Chipotle and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Celebrate Grant Recipients of Juneteenth Round Up for Real Change Program

In June, Chipotle featured Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), one of the largest social enterprises forging resilient and inclusive communities across America, as its Round Up for Real Change partner. Over two weeks, Chipotle guests had the opportunity to round up their orders to the next highest dollar amount on the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com to donate to Project 10X - a LISC initiative addressing racial inequalities in health, wealth, and opportunity.

With the $194,000 raised by the Round Up for Real Change program, LISC awarded grants ranging from $13,700 to $20,000 to nine Black-led organizations across the country. The grants support three fundamental approaches to building equity for Black Americans:

  1. Generating enduring wealth through homeownership
  2. Investing in safety and justice reform
  3. Promoting health equity through nutrition and food access

Chipotle and LISC are pleased to announce the organizations that received grants thanks to the Juneteenth campaign:

GMH will use its grant to help Black seniors in Southwest Atlanta avoid the perils of heirs property, which is a root cause of generational wealth interruption in Black communities. GMH will connect 75 seniors with the educational and legal support they need to age in place, possess clear title on their homes, and eventually pass these assets to family.

MGC will use its grant to support monthly nutrition workshops designed to educate and inspire local residents to cook healthy meals from scratch at home. The Bay Area co-op provides access to healthy food, nutrition education, and an employee track to co-ownership for young adults.

LCDC is developing 250 homeownership units in the North Lawndale community, where buying a home is out of reach for many Black families. With its grant, LCDC will deliver homeownership counseling to create a pipeline of longtime residents prepared to purchase the homes now under development.

Fifth Ward CRC will use its grant to support two programs in the Fifth Ward, a historic African American community: 1) homeownership counseling to assist local residents seeking to buy a home; and 2) a juvenile justice diversion program that provides a suite of services to empower youth and parents, creating alternatives to incarceration. 

TRLS will provide free legal assistance to help vulnerable households in Jacksonville obtain a clear title to heirs property, enabling more Black families to access the equity in this asset and preserve it for future generations. Homeowners possessing clear titles will receive help on estate planning to prevent the home from becoming heirs property again.

LARRP is building a locally rooted reentry movement to advance positive change for formerly incarcerated and convicted Angelenos. LARP will support a training academy to empower 12 individuals – all formerly incarcerated and impacted by the system – to use their personal experiences to change the system for the better.

With its grant, BWM is working to reduce racial wealth disparity by providing affordable first mortgages or equivalent financing opportunities to Black households struggling to access mortgages. The gap in homeownership between Minnesota’s African American and White households is 52% – one of the highest in the country.

Ocean Bay CDC will use its grant to fund its senior lunch program, which serves the predominantly Black and Brown residents of New York City Housing Authority properties in the Rockaways. The program consists of weekly food delivery for 100 seniors, information sharing, and outreach.

MANNA has a 35-year history of creating pathways to homeownership in historically underinvested communities. The grant enables MANNA to meet escalating demand for its homeownership counseling program, which primarily serves Black residents from Wards 7 and 8 in Southeast DC.

Committed to Cultivating a Better World, Chipotle is proud to support LISC and these Black-led organizations to address racial inequities in health, wealth, and opportunity. Together, we can nurture systems that promote racial equity and wellbeing for every American.