The Latest Breaking News from Obama Foundation

Obama’s Chicago presidential center went from a $500 million plan to $850 million

Barack Obama’s Presidential Center opened in Chicago’s South Side in June 2026 after years of planning, legal challenges and debate over its location in historic Jackson Park. Initially estimated to cost $500 million, the privately funded project grew to approximately $850 million. Designed to combine presidential history, education and public…

The Times of India · Oct 15

Obama Presidential Centre opens with star-studded ceremony and veiled jabs at Trump

On stage, Barack Obama voiced his support for character, honesty, integrity, kindness, compassion and sense of duty, praising both Democrats and Republicans.

Euronews · Jun 18

From Stevie Wonder to Bruce Springsteen and Christina Aguilera — meet the stars set to perform at Obama Presidential Center opening

The Obama Presidential Center opens to the public, after a decade of planning, this Friday

The Independent UK · Jun 16

Halfway built, the Obama Presidential Center is already a South Side landmark

The signature tower at the Obama Presidential Center, under construction in Jackson Park, already looms over the community. It will house the museum dedicated to the former president.

Chicago Sun-Times · Oct 13, 2023

International recognition for social entrepreneur from Vijayawada Tarun Cherukuri

Tarun Cherukuri, a Vijayawada resident, has been selected as one of 11 Ashoka Aspire-2023 cohorts. A Harvard Kennedy School grad, Obama Foundation Fellow and DRK Foundation Entrepreneur, Tarun is committed to creating impact at scale. Through Indus Action, he is helping vulnerable Indian families access legislated benefits.

The Hindu · Sep 3, 2023

Bill Gates joins 26 newcomers on list of 50 biggest donors

As the ranks of America’s super wealthy grow, the roster of major philanthropists is expanding to include not-so-typical megadonors — among them, a professional clarinetist, a Ph.D. in meat science, and a lawyer who regularly argues before the U.S. Supreme Court

The Independent UK · Feb 14, 2023

Police union vies for power on oversight councils, UIC faculty union strikes and more in your Chicago news roundup

Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.

Chicago Sun-Times · Jan 17, 2023

Obama Foundation volunteerism on MLK Day makes comeback after COVID hiatus

Music pumped through the South Side YMCA gym as members of the community got to work preparing meals, making birthday cards for seniors, planting seeds and packaging self-care kits for people in need.

Chicago Sun-Times · Jan 16, 2023

Yes, they can? Springfield pays long-awaited tribute to Obama’s historic White House launch: ‘History doesn’t always move quickly’

The new historic marker stands outside the Old State Capitol, where then Sen. Barack Obama launched his presidential bid on a brutally cold February day in 2007 —but unlike Obama, Pritzker and the others who unveiled the marker on Wednesday made their remarks indoors.

Chicago Sun-Times · Dec 1, 2022

Neighborhood pride competes with gentrification fears for residents coping with Obama Center traffic woes in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood

CHICAGO — When the road construction around the coming Obama Presidential Center kicked into a new phase last month, South Shore resident Jane Carson said she took the longer bus rides home in stride because she knew it was for the greater good: a grand community space dedicated to the…

Chicago Tribune · Nov 22, 2022