Walder Foundation Supports 19 Chicago Performing Arts Organizations with $3M in Grants

Walder Foundation provided nearly $3 million in grants to 19 organizations in the Chicago region’s performing arts sector in October 2025.  

The grants are intended to help launch innovative ideas that respond to capacity-building needs affecting small and midsize performing arts organizations in Chicago.  

Projects address the important areas of pay equity and arts worker care, changing business models, and leadership retention.   

“These key areas are critical to help develop longevity and sustainability, rethink the way arts organizations have historically been operating, and build pathways to growth and investment in cultural workers within performing arts organizations," shares Ebony Chuukwu, Senior Program Officer, Performing Arts of Walder Foundation. 

Research data and reports support a need for dedicated capacity-building funding for the performing arts sector in Chicago. 

“At Walder Foundation, we see place-based philanthropy as a powerful tool to catalyze sustainable, long-term change,” shares Elizabeth Walder, President and CEO of Walder Foundation. “This investment in Chicago’s performing arts sector will help increase its capacity to adapt and grow, highlighting that creativity and sustainability can go hand in hand.”