The Creative Schools Fund is a partnership between the Mayor’s Office, Chicago Public Schools, and Ingenuity to invest public and private resources directly into teacher-designed and led arts education programming.
Creative Schools Fund Information for SY2020-21
Ingenuity and the CPS Department of Arts Education have made adaptations to the Creative Schools Fund grants to support schools through the 2020-2021 school year. Preparing for changes in the health and safety landscape, responding to priorities set by the district, and adapting to emerging needs and assets as expressed by a community of arts education constituents, the Creative Schools Fund competitive grants (up to $10,000 per grant) will focus on three primary objectives:
- Community Building through the Arts: Leverage arts to connect, celebrate, and reunite school communities.
- Deepening Arts Quality: Build artist practice among teachers and/or students.
- Justice Through the Arts: Support student-driven projects that use art as a medium to advance anti-racism and racial justice.
Grant Eligibility
To apply for a Creative Schools Fund grant, CPS schools must:
- Have a Creative Schools Certification category of 1, 2, 3, or 4
- Have an active Arts Liaison
- Have arts teacher staffing in keeping with recommended ratios
- Adhere to CPS policies related to working with arts organizations (including any new requirements due to COVID-19 or remote learning)
Partners applying in conjunction with CPS schools for CSF grants must:
- Have a current partner profile on artlook® map
- Have an active CPS vendor number at the time of submission and awarding of grant
- Have a Tier 1 designation for working in a CPS remote learning environment
- Have a flexible implementation model (adaptable to both remote and hybrid learning)
Applying for CSF Grants
In SY2020-21, the Creative Schools Fund grants will be open for applications on a rolling basis from late September through February 5, 2021.
Read more information about applying for a 2020-21 CSF grant here.
Questions, concerns, or feedback regarding the Creative Schools Fund grant should be directed to csf@ingenuity-inc.org and/or creativeschools@cps.edu.