A Road Together (ART)
In partnership with the MacArthur Foundation, we support small and mid-sized arts and culture organizations that we believe are vital to Chicago’s identity, economy, and social fabric.
Arts organizations are civic infrastructure, not afterthoughts. The ART initiative proves what’s possible when we center trust and sustained investment in communities.
A Road Together (ART) is a 5-year, $15 million grantmaking partnership between the Field Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation. Established in 2023, ART provides multi-year, unrestricted, general operating funding to small and mid-sized arts organizations with annual operating budgets up to $1 million. A panel of Chicago artists and cultural leaders recommend ART grant recipients using a participatory grantmaking process. In 2026, we will award three-year ART grants to 25 organizations. Grants will range from $10,000 to $100,000 per year.
The ART initiative addresses a fragmented arts funding landscape with a trust-based approach. Using a cohort model, ART supports 75 unique organizations each year. To date, the partnership has committed $4.81 million to 156 organizations supporting Chicago’s underserved communities, with a focus on the South and West Sides.
On this Page
Supports small and mid-sized arts and culture organizations that we believe are vital to Chicago’s identity, economy, and social fabric
Provides multi-year, unrestricted, general operating funding to organizations with annual operating budgets up to $1 million
Addresses a fragmented arts funding landscape with a trust-based approach
Eligibility
Eligible applicants for ART grants must meet the following criteria:
- Chicago-based arts + culture organization
- Operating budget maximum of $1M
- Operating budget minimum of $25K
- 501(c)(3) status
Please note:
- The application window is closed. We will announce the 2026 ART cohort this fall.
Participatory
Grantmaking
Process
A panel of Chicago artists and cultural leaders recommend ART grant recipients using a participatory process guided by our scoring rubric. In 2026, we will award three-year ART grants to 25 arts and culture organizations. Grants will range from $10,000 to $100,000 per year.
Impact to Date
$4.81M
funding committed
156
organizations funded
ART Grant
Recipients
As a five-year, $15 million partnership between the Field Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation, the ART initiative is rooted in the belief that small and mid-sized arts and culture organizations – including social service groups and community organizers – are vital to Chicago’s identity, economy, and social fabric.
2025 Three-Year Grant Recipients
25 organizations will receive three-year grants. Grants range in size with a maximum grant of $100,000 per year.
- About Face Theatre Company
- Africa International House USA, Inc.
- Aguijón Theater Company
- Architreasures
- Ballet Folklorico de Chicago
- Changing Worlds
- Chicago Blues Revival
- Chicago Mobile Makers
- Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center
- Chicago Torture Justice Memorials Foundation
- Creative Chicago Reuse Exchange
- Cultural Access Collaborative
- Design Museum of Chicago
- Folded Map Project
- FreshLens Chicago
- High Concept Labs
- ILA Creative Studio
- Intonation Music
- Kalapriya Foundation, Center for the Indian Performing Arts
- Making a Difference Dancing (M.A.D.D.) Rhythms Organization
- Pegasus Theatre Chicago
- Territory
- The Era Footwork Collective
- UrbanTheater Company
- Walls Turned Sideways
ART: Geographic
Priority Areas
The Field Foundation created a series of maps, outlining geographic areas where an analysis of quality-of-life factors indicates areas of greatest need.
A Road Together is a commitment to Chicago’s creative community. Together, we are reimagining how a collaboration in the creative realm can enable a stronger and more sustainable arts and culture ecosystem in our city.
