ChiCago international ConneCtions Fund The MacArthur Foundation established a fund on its thirtieth anniversary in 2008 to encourage a greater sharing of experiences and international learning between its local Chicago grantees and their counterparts in other countries. Its premise is that Chicago is a global city that benefits from interaction between its citizens and organizations and their counterparts outside of the United States. This program was renewed in 2009 and the original fund of $1 million was extended with an additional $500,000. AT a GLANCe • The Chicago International Connections Fund was established in January 2008 at the MacArthur Foundation’s 30th Anniversary Celebration. • The fund recognizes Chicago’s place as a global city that benefits from the interactions between its citizens and their counterparts outside of the United States. • The purpose of the fund was to help eligible Chicago-based nonprofit organizations further their work by making connections with organizations and individuals internationally. • Between June 2008 and September 2009, the Foundation awarded 39 grants to 35 organizations. • More than half of the grant recipients were arts and culture organizations, a quarter were community development organizations, and the remainder a mix of groups focused on juvenile justice, conservation, human rights, and reproductive health issues. • Almost 40 countries were touched by exchanges with 450 Chicagoans traveling abroad and 160 representatives from international organizations welcomed to Chicago. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation February 2011 Chicago International Connections Fund BaCKGROUND able to garner additional funding from Concert Dance, Inc. Eligible applicants to the Chicago other sources for their programs as a $50,000 to support an exchange International Connections Fund included result of the experiences and program program between the contemporary nonprofit organizations in the Chicago development that occurred during the dance company and the Department of area that were recent grant recipients of exchange. Music and Dance of Nanjing Normal the Foundation directly or through the University in China for performances, MacArthur Funds established at the lectures, and classes. Driehaus Foundation, the Prince GRANT RECiPIENTS Charitable Trusts, or the New Below are one-year grants made to Chicago Human Rhythm PRoject Communities Program directed by the Chicago-based grantees of the $40,000 to support a five-week tour to Local Initiatives Support Corporation MacArthur Foundation through the China, where the Project will present 216 (LISC). International Connections Fund. Please master classes and perform 20 concerts note that grants in this program were not in nine cities. Applications for exchange with any limited to arts and culture organizations. country were considered; however, Chicago Human Rhythm PRoject preference was given to projects that Anima, Young Singers oF $50,000 to support an exchange with the involved one or more of the Foundation’s Beijing Contemporary Music Institute’s focus countries: India, Mexico, Nigeria, Great Chicago and Russia. Preference was also given to $50,000 to support the organization’s dance ensemble and the China new collaborations or projects. tour to Spain and Morocco to encourage Performing Arts Agency to allow 14 greater international understanding dancers to attend CHRP’s Chicago The objective of the program was to through music. summer festival of tap, Rhythm World. nurture relationships and collaborations between Chicago organizations and their Art Institute oF Chicago Chicago Moving Company counterparts around the world. These $40,000 to support a cultural exchange $15,000 in support of a month-long were not intended to be one-time travel with Nigerian scholars and dignitaries for dance residency in Mongolia. grants, but rather funds that would foster the Institute’s exhibition, Benin-Kings and meaningful, long-term relationships that Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria.. Chicago ZooLogical Society might lead to new or improved program (BRookfield Zoo) work, continued collaboration and/or AssociatioN For the ADvancement $50,000 to launch a conservation subsequent exchanges. oF CreativE Musicians (AACM) leadership development program $15,000 to support the organization’s between teenagers in Chicago and the The outcomes demonstrate that this participation at the “Insolent Noise South American nation of guyana]. objective was met: Festival” in Pisa, Italy. • More than 60% of groups continue to Community Justice foR Youth collaborate with the same international Chicago Chamber Musicians Institute organizations that they worked with $10,000 to support a special $50,000 to support an exchange during MacArthur-funded exchanges. performance of Strange News, a between juvenile justice advocates in multimedia musical production by a Chicago and South Africa so they can • Half of the organizations have Norwegian composer about child learn from each other’s strategies to developed new or expanded work as a soldiers in Uganda and the Democratic rehabilitate youth offenders. result of this exchange. Republic of Congo. • Almost 90% of groups have developed Erie NeighborhooD House new collaborative or performance Chicago Children’S CHoir $45,000 to support a study tour to opportunities because they were able $40,000 to support the Choir’s 55 guanajuato, Mexico, the region of origin to present their work to a different singers and nine staff members as they of many of Chicago’s Mexican cohort of peers and reviewers. represent Chicago on a summer tour of immigrants, to better understand the • Twenty-five percent of groups were the Republic of Korea. needs of the organization’s local clients. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation page 2 Free Street Theater Rupayan, a world-renowned musical National Museum oF MExican Art $25,000 to support an exchange ensemble from Rajasthan in northern $50,000 to support artist exchanges program with Makhampon Theatre India. between Chicago-area artists and Company in Chiang Dao, Thailand, to artisans and those from the Mexican share experiences in using performance Korean American Resource and states of Chiapas and oaxaca resulting in art to mediate conflicts and improve Cultural Center traveling exhibits, public discussions, and relationships among different $40,000 in support of an exchange educational programs that will be held at communities. between cultural artists in Chicago and the Museum and in institutions in Mexico. South Korea. Facets Multimedia NExT Theatre Company $36,000 to enable international dialog LatinoS PRogresando in $7,500 to support a collaboration with between 20 high school age filmmakers partnership with Chicago Youth theater colleagues in the Czech Republic and film critics from Illinois and 20 youth Boxing Club to develop a world-premiere adaptation producers of media from India, Italy, $45,000 to support youth and staff to of War with the Newts based on Karel Korea, and French-speaking Canada. visit a rural community in the central state Capek’s 1936 novel. of guanajuato, Mexico that has been Facets Multimedia experiencing high levels of emigration]. Old Town SchooL oF Folk Music $50,000 to support Media Bridge: global $50,000 to establish the Folk Arts Exchanges in Youth Filmmaking, a Local Initiatives Support Exchange Program. Teaching artists from curating and screenwriting initiative for 13 Mexico, Russia, and India will teach and CorporatioN youth ages 15 to 19 from Chicago and 13 perform at the School, while Chicago $42,500 to connect the Chicago Sunday youth from India, Mexico, Russia, Sri faculty will travel to do the same at Parkways Stakeholders Committee with Lanka, ghana, and Portugal. institutions in each of those countries]. civic leaders in Ecuador to learn about efforts to better use public space to Heartland Alliance foR Human Options foR Youth promote health, civic engagement, and Needs & Human RIghts $50,000 in support of an exchange economic development. $45,000 to support leaders from five between leaders of its Illinois Subsequent lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Pregnancy Program and partner organizations operating in global areas of Local Initiatives Support organizations in guanajuato, Mexico to conflict and oppression to participate in a CorporatioN (LISC) share approaches for reducing second Human Rights and Organizational $50,000 in support of an exchange pregnancies among adolescent mothers. Leadership Development Fellowship in between Chicago New Communities Chicago. Program leaders and community PEgasus Players development leaders in Russia. $50,000 to support the expansion of the House DEvelopment CorporatioN global voices program, which uses (Firehouse Community Arts Center) Logan Square NeighborhooD theater arts and language to increase $50,000 in support of twenty Lawndale AssociatioN cross-cultural understanding among youth traveling to the University of $45,000 to support an exchange Chicago high-school students and their veracruz in Mexico to study race relations between parents, artists, and educators peers around the world]. and improve cross-cultural understanding. in Chicago and the Mexican states of veracruz, Mexico, and Hidalgo. Puerto Rican Arts Alliance Hubbard Street Dance Chicago $25,000 to expand the Taino Project, $40,000 to support artistic collaborations National Museum oF MExican Art which teaches Chicago Public Schools with Holland’s Nederlands Dans Theatre $40,000 to bring speakers from Mexico students about the