CPS to Benefit from Lollapalooza Arts Grants
CHICAGO – The team behind Chicago’s annual Lollapalooza music festival highlighted the 50 Chicago Public Schools that have been receiving funding so far from the Lollapalooza Arts Education Fund. The money helps CPS meet its goal of providing arts education to every child in every school.
“Arts education programs are vital to a well-rounded education, and our hope is that through the Lollapalooza Arts Education Fund we inspire young students in Chicago to discover their creative passions,” said Charlie Walker, founding partner of Lollapalooza promoter, C3 Presents.
Through arts education nonprofit Ingenuity and its Creative Schools Fund, Lollapalooza has supported programs at 50 Chicago Public Schools so far, and will distribute $2.2 million over five years to more than 200 CPS schools. Lollapalooza organizers are doing more than
bringing world-renowned artists and an economic boon to Chicago for its annual festival at Grant Park; they are investing in Chicago’s next generation by supporting quality arts education programs at CPS
schools rated Developing or Emerging in the Arts, according to the latest Creative Schools Certification data.
“CPS is so grateful to be working with Ingenuity and Lollapalooza
on our shared goal of ensuring robust access to the arts for every student,” said CEO Pedro Martinez. “Our local community arts organizations offer incredible enrichment opportunities for our students, and we look forward to the many rich arts partnerships that
result from this investment.”
CPS schools partner with local arts organizations and teaching artists to bring arts enrichment programs to the classroom. For example, Johnnie Colemon Elementary Academy, 1441 W. 119th St., Chicago, is partnering with dance education program, Forward Momentum. Through this partnership, Colemon students are learning about
cultural dances, music and history from Mexico, Africa, South Africa, and the U.S., gaining a deeper understanding of global communities.
Lollapalooza has committed a five-year investment to help close equity and access gaps in arts education at CPS. Ingenuity and the CPS Department of Arts Education jointly review grant applications and distribute the funding.
Support is targeted toward schools that will benefit from increased access and additional resources for arts education. Of the roughly 100,000 students in these schools, 92% are students of color and 67% live in low-income households.
“Lollapalooza’s vital support will provide students with a variety of arts education disciplines — dance, music, theater, visual arts, media arts — that foster creativity, develop critical thinking and improve a student’s self-esteem and social skills,” said Nicole Upton, Ingenuity’s
Executive Director. “This will make a difference in the lives of these students.”
To learn more about the Lollapalooza Arts Education Fund, please visit Ingenuity’s website, https://tinyurl. com/2nprz98w.
