The Chicago High School for the Arts
Purpose of grant
EMT and EMGT convened the Diversity Working Group ("DWG"), a group of representatives from music-performance and educational organizations, in 2004 with the long range purpose being to develop mechanisms to promote greater diversity at Chicago's performing arts organizations. DWG discovered that while Chicago had a strong set of non-profit arts organizations serving under-resourced schools, the city was the only major urban center in the country that did not have a public high school for the arts. In 2006 EMT/EMGT supported planning through grants to The Chicago Community Trust as the DWG evolved into a larger project to create Chicago's first public high school for the arts, now known as The Chicago High School for the Arts ("ChiArts"), which is an Illinois not for profit corporation. The Chicago Public School ("CPS") Board awarded a contract to ChiArts to operate a public high school for the arts in 2007, which is also when EMGT supported more planning for ChiArts. ChiArts opened for the first school year in 2009. EMGT supported a fundraising consultant as part of a matching challenge in 2009. In 2010 and 2011, EMGT funded general operating support while ChiArts created a working capital fund. EMT supported ChiArts with two (one single year and one multi-year) grants for the arts portion of the school programming not covered by support from CPS. EMT/EMGT's participation in the founding of ChiArts has had a great impact on the organization's self-sufficiency and industry. ChiArts has successfully leveraged EMT/EMGT's grants into a strong fundraising agenda for the sustainability of the school. At this time ChiArts has admitted four years of students and graduated its first class of seniors. The 600 students currently enrolled come from every ward in the city and represent the diversity of Chicago.
Amount of grant
$426,000.00