Culture Forward Chicago is a funding initiative within the Chicago's Cultural Treasures (ChiTreasures) program, which is administered by IFF, a nonprofit financial institution. This initiative aims to provide a final round of grant funding, totaling $3 million, to support arts and culture organizations that are not already part of the ChiTreasures initiative. The initiative specifically seeks to foster and sustain organizations whose mission focuses on creating, preserving, or disseminating art that stems from the cultural traditions of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities.

Culture Forward Chicago will open for applications on February 10, 2025, and close on March 3, 2025. The funding opportunity will be available to up to 60 organizations, with grants ranging from $50,000 to $60,000 each. These grants will be awarded to arts and culture organizations that meet the eligibility criteria, which include having 501(c)(3) status or being fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization, and being based in Chicago or its collar counties, such as Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will. Only organizations not currently receiving funding through ChiTreasures are eligible to apply.

The goal of the funding is to support organizations that celebrate the diverse cultural traditions of BIPOC communities and contribute to the creation and dissemination of their art forms. Grantees will be selected by a review committee composed mainly of local arts leaders and current ChiTreasures grantees, as well as a small number of funders from the ChiTreasures initiative. The selection committee will evaluate the applications based on criteria related to the organization’s mission, impact, and alignment with the goals of the program.

The funding for this initiative is provided by several philanthropic partners, including the Ford Foundation, MacKenzie Scott, and a collaborative of Chicago-based foundations such as The Joyce Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Polk Bros. Foundation, the Terra Foundation for American Art, and the Walder Foundation. These foundations are part of the America’s Cultural Treasures initiative, which seeks to invest in cultural institutions that represent BIPOC communities.

This round of funding follows a previous round of grants that awarded $14 million to 40 grantees in 2021 and an additional $3 million to those original grantees in 2024. The final round aims to extend the impact of the program by reaching more organizations and ensuring that the cultural vibrancy and identity of Chicago’s diverse communities continue to thrive. The application process will be managed through the online platform at apply.iff.org.