Laura Gutierrez

Laura is a connector and community builder. She applies her expertise to ensure that investments in transforming communities are community-led. She is skilled at building relationships and strengthening broad coalitions to cultivate sustained change.

Before joining Builders Initiative, Laura served as a Project Specialist for the Chicago Community Trust. She managed strategies that bolstered grassroots organizations to address disparities in safety across the region, including the Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities and Let’s Link Chi. These initiatives provide grant funding to small, nonprofit organizations serving communities disproportionately impacted by gun violence. Prior to this role, she coordinated efforts on the Trust’s Community Impact team, specifically focusing on essential human services.

Laura holds over a decade of experience in the social impact sector. She earned a B.A. in Communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is an active civic leader and serves on a handful of boards of local community-based organizations serving residents most in need.

A Chicagoan at heart, she grew up in the McKinley Park neighborhood on Chicago’s south side and is a loyal White Sox fan. She is a fitness enthusiast, enjoys traveling, and takes great pride in being the “cool aunt.”