Ivan Vega, co-founding director of UrbanTheater, Joseph Pindelski, interim director of Joel Hall Dancers & Center, and Molly Bartels-Roth, manager of capacity building programs at IFF, recently spoke with the Windy City Times about the support Chicago’s Cultural Treasures has offered some of Chicago’s BIPOC and LGBTQ+ led arts and culture organizations.
“Chicago is an arts city, and a significant part of that is arts and culture led by and for people of color,” said Bartels-Roth. “In order to help those organizations grow to be on the same level as some of the white counterparts in the city, additional investment is needed for that. And really working on long-term financial resilience and sustainability in order to ensure that they’ll be around and thriving for years to come.”
“The work that we’ve done, [it] really is focusing on preserving the Puerto Rican Humboldt Park voice,” said Vega. He also spoke about the value of networking and collective action through ChiTreasures: “Things that we started to do as an organization, but begin to do this collectively, creates more power to be able to help one another.”
“Joel Hall founded this company for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and the LGBTQIA+ community makes up a large part of our company’s leadership,” said Pindelski. “Dance heals. The arts heal. These beliefs make up the core of Joel Hall Dancers & Center and [the Youth Empowerment Performance Project]’s work.”
Read the full story here.
Vickie Lakes-Battle, executive director for IFF’s Chicago Metro region, and Dr. Jeffreen Hayes, executive director of Threewalls, recently discussed Chicago’s Cultural Treasures as a means of preserving cultural heritage with Dr. Frances Richards for her Black Entrepreneur Experience podcast.
“The economic value of the arts and the artists, and their contributions, cannot be overstated,” said Lakes-Battle. “In urban areas in particular, artists are culture keepers, culture bearers — the preservation of heritage and legacy as we really think about this melting pot called the USA.”
“Artists and the arts are deeply important in our society, particularly in our communities,” said Hayes. “To Vickie’s point, in urban areas artists are using their artistic practices and their creative skills to reimagine, reinvigorate many of our communities, as well as creating art and art spaces that are engaging in the legacy of art and culture that already exist within these communities.”
Listen to the whole interview here, or anywhere you can find podcasts.
Tara Townsend, president of IFF’s Social Impact Accelerator, and Carlos Hernandez, founder and executive director of the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance, sat down with Patton McDowell for the podcast, “Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership,” to discuss Chicago’s Cultural Treasures and the challenges facing arts and culture organizations of color. The conversation also focused on the ongoing need for systems change work to address decades of underfunding and shift the way that philanthropy approaches the arts space.
“I speak for all of my peers who are organizations of color who are still out there trying to sustain their own organizations, that are impacting so many people who represent the changing faces in American society,” said Hernandez. “And yet it is so horrible, terrible, that we’re still talking about finding equitable funding in this day and age, and that racism in the arts still persists. And what was very uplifting about Chicago’s Cultural Treasures was the fact that there were institutions who were beginning to get it, who were beginning to address it.”
Listen to the whole interview and read more about the interviewees here, or listen to Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership wherever you find podcasts.
CHICAGO (June 26, 2024) — Administered by IFF, Chicago’s Cultural Treasures (ChiTreasures) announced today a second round of grant funding, totaling $3 million, to be distributed to the 40 current ChiTreasures grantees.
Launched in 2021 as a regional component of the Ford Foundation’s America’s Cultural Treasures, and co-created with the Chicago arts community, ChiTreasures is a race-conscious initiative that aims to strengthen, grow, and preserve organizations whose mission is to enable the creation, preservation, and dissemination of art stemming from BIPOC traditions, leadership, and culture.
The first round of grantmaking awarded $14 million to 40 BIPOC-led and -focused arts and culture organizations representing a diverse group of artforms, neighborhoods, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and contributions to Chicago’s history, vibrancy, and identity. These organizations serve as important neighborhood anchors, helping to ensure that experiences and stories from the communities they serve are shared and heard. In addition to the funding, grantees were provided technical assistance to help further support their sustainability, covering topics such as fundraising, board development, marketing communications, financial management, and facilities planning and support. Funding is provided by the Ford Foundation as part of America’s Cultural Treasures; philanthropist MacKenzie Scott; and a Chicago-based funding collaborative comprising The Joyce Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Terra Foundation for American Art, and Walder Foundation.
“One of the goals of ChiTreasures is to provide the grantees with opportunities to reach financial sustainability — through grants and technical assistance,” said Tara Townsend, President of IFF’s Social Impact Accelerator. “Both grants and technical assistance have been provided over the last three years, but there is a need for more. We are excited to be able to award another round of funding to these organizations to further support their futures.”
“Funding for organizations that are elevating the traditions and culture of people from historically marginalized backgrounds and disinvested communities has never been sufficient. We need to do more to lift up organizations that have enriched Chicago for generations,” said Tara Magner, Director of the MacArthur Foundation’s Chicago Commitment Program, on behalf of the Chicago-based funding collaborative. “The Chicago funders made a commitment to support Chicago’s rich arts and culture scene, and this next round of grants provides an opportunity to continue to do that.”
According to an October 2023 report from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the past few years have seen a decline in philanthropic, private, and public funding for arts and culture organizations. This second round of funding aims to counter that by providing additional support to the current 40 ChiTreasures grantees and reflects ChiTreasures’ commitment to continuing to support Chicago’s BIPOC arts and culture scene.
To learn more about Chicago’s Cultural Treasures, visit www.chicagosculturaltreasures.org.
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ABOUT CHICAGO’S CULTURAL TREASURES
Chicago’s Cultural Treasures is a four-year initiative that aims to bolster the long-term financial resilience and sustainability of BIPOC arts and cultural organizations through a combination of critical general operating support as well as capacity-building and technical assistance.
Administered by IFF, a mission-driven lender, developer and real-estate consultant, the initiative launched in winter 2021 with a participatory grantmaking process, comprising a diverse group of community members, civic leaders, and artists whose common denominator is an appreciation for how art and culture fit into the fabric of community in the Chicagoland region.
The 40 ChiTreasures grantees include:
- Africa International House USA
- Aguijon Theater Company of Chicago
- American Indian Center
- Asian Improv aRts Midwest
- The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
- Black Ensemble Theater
- Chicago Blues Museum
- Chicago Jazz Philharmonic
- Chicago West Community Music Center
- Community Film Workshop of Chicago
- Congo Square Theatre Company
- Cuerdas Clasicas Inc.
- Deeply Rooted Dance Theater
- Diasporal Rhythms
- DuSable Museum of African American History
- eta Creative Arts Foundation, Inc.
- Gingarte Capoeira
- Inner-City Muslim Action Network
- International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago
- Jazz Institute of Chicago
- Joel Hall Dancers & Center
- Little Black Pearl Workshop
- Live the Spirit Residency / Englewood Jazz Festival
- Mexican Folk Dance Company of Chicago
- Muntu Dance Theatre
- Musical Arts Institute
- National Cambodian Heritage Museum & Killing Fields Memorial
- National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture
- Natya Dance Theatre
- Puerto Rican Arts Alliance
- Red Clay Dance Company
- Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center
- Silk Road Rising
- Sones de Mexico
- South Shore Drill Team
- South Side Community Art Center
- Teatro Vista
- Threewalls
- UrbanTheater Company
- West Point School of Music/Epic Stee
Several of Chicago’s Cultural Treasures are among 27 Chicago small arts organizations with budgets under $1 million to receive Cash Reserve Challenge Grants from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, according to a report from Broadway World.
Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Asian Improv aRts Midwest, Congo Square Theatre, the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago, Red Clay Dance Company, Sones de Mexico, and Threewalls are among the grantees mentioned.
Read more about the grants here.
Dr. Jeffreen M. Hayes, executive director of Threewalls, was recently interviewed as part of Authority Magazine’s series on women’s leadership, “Leading with Heart.” In addition to speaking about her own leadership style, she highlighted the holistic ways that Threewalls seeks to support its artists.
“We work with artists on deepening their artistic practice, and in doing so, we also help attend to their humanity and wellness,” she said. “Threewalls does not believe in the starving artist trope; instead, we believe in and practice paying artists and creatives a living or equitable wage for their artistic labor.”
Read the full interview here.
Print Magazine recently interviewed Tara Townsend, president of IFF’s Social Impact Accelerator, the department that oversees administration of Chicago’s Cultural Treasures. In the interview, Tara highlighted the initiative’s focus on advancing race equity in Chicago’s arts and culture scene.
“By design, ChiTreasures was not a standard grantmaking initiative. It was a race equity initiative for Chicago’s arts and culture sector,” she said. “Our hope is that the initiative’s collective impact will be the ongoing disruption of historical trends in funding for BIPOC-led and -focused cultural organizations as anchors in equitable community development.”
Read the interview here.
Kenya Thomas, executive director of eta Creative Arts Foundation and Vickie Lakes-Battle, executive director of IFF’s Chicago Metro Region, spoke about Chicago’s Cultural Treasures in an interview on Score Values 670AM.
“If I have to be extremely transparent, if Chicago’s Cultural Treasures had not happened, I don’t think eta would still be here right now, or I don’t know where we would be right now,” said Kenya. “It really helped us to be able to bring back our programming. We were really at a point where we didn’t know how we were going to make payroll that week — and we got the phone call. So it has been extremely instrumental.”
Listen to the whole interview here.
On Tuesday, March 5, Rufus Williams, host of the Morning Show on WVON 1690AM, spoke with Coco Elysses from the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and Molly Bartels Roth from IFF about Chicago’s Cultural Treasures.
During the interview, Coco highlighted the work that she and AACM have been doing, as well as the value the organization has drawn from its involvement in Chicago’s Cultural Treasures. “Although there are a lot of organizations like us in different genres that provide such rich cultural content for the communities, when it comes to getting funding, we’re low on the totem pole,” she said. “So the Chicago’s Cultural Treasures grant was a wonderful, wonderful blessing to come at the time to our organization.”
Learn more about WVON, and listen to the full interview below:
Three of Chicago’s Cultural Treasures received grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Black Ensemble Theater was granted $15,000 for the Black Playwrights Festival; Sones de Mexico Ensemble received $30,000 to support a tour of performances featuring traditional Mexican music; and Teatro Vista received $15,000 to support the development of a work highlighting Latin American pop art artists.
Read more here in the Chicago Tribune.
Enterprise Podcast Network sat down with Charlique Rolle, Executive director of Congo Square Theatre, and Vickie Lakes-Battle, executive director of IFF’s Chicago Metro Region, to discuss how Chicago’s Cultural Treasures is focused on supporting the art and culture scene in Chicago.
Listen to the episode and read more here.
Newcity Stage includes several of Chicago’s Cultural Treasures in their list of “The Fifty People Who Really Perform For Chicago.”
As part of their sub-list “Rising Stars and Storefront Stalwarts,” Newcity Stage highlights Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Teatro Vista, UrbanTheater Company, Congo Square Theatre Company, and Red Clay Dance Company. The Puerto Rican Arts Alliance and Jazz Institute of Chicago are also highlighted in the sub-list of “Programmers.”
Read more here.
CanvasRebel sat down with Vickie Lakes-Battle, executive director of IFF’s Chicago Metro region, to discuss IFF’s commitment to Chicago’s Cultural Treasures and some of the work that grantees are doing.
Read the full story here.
For West Point School of Music – community and positive impact is high on the priority list, and the concerts they organize are at the heart of doing good. Hear more from founder and president Julian J. Champion, and high school student Te’a Lindsey.
Watch the clip below or click here.
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater’s Artistic Director Nicole Clarke-Springer published a commentary piece in Crain’s Chicago Business discussing the challenges that Black-led and -serving arts organizations face in appealing to funders while maintaining their own authentic expression.
“Chicago has a broad range of arts organizations committed to their respective missions,” Clarke-Springer says. “It is imperative that we each prioritize authentic expression over conforming to traditional expectations that we hope will keep us relevant to funders.”
Read the whole piece here.
Vickie Lakes-Battle, executive director of IFF’s Chicago Metro Region, recently sat down with We Empower Magazine to answer some questions about Chicago’s Cultural Treasures.
“Chicago does indeed have a thriving BIPOC arts and culture scene, and we can’t emphasize enough for people to go out and experience the art,” says Lakes-Battle in the interview.
Read the full interview here.
Authority Magazine recently interviewed Vickie Lakes-Battle, IFF’s executive director of the Chicago Metro Region, where she discussed her and IFF’s involvement in Chicago’s Cultural Treasures, among other topics.
“One of the biggest takeaways is that ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way,’ Lakes-Battle says in her interview. “As we look ahead, the collective impact of this initiative will be the ongoing disruption of historical trends in funding for BIPOC-led and -focused cultural organizations, as anchors in equitable community development.”
Read the full interview here.
The Citizen spotlighted Chicago’s Cultural Treasures and its work supporting BIPOC-led and -focused arts and cultural groups.
“What we’re trying to do is disrupt historical inequities in philanthropy,” says Vickie Lakes-Battle, executive director of the Chicago Metro region for IFF. “For many of the participating organizations, this Chi Treasures grant opportunity was the first grant they’d ever receive and for others, this was the largest grant they’d ever received.”
Read the full story here.
The MacArthur Foundation and Field Foundation recently announced 86 recipients of their A Road Together (ART) initiative, a regranting opportunity designed to advance social and racial equity through community arts and culture funding. Of that list of 86, 22 different members of Chicago’s Cultural Treasures will receive funding through this initiative.
Recipients of three-year ART grants include: eta Creative Arts Foundation, Jazz Institute of Chicago, Joel Hall Dancers & Center, Live the Spirit Residency, Muntu Dance Theatre, Musical Arts Institute, Silk Road Rising, South Side Community Art Center, and Teatro Vista.
Recipients of one-year ART grants include: Africa International House USA, Inc., Asian Improv aRts Midwest, Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Chicago West Community Music Center, Congo Square Theatre Company, Diasporal Rhythms, International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago, Natya Dance Theatre, Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, Sones de Mexico Ensemble, Threewalls, UrbanTheater Company, and West Point School of Music.
Read more here.
The Chicago Tribune spotlighted Deeply Rooted Dance Theater ahead of a special November 3 performance showcasing the theater’s history.
Discussing the group’s plans for the future, Executive Director Makeda Crayton highlighted a current capital campaign to construct its own studio space, a 33,000 square foot facility in Washington Park called Deeply Rooted Center for Black Dance and Creative Communities. She also discussed the importance for arts groups to own a space of their own.
Quoted in the article, Crayton said, “When we build this building, it’s a different level of commitment, not only to us and the people who work with us, but to the community. We’re planting roots here. It’s a physical landmark. It’s making a bold statement we’re here to stay.”
The article also discusses the current and previous brick-and-mortar plans of Chicago Cultural Treasures Red Clay Dance Company Joel Hall Dancers & Center.
Read the full story here.
While many large or mainstream theaters have been struggling since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Black and other culturally-specific theaters — such as Chicago Cultural Treasures Congo Square Theatre Company and the Black Ensemble Theater — have managed to gain access to funding that has helped keep them afloat.
Read more here from The TRiiBE.
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15 – Oct 15), Vickie Lakes Battle, Executive Director of IFF’s Chicago Metro Region, had the opportunity to highlight some of the Hispanic organizations that are Chicago’s Cultural Treasures grantees.
Watch the clip below or click here.
Click here to learn more about all of the grantee organizations.
Chicago, IL (November 11, 2022) – The 40 BIPOC-led and -focused arts and culture organizations, who have been named Chicago’s Cultural Treasures, came together Thursday, November 10 at Zhou B Art Center alongside the funding partners, the participatory grant committee, and members and lovers of Chicago’s arts and culture landscape, to officially celebrate this recognition and the organizations’ contributions to the history, vibrancy, and identity of Chicago.
Emceed by Angel Idowu, Arts Correspondent at WTTW-TV, the evening began with a recognition program acknowledging each organization. Following the program, a reception was held with music from DJ Lady D and a moving toast from poet, activist, author, and CEO of Urban Gateways, Leslé Honoré.
“Chicago’s Cultural Treasures is about elevating and supporting the people, places, and things that may have previously been unseen to now be seen in a way that is respectful, a way that is dignified, and a way that honors their contributions,” said IFF’s Executive Director for the Chicago metro region, Vickie Lakes-Battle. “It’s an honor to celebrate these 40 organizations and their incredible contributions to the legacy of art and culture in making Chicago a vibrant city.”
Focused on strengthening, growing, and preserving organizations whose mission is to enable the creation, preservation, and dissemination of art stemming from BIPOC traditions, leadership, and culture, Chicago’s Cultural Treasures launched in 2021 as a regional component of the Ford Foundation’s America’s Cultural Treasures. From a theatre company to a dance troupe, a history museum to a cultural center, a visual arts community to a drill team, and more, these grantees represent a diverse group of artforms, neighborhoods, and racial and ethnic backgrounds and traditions.
Many of Chicago’s cultural organizations of color serve as important neighborhood anchors, helping to ensure that experiences and stories are shared and heard. Chicago’s Cultural Treasures, which was co-created with the arts community, aims to ensure these organizations’ sustainability through critical general operating support as well as capacity building assistance.
In January, the next part of the initiative will commence where the grantees will embark on technical assistance offerings covering fundraising, board development, marketing communications, financial management, and facilities planning and support.
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Contact
Laura Silverman, IFF Director of Communications, lsilverman@iff.org
KENWOOD — A South Side “cultural treasure” that’s spent nearly three decades working with young creatives of color is expanding its Kenwood location with more adult programs.
Little Black Pearl, 1060 E. 47th St., will open a co-working lounge for creatives by the end of October and roll out workshops in the weeks to follow, founder Monica Haslip said.
The lounge is in its “soft launch stage” for the next two weeks, and visitors can explore the space and offer feedback on the programs they’d like to see hosted there, Haslip said.
Continue Reading This Story on BlockClubChicago.org
Photo Credit: Armand Morris/Block Club Chicago
Chicago’s Cultural Treasures is very pleased to announce $14.4 million in grant funding to 40 organizations that contribute to the history, culture, vibrancy, and identity of communities of color in greater Chicago:
- Africa International House USA
- Aguijon Theater Company of Chicago
- American Indian Center
- Asian Improv aRts Midwest
- The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
- Black Ensemble Theater
- Chicago Blues Museum
- Chicago Jazz Philharmonic
- Chicago West Community Music Center
- Community Film Workshop of Chicago
- Congo Square Theatre Company
- Cuerdas Clasicas Inc.
- Deeply Rooted Dance Theater
- Diasporal Rhythms
- DuSable Museum of African American History
- eta Creative Arts Foundation, Inc.
- Gingarte Capoeira
- Inner-City Muslim Action Network
- International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago
- Jazz Institute of Chicago
- Joel Hall Dancers & Center
- Little Black Pearl Workshop
- Live the Spirit Residency / Englewood Jazz Festival
- Mexican Folk Dance Company of Chicago
- Muntu Dance Theatre
- Musical Arts Institute
- National Cambodian Heritage Museum & Killing Fields Memorial
- National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture
- Natya Dance Theatre
- Puerto Rican Arts Alliance
- Red Clay Dance Company
- Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center
- Silk Road Rising
- Sones de Mexico
- South Shore Drill Team
- South Side Community Art Center
- Teatro Vista
- Threewalls
- UrbanTheater Company
- West Point School of Music/Epic Steel
Additional information follows.
“Arts and cultural institutions can strengthen communities by transforming spaces, fostering empathy, reflecting community identity, advancing economic mobility, improving academic outcomes, lowering crime rates, and improving mental health.”
That’s how philanthropist MacKenzie Scott described the importance of arts groups in her most recent giving announcement. Chicago’s Cultural Treasures was one of 286 equity-oriented nonprofit teams that she chose for a large, unrestricted grant – in our case, $8 million.
These funds represent a nearly 50% increase in our total investment in Chicago’s BIPOC arts organizations – going from $16.75 million to $24.75 million.
Of course, we are thrilled to have a lot more dollars to invest in Chicago’s diverse arts and culture community. But we’re also pleased that Ms. Scott’s ethos so aligns with our approach to seek greater equity in funding art that reflects the full diversity of American culture – and to do so by yielding power to the very communities most impacted by our funding decisions.
We know you may have questions about how this money will be spent. We don’t have the answers yet. We wanted to share this information with you as soon as possible, and to let you know we’d be coming back to you later with more information.
In the meantime, our grant committee — comprised of a diverse group of community members, civic leaders, and artists whose common denominator is an appreciation for how art fits into the fabric of community in the Chicagoland region — are working diligently to determine our first group of grantees, which will be announced in July.
Chicago’s Cultural Treasures launched in December 2020 announcing several bold goals.
We vowed to achieve greater equity in funding art by supporting organizations that reflect the diversity of American culture. As a collaboration between the Ford Foundation, several local philanthropies, and IFF, we will do so by funding organizations whose mission is to facilitate the creation, preservation, and dissemination of art stemming from the traditions, leadership, and cultures of people of color.
We pledged to operate in a different manner, co-creating the initiative with arts and culture organizations and providing multi-year general operating support. We recognize that arts organizations—especially those that celebrate and preserve cultural traditions and those that are led by people of color—are facing unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, many have been underfunded for decades, facing financial struggles long before the pandemic.
We designed an initial process that will inform all that follows, inviting organizations to submit a letter of inquiry (LOI) that described their strengths and assets, as well as their current challenges. We received 148 submissions by the January 2021 deadline.
Fulfilling a commitment to openness and transparency, we are sharing with you what we learned from those submissions – and how we will develop the next phase of the initiative.
The National Museum of Mexican Art is 1 of the 20 organizations across the country designated by the Ford Foundation as an American Cultural Treasure — “a significant national anchor for artistic and cultural diversity in America.” The museum is the only Chicago-based organization to receive such a designation, which comes with significant general operating support.
Chicago’s Cultural Treasures is building on this initiative with grant funding and programming for Chicago-based BIPOC arts and cultural organizations. Here’s what Carlos Tortolero, the founder and president of the museum, has to say about how the grant is making a difference for his organization and why other BIPOC-identified arts leaders should consider applying to the initiative.
