Mayor Brandon Johnson, DCASE Announce $2 Million In Grant Awards to Support the Arts, Uplift Cultural Organizations

The Neighborhood Access Program supports Chicago arts and culture organizations, while the new Arts Relief Fund delivers timely aid amid Trump administration cuts that threaten Chicago’s cultural vitality.

CHICAGO — Today, Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) announced the 49 arts, culture, and humanities organizations receiving support through the Johnson administration’s Arts Relief Fund Program, through which the City is stepping in to help sustain arts and culture organizations navigating the loss of critical federal funding, in addition to the 39 organizations benefitting from over $1.4 million in new Neighborhood Access Program (NAP) grants.

“Art and culture play a vital role in our democracy,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “Chicago’s artists and cultural organizations are essential to the fabric of our neighborhoods and to the identity of our city. As the Trump administration continues to defund outlets for free expression, it's up to cities to fill the gap. That's why I'm proud Chicago is stepping up to ensure that creative institutions, and the communities they sustain, are equipped with the resources they need to continue to thrive, grow, and inspire.”

The Arts Relief Fund is a one-time intervention which ensures the city’s creative heartbeat continues to thrive, even as national arts and humanities programs face severe reductions as a result of wide-ranging cuts imposed by the Trump administration.

The grants will help replace lost federal income, protect jobs in the arts sector, and maintain access to creative experiences for Chicago residents—particularly in communities where cultural programs serve as anchors for education, tourism, and neighborhood identity.

“Chicago’s arts and cultural institutions do more than inspire us. They educate, employ, and unite us,” said DCASE Acting Commissioner Kenya Merritt. “Both the Arts Relief Fund and Neighborhood Access Program underscore DCASE’s commitment to supporting our creative economy and specifically ensuring that organizations impacted by funding losses can continue to provide the vital programs, performances, and opportunities that make our city’s arts ecosystem one of the most vibrant in the nation.”

Recent changes to long-standing federal arts and humanities programs have left many local organizations struggling to bridge the financial gap. The Arts Relief Fund responds directly to those challenges, providing immediate support to organizations whose essential programs, exhibitions, and performances were jeopardized by cuts to agencies including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
  

See the list of Recipients