Field Foundation of Illinois

Founded in 1940, the Field Foundation of Illinois (Field) is a private foundation based in Chicago that operates grantmaking programs in the areas of Justice, Art, Media and Storytelling, and Leadership Investment. With racial equity at the center of its giving, Field supports organizations working to address systemic issues in Chicago, with the aim of empowering communities that have experienced economic divestment. This award establishes a regranting partnership to provide small and midsize arts and culture organizations in Chicago with multiyear general operating support.

The Field Foundation of Illinois (Field) is a private, independent foundation focused on grantmaking using a racial equity lens. It provides funding in the areas of Justice, Art, Media and Storytelling, and Leadership Development with an overall mission of community empowerment. This award supports the Media and Storytelling program, launched in 2019, which provides financial support to community-based journalism and media organizations creating just and inclusive narratives through accountability, investigative and explanatory journalism, and through creative nonfiction projects targeted at narrative and culture change. Through three open calls for funding proposals each year, Field’s Media and Storytelling program provides organizations with operating and project support, with a special focus on organizations led by and serving Black, Latinx, Asian, Arab, Indigenous, and LGBTQ peoples. MacArthur funds support re-granting and staffing of the program. The intended outcome of this work is a more connected, equitable, and informed media and storytelling ecosystem in Chicago.

The Field Foundation of Illinois (Field) is a private foundation based in Chicago that makes grants in the areas of Justice, Art, Media and Storytelling, and Leadership Investment. With racial equity at the center of its giving, Field supports organizations working to address systemic issues in Chicago, with the aim of empowering communities that have experienced economic divestment. With this award for a planning grant, and in collaboration with the MacArthur Foundation’s Culture, Equity, and the Arts program, the Field Foundation develops a new initiative to offer general operating support grants to arts and cultural institutions in Chicago.

The Field Foundation of Illinois (Field) is a private foundation based in Chicago that makes grants in the areas of Justice, Art, Media and Storytelling, and Leadership Investment. With racial equity at the center of its giving, Field supports organizations working to address systemic issues in Chicago, with the aim of empowering communities that have experienced economic divestment. With this award, and in collaboration with the MacArthur Foundation, Field continues its Leaders for a New Chicago Award program, recognizing leaders in Chicago’s communities and providing funds to both the individual and the organization to which they are affiliated. The Leaders for a New Chicago Award recognizes past achievements, builds individual leadership capacity, fosters connections among leaders, and lifts the profiles of community leaders and their organizations.

The Field Foundation of Illinois (Field) is a private, independent foundation that places racial equity at the center of its giving by directing funds to nonprofit organizations working to address systemic challenges in Chicago. Field makes grants to nonprofits working in justice, art, and leadership investment to support the goal of community empowerment. This award supports Field’s Media and Storytelling program, which provides multifaceted support to community-based organizations and individuals working to generate just and inclusive narratives through the work of accountability, investigative and explanatory journalism, and through creative nonfiction projects targeted at narrative and culture change. Field’s Media and Storytelling program aims to support journalists and storytellers from Chicago communities whose insights are underrepresented in the broader media field. This program was co-designed with MacArthur as part of the Jack Fuller Legacy Initiative, and involved a collaborative planning process that engaged journalists, media makers, and storytellers from diverse communities across Chicago. The intended outcome of this work is a more connected, equitable, and informed media and storytelling ecosystem in Chicago.