Ingenuity

Ingenuity was born from a city-wide collective impact movement that coalesced hundreds of arts education stakeholders in solving a complex problem: arts inequities in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Since 2011, the organization has led collective efforts across public and private sectors to launch data-driven frameworks that are helping to close the gap to arts education access in CPS schools. The organization goes beyond numbers, using data to fuel strategic actions that bridge the gap in arts access, influence policy, and guide resource distribution. This work ensures that every CPS student has the opportunity to experience the transformative power of the arts, regardless of where they live or learn.

A key initiative of Ingenuity’s is the Creative Schools Fund, which targets schools with the greatest needs by supporting teacher-designed arts programs, professional development, and supporting arts infrastructure. This fund has been instrumental in increasing student participation in arts education by 138% since Ingenuity’s founding. Today, over 230,000 CPS students are enrolled in schools with robust arts programs, reflecting an additional 82,000 students who now consistently benefit from arts education compared to ten years ago.