In 2023, the Illinois Arts Council (IAC) began to reevaluate its grant-making program, policies and procedures. As part of this process, IAC partnered with NASAA to conduct a qualitative and quantitative assessment of IAC’s grant making to identify funding gaps and recommend strategies that IAC can pursue to reduce barriers to arts support. These findings,…
As state governments seek to leverage the economic power of the arts, multiple state arts agencies (SAAs) have been selected to assist in leading strategic plans for their states’ creative economies. State policymakers are seeking to capitalize on the outsize role the creative economy plays in both economic value added and jobs created, with arts…
In 2023, the Illinois Arts Council (IAC) initiated an assessment of its grant making strategies. As a first step, the agency sought community input through an extensive statewide listening tour. IAC staff and council members conducted 34 town hall meetings in over 20 counties. The meetings were attended by more than 200 cultural organizations as…
Since the Arts and Foreign Language Education Grant Program was legislatively established in 2006, the Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA) and Illinois State Board of Education—which administer the program through a joint commitment to well-rounded education—have helped nearly 100 school districts around the state integrate arts and foreign language education into their core curricula. The…
Through its Summer Youth Employment in the Arts Program (SYEA), the Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA) symbiotically realizes its goals to increase and enrich arts education opportunities, to support cultural organizations, and to demonstrate how the arts benefit communities and local economies. IACA grants up to $6,000 to eligible Illinois nonprofit arts organizations to underwrite…
With the assistance of the Illinois Arts Council (IAC), cultural organizations across the state of Illinois have come together to assess their needs and identify possible new pathways to success in a climate characterized by uncertain economics, new demographics and a rapid pace of change. The Arts & Business Council of Chicago, in collaboration with…
The Illinois Arts Council (IAC) recently announced the Individual Artist Support (IAS) Initiative to help Illinois artists realize career goals, take advantage of professional opportunities, and/or produce a project or body of work for public viewing. Steep reductions in IAC’s operating budget resulted in several programs being suspended and others greatly reduced for fiscal year…