Case Study · ChiArts Supporter Hub
When the ChiArts Foundation board disbanded, the school kept going. The fundraising infrastructure didn't. My daughter was a freshman there. I had 20 years of Chicago creative industry contacts and the skills to build something useful. So I did.
chiarts.support, live and in active use
The Context
Chicago High School for the Arts is a public magnet school in the Loop. Tuition-free, audition-based, and built around conservatory training in Music, Theatre, Dance, Visual Arts, and Creative Writing.
During the 2024–25 school year, the ChiArts Foundation board disbanded and fundraising operations reset under CPS. Parents were running pizza days. Teachers were looking for partners to cover graduation fees kids couldn't afford.
A practical operating system for fundraising: partner intelligence, faster outreach, and a live grants cadence that staff and parent volunteers could use immediately, with zero onboarding.
Product Decisions
Every module was built for immediate adoption by busy school staff. No custom dashboards, no complex setup, no dependency on one operator.
Directory cards connect directly to outreach generation. Grant rows include next action language. The product pushes users toward execution, not browsing.
This is production software, not a concept deck. Live data structures, reusable templates, and deploy-ready architecture were required from day one.
My Role
Strategy
Defined scope, priorities, and tool architecture
Research
Vetted organizations and authored source content
Design
Built information hierarchy and interaction system
Build
Shipped React + Vite + Tailwind app to production
The programs survived. The infrastructure to fund them did not. So I built the infrastructure.
What Was Built
These embeds are pulled directly from production. No mocks, no iframes, no static screenshots.
97 vetted organizations across 12 categories. Filter by partner type, flag foundation relationships, and launch personalized outreach from each card.
Partner Directory
97 vetted organizations across 12 categories
Already giving $250,000+ to ChiArts Foundation
Top-tier Foundation donor at $250K+. Part of Central Indiana Community Foundation with a dedicated Chicago giving program. Already deeply committed to ChiArts.
Already giving $250,000+ to ChiArts Foundation
Chicago-based foundation focused on arts and music education. Major Foundation donor at $250K+. High-value relationship to deepen beyond institutional giving.
Already giving $250,000+ to ChiArts Foundation
Sam Zell's family foundation with a Chicago philanthropic presence across education and arts. Already a top Foundation supporter at $250K+.
Already giving $50,000+ to ChiArts Foundation
Chicago-based arts and education foundation. Already committed to the ChiArts Foundation at $50K+. Natural fit for PSO partnership asks.
Already giving $50,000+ to ChiArts Foundation
Chicago arts and journalism funder at $50K+ to the Foundation. Supports creative and civic programs, natural fit for ChiArts advocacy and storytelling work.
Already giving $25,000+ to ChiArts Foundation
Chicago foundation supporting arts, environment, and youth. Already giving $25K+ to the Foundation. Receptive to aligned program requests.
State agency funding arts education in Illinois schools including CPS programs.
CityArts Grant funds Chicago arts nonprofits and programs.
Grants for Arts Projects includes K-12 arts education; competitive nationally.
$1.7M to 125 Chicago schools. ChiArts should already be included. Apply via CPS Creative Schools Survey, fall cycle.
Federal flow-through grant, $10K–$330K/year. Next NOFO expected summer/fall 2026.
Up to $20K directly for K-12 public schools in Illinois. Annual cycle, distinct from the general IAC operating grant. ChiArts is explicitly eligible.
Music education grants, $5K–$25K. Active grant cycle, deadline April 1, 2026. Directly supports music learning for underrepresented communities. Perfect fit for ChiArts Music Conservatory.
Active grant for K-12 public schools, $10K–$50K. Funds instruments, staging equipment, and theatre program materials. ChiArts Theatre Conservatory is a textbook fit.
Need-based grants for high school theatre programs, $500–$10K. Craig Zadan Pathway for Equity in the Arts Grant specifically serves programs like ChiArts Theatre Conservatory.
Over $85M in instruments and programming to US public schools since 1997. ChiArts as a public CPS school is directly eligible. Active grant cycles year-round.
Visual Arts
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's foundation with a BIPOC architecture and design scholarship specifically designed to open design careers for underrepresented students. Direct pipeline for ChiArts Visual Arts alumni pursuing architecture, design, or built environment careers. Submit through their scholarship portal.
$30K–$100K. Regional re-granting program now active in 32 cities including Chicago. Supports visual arts organizations focused on creative experimentation. Proposals accepted March 1 and September 1.
$25K–$100K. Youth workforce development focus. Chicago HQ with strong community giving history.
STEAM angle, $25K–$100K. LOI process opens early in the year. Chicago-headquartered.
Chicago HQ. Education and workforce development giving. Relationship-first, warm intro strongly recommended.
Already giving $10,000+ to ChiArts Foundation
Chicago-headquartered financial services firm. Already giving $10K+ to the Foundation. Corporate community giving contact available via their community affairs office.
Already giving $1,000+ to ChiArts Foundation
Music instrument and education nonprofit. Already giving to the Foundation. Perfect fit for ChiArts Music Conservatory, instruments, supplies, and artist development programs.
Already giving $1,000+ to ChiArts Foundation
Chicago-area bank with active community investment program. Already giving $1K+ to the Foundation. Corporate partnership and sponsorship opportunities available.
Select partner type, add a contact, and generate a tailored outreach letter in under two minutes.
Letter Generator
Personalized outreach in 90 seconds
Select a partner type, add context, and generate your outreach letter.
High-priority opportunities sorted by status, deadline, and recommended next action.
Grant Calendar
Active funding opportunities
Immediate Actions
Apply. NAMM Foundation Music Program Grant
Deadline April 1, 2026. nammfoundation.org, $5K–$25K for music education programs.
Apply. American Theatre Wing / Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative
Active cycle now. Up to $50K for K-12 public school theatre programs. americantheatrewing.org
Email Joyce Foundation
culture@joycefdn.org, just introduce ChiArts. Two sentences is fine.
Mid-April 2026
Visit →Portal re-opens mid-April. Chicago arts and social justice focus. Apply promptly when it opens.
Set a calendar reminder for April 1 to check the portal.
Rolling (inquiry form)
Visit →Low-barrier community inquiry form available now. ALAANA focus. Chicago arts and community development.
Submit the inquiry form today, it takes 10 minutes.
Rolling (LOI-first)
Visit →Email culture@joycefdn.org to initiate. LOI-first process. Chicago's premier arts funder, relationship matters.
Email culture@joycefdn.org this week. Don't overthink it, just introduce ChiArts.
Wrapping in 2026
Visit →Fund is winding down in 2026. Get into the conversation immediately. Chicago-native cultural institution with arts ed history.
Make contact now before the fund closes entirely.
Rolling (LOI-first)
Visit →$7M given in 2024. LOI required. Strong Chicago arts and culture fit.
Draft a brief LOI. Focus on ChiArts as a community anchor and talent pipeline.
Check website for cycle
Visit →No 501c3 required. Supports live performance and interdisciplinary work. Good fit for ChiArts Theatre/Dance Conservatories.
Check current cycle dates at mapfund.org.
Outcomes
This wasn't a team project or an agency brief. One person, one week, a real problem, and a working platform that shipped to production. If that's the kind of person you're looking for, keep reading.
97
Organizations vetted and structured
12
Funding categories operationalized
90 sec
Average time to usable outreach letter
Live
Platform available at chiarts.support
The Takeaway
I saw a problem that involved people I care about, in an institution I believe in, in a city I know well. I didn't wait to be asked. I defined the product, did the research, designed the UX, and built it, start to shipped, because that's what the situation required.
The Supporter Hub is live at chiarts.support. The partner directory keeps growing. The letters go out. The school keeps going. My daughter is still there.
The best work comes from problems you refuse to leave unsolved.