Inside the Ingenuity and Lollapalooza Partnership Driving Arts Education Across Chicago Public Schools

Through competing fiscal responsibilities, budget constraints, and rising bias shaped by the sociopolitical climate, the public education sector is under immense pressure, and it almost certainly has a magnified impact on a specific group: students.

As students navigate an environment facing multiple crises, it’s no surprise that access to a quality arts education falls low on the priorities of our system. However, arts education, specifically in Chicago Public Schools (CPS), points to broader, sectorwide trends, underscoring the need for philanthropic support to ensure teachers and community partners possess the tools to serve and invest in students.

Research-backed evidence of enhanced social-emotional learning through the arts challenges the notion that they are a luxury. They are, in fact, a necessity. That conviction drives the work of Ingenuity, a nonprofit that partners with Chicago Public Schools and the city of Chicago to expand access to quality arts education.

Ingenuity increases arts education access, quality, and equity by collecting data and addressing systemwide disparities that have long limited opportunities for students. Data from the State of the Arts Report unveils important questions about where access is limited, which schools face the greatest gaps, and how the data is translated into tools for schools.

While arts education access and quality have largely remained stable for the last two school years, how do you explain the decline in the number of arts partnerships in CPS? How do you address systemic disinvestment marked by our city’s complicated history? Where do you find resources to invest further?

One answer is philanthropy.

The power of philanthropy is its ability to complement public funding and bolster its impact in addressing the root causes of problems. Ingenuity’s work is rooted in that belief.

Creating access to a quality arts education requires a long-term approach, the perfect setup for a meaningful philanthropic relationship. This year, Lollapalooza/C3 Presents announced its recommitment to Ingenuity through a $1,125,000 investment over the next three years to continue collaborating to support CPS students.

“We know that the next generation of artists and musicians is growing up right here in Chicago schools,” says Charlie Walker, Partner of C3 Presents.

The new commitment builds on Lollapalooza’s broader investment in arts education. Of the $3.3 million committed through the Lollapalooza Arts Education Fund, 182 grants totaling $1,780,000 have been awarded to 99 Chicago Public Schools since the 2021-22 school year. One recipient was George Westinghouse College Prep, where funding helped establish a musical theater program in partnership with Porchlight Music Theatre.

“There was no musical theater program at George Westinghouse College Prep,” the school said in a statement. “Porchlight Music Theatre provided a teaching artist who helped facilitate lessons and theatre technology support, and students have been able to put on two annual productions, complete with sets, costumes, lighting, and sound each year. This grant hasn’t just introduced theater to our students — it’s built a lasting foundation for the future.”

Public funding remains essential, but philanthropy can help fill critical gaps. By pairing data with strategic investment, Ingenuity and its partners are helping ensure more students have access to the transformative power of arts education.

How to Help

Born from a city-wide collective movement to address arts inequities in Chicago Public Schools, Ingenuity bridges the gap in arts education, believing it is essential for a well-rounded academic experience. Driven by equity and collaboration, Ingenuity empowers students to discover and express their full creative potential. Learn more and donate in honor of Ingenuity’s 15th anniversary.

This post was submitted as part of our “You Said It” program.” Your voice, ideas, and engagement are important to help us accomplish our mission. We encourage you to share your ideas and efforts to make the world a better place by submitting a “You Said It,” which can earn a nonprofit that you champion a $1,000 donation from the Make It Better Foundation and eligibility for a Philanthropy Award, grant content partnership, and greater engagement with our audience.

Nick Roman (he/him) is fiercely passionate about the inclusion of arts education in the classroom and its transformative impact on the whole student. A nonprofit executive, leader, artist, singer, and former educator, he has dedicated his career to expanding access to essential resources—including the arts—for people of all backgrounds. Drawing on lessons learned early in his career in arts education, Nick brings the heart of a teacher and the mind of a business leader to the nonprofit fundraising sector, aligning mission-driven strategy with meaningful community impact.

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