Arts for Illinois Relief Fund — Arts For Illinois

The Arts for Illinois Relief Fund launched on April 1, 2020 is response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and cultural community in Illinois. The fund is administered by Arts Alliance Illinois, the only statewide, multidisciplinary organization concentrated on the strength of arts and culture

For more information about the fund, its impact to date, and resources for artists, visit our FAQ.

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Donate

We accept donations from individuals, foundations, and public sources. All of donated funds will go toward recovery efforts for artists that continue to be financially impacted by COVID-19 closures.

What We’ve Done So Far

Since its launch on April 1, 2020, the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund has awarded $8,181,605 to 2,493 artists and 366 organizations around the state. For privacy reasons, the list of individual artist grantees is not publicly available. Visit the Arts Work Fund website for a list of organizational grantees and the Performing Arts Venue Relief Grants Program website for a list of venue grantees.

The Current Crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic placed unprecedented strain on the arts and cultural community. In statewide surveys by Arts Alliance Illinois assessing the financial impact of COVID-related closures on the creative sector through June 2020, 513 respondents estimated that their organizations have lost nearly $180 million in revenue due to a suspension of public-facing programs or exhibitions. This number represented only an estimated 2% of the total financial impact on Illinois arts and culture organizations at the time.

These closures impact 24,228 individual events or performances, 28,758 jobs, and over 5 million audience members or participants, including programs intended for students.

What We're Doing

The Arts for Illinois Relief Fund provides financial relief to workers and organizations in the creative industries impacted by COVID-19. This includes all artists and artisans, including stage and production members and part-time cultural workers, and large to small arts organizations in all disciplines. Donations to the fund go directly to support Illinois’ creative community. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

The fund is a partnership between the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois, the broader philanthropic community, and the residents of Illinois. It can accept donations from individuals, foundations, and public sources. The Arts for Illinois Relief Fund is administered by Arts Alliance Illinois in partnership with 3Arts and Arts Works Fund, long-standing and trusted service organizations and grantmakers.

If you have any questions, please email info@artsalliance.org.