Social Justice & Philanthropy
“It is our responsibility to cultivate and celebrate the diversity, authenticity, and forward progress that makes our hometown of Chicago one of a kind.”
— Howard Conant Jr., Founder and Chairman, Urban Innovations
A Joyful Revolution Mural, 444 N Wells. Artwork by Vashon Jordan & Joe Miller.
Howard Conant Jr., through Urban Innovations and The Conant Family Foundation, has carried on the legacy and life-long commitment to social justice, activism, and the betterment of Chicago communities set by Doris & Howard R. Conant.
Doris Conant was an artist, civic worker, real estate developer, and philanthropist who founded Urban Innovations in 1979 to help preserve and reinvigorate the Near North and River North Chicago area. She believed strongly in the power of peaceful protest and took her son Howard Jr. to the historic Selma to Montgomery March in 1965. Howard and his family remain devoted to activism, social justice and supporting Chicago’s neighborhoods.
The entire Urban Innovations team follows in these footsteps to create meaningful, positive change, serve the community through philanthropy, and work together to have ongoing, open discussions about diversity, inclusion, and social justice. We firmly believe that social justice should not just be what you do after your 9-5.
Additionally, our team actively engages in projects across all disciplines, including commercial construction, commercial property management, leasing, and asset management, to support non-profits and for-profit organizations that are also working to better our communities and underprivileged citizens.
