ABOUT THE PROGRAM.
MISSION.
The mission of Purchasing with Purpose for Chicagoland is to bring visibility, awareness and purchasing opportunities to verified local enterprises that use their profit to make impact for people and our planet. Through collaboration with local stakeholders and partners, we can help move spending for the benefit of those most in need. We can also help purchasers to achieve organizational goals such as Environmental Social and Governance (ESG), United Nations Sustainable Development Goals's, sustainability, climate impact and social responsibility.
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Chicagoland has the opportunity to show that when we shift some of our everyday purchasing to enterprises that are reinvesting their profit into putting people and planet first, we can support the reduction of inequality, improve livability, create jobs, make our communities inclusive, regenerative and sustainable. Rather than work with one or two standalone companies or city managers, this project engages the whole community, helping to raise awareness and standards for what is possible when we purchase differently. Members of the local community are invited to feel connected to the change they want to see across Chicagoland and to envisage how their purchasing has a direct impact on our community. We create special focus on historically underserved neighborhoods like Austin, West Garfield and North Lawndale.
ACTION.
Our Chicagoland purchasing project has organizations of all sizes and types, coming together to learn and test how to buy differently. Supported by local impact organization HHPLift, and national organization Purchasing with Purpose, we guide buyers through the ideation, exploration, matchmaking and purchasing process. We also verify sellers in every category of spend using the global, affordable and accessible People and Planet First verification system.
PARTNERS.
Purchasing with Purpose is a national nonprofit organization that works with local impact organizations at the grassroots, to help bring these purchasing projects to life. We share revenue with local partners and share learning across projects around the country.
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Our local impact partner is HHPLift - a not-for-profit social enterprise with a mission to advance economic stability by creating quality jobs for the people who need them most. HHPLift was founded in the heart of Chicago in 2007 and has been lifting up hundreds of local people since then.
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SPONSORS.
Sponsors are organizations that have donated funds to the program and / or committed to purchasing from the People and Planet First Verified Enterprises.