brilliance.”
– Daniel O. Ash, President, Field Foundation
A selection committee of community peers oversaw a rigorous process of reviewing more than 150 nominations and recommending the 2026 award recipients.
“Collectively, these leaders represent decades of commitment to Chicago communities — building trust, creating opportunity, and responding to challenges that no single institution can solve.”
– Richard Tran, Director of ART & Leadership initiatives, Field Foundation
Since the Leaders for a New Chicago Award launched in 2019, the partnership has committed $4.45 million to support its 81 recipients and their organizations.
“These eight leaders have earned the recognition of their peers through their unwavering commitment, clear vision, and steady leadership in building a more equitable Chicago. We hope this ‘no-strings-attached’ award honors their contributions and creates space for them to rest, reimagine, and invest in themselves and their continued leadership.”
– Jonathan VanderBrug, MacArthur Foundation Program Officer, Chicago Commitment2026 Leaders for a New Chicago Awardees
Candace Coleman
Community Strategy Specialist, Access Living
Candace is a nationally recognized disability rights advocate, organizer, and person with a disability who has more than 15 years of experience advancing disability justice, racial justice, and systems change. In her role at Access Living, she develops advocacy campaigns and empowers disabled leaders to influence public policy.
Infiniti Gant
Organizing Director, Southside Together
Infiniti is a skilled housing organizer who has become a transformative force in Chicago through her work at Southside Together. With a deep commitment to tenant power, she has successfully spearheaded two high-profile tenant union campaigns to support residents facing displacement.
Danae Kovac
Executive Director, HANA Center
Danae is a champion for immigrant rights and civic participation. At HANA Center, a Chicago-area, community-based nonprofit, she leads a team working to meet the critical needs of Korean, Asian American, and multiethnic immigrant communities and build power toward systemic change.
Cheryl Mainor Norman
Founder, President & Publisher of Chicago News Weekly and CNW Media
Cheryl is a veteran publishing executive, currently at the helm of Chicago News Weekly, whose 35-year career has been dedicated to uplifting the Black community through the Black Press. Her pioneering work includes bringing the iconic Chicago Defender back to profitability as its first woman President/Publisher.
Janell Nelson
Creative Strategist & Director, Englewood Arts Collective
Janell is a Chicago-based artist whose work spans public art, curriculum design, event production, and community engagement. She is the Founder of the award-winning graphic design firm JNJ Creative and Co-Founder and Director of the Englewood Arts Collective.
Xanat Sobrevilla
Co-Founder & Strategic Programs Coordinator
Organized Communities Against Deportations
Xanat is an immigrant who was displaced from her home country of Mexico at the age of nine. She is a passionate organizer for immigrant justice at Organized Communities Against Deportations, leading campaigns that support families navigating detention and deportation.
Ivan Vega
Co-Founder & Executive Director, UrbanTheater Company
Ivan is an influential arts leader, producer, and community builder dedicated to creating sustainable opportunities for Latiné and BIPOC artists. He has spent more than two decades transforming UrbanTheater Company from a grassroots collective into one of Chicago’s most vital cultural institutions.
Adriana Velázquez
Co-Director, Parent Engagement Institute
Southwest Organizing Project
Adriana is an accomplished organizer who has dedicated more than a decade advocating for education equity, parent leadership, and immigrant justice. As Co-Director of the Parent Engagement Institute, a partnership between the Southwest Organizing Project and Palenque LSNA, she leads the Parent Mentor Program, growing parent leadership infrastructure across Illinois.
Learn more about the 2026 Leaders for a New Chicago