Elevated Chicago Arts & Culture Strategy
Equitable, imaginative, and rooted in community culture.
The Arts & Culture Strategy is a bold, community-driven initiative designed to protect, preserve, and perpetuate Chicago’s diverse cultural identities as a vital part of equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD) and community-led growth.
By embedding artists, creatives, and cultural practitioners into the planning, design, and development processes of our neighborhoods, we aim to amplify community power, prevent displacement, and center culture as infrastructure—ensuring a more vibrant, just, and inclusive Chicago.
Fueling the Mission: Announcing Our $1.5 Million Partnership with the MacArthur Foundation
We are proud to announce a major milestone—Elevated Chicago has received a $1.5 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation to support creative placemaking and placekeeping efforts across the city.
As a technical advisor and regranting partner, Elevated Chicago will distribute $350,000 annually for the next three years to fund local artists, entrepreneurs, and community-rooted cultural projects that:
- Activate public spaces through artistic and cultural interventions
- Advance racial equity by embedding artists in urban planning and development
- Drive economic growth by investing in local artists and creative small businesses
Together, We’re Reimagining What’s Possible
We are thrilled to launch the Elevated Chicago Arts & Culture Strategy—a call to action for artists, organizers, residents, developers, and city leaders to co-create a more just, joyful, and culturally grounded Chicago.
Rooted in ETOD, our approach ensures that the spaces near our transit systems reflect the people who live there—and that cultural expression is a driving force in how we shape the future. We invite artists, organizers, residents, and developers alike to explore how cultural practice can transform the way we move, build, and belong in Chicago.
Join us and explore the vision, goals, and impact behind our strategy and how culture can drive equitable development in our communities and around our transit.
The Creatives Table
A collaborative, cross-sector space that brings together artists, community leaders, and developers to share, create, and build.
Elevating Culture Near Transit RFP
Learn how to apply for funding to support your arts and culture project that enhances your neighborhood.
Workshops & Resources
Access tools, events, and training designed to uplift artists and cultural practitioners doing transformative work in their communities.
Equity + Culture = Lasting Change
Chicago’s neighborhoods are rich with culture, creativity, and history. Through our Arts & Culture Strategy, Elevated Chicago is building infrastructure that honors this legacy—and supports the artists and residents shaping what’s next.
Join Our Network
Want to shape the future of equitable development in Chicago? Join our growing community of artists, organizers, developers, and residents working to center culture in every step of community transformation.