League of Chicago Theatres Foundation
ActiveArts, Culture & Humanities
About League of Chicago Theatres Foundation
Theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens. The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres, which leverages its collective strength to support, promote and advocate for Chicago’s theatre industry. Through our work, we ensure that theatre continues to thrive in our city.
Focus Areas
performing artstheatreaudience developmentarts educationadvocacygrantmaking
Who They Fund
artistsarts organizationsgeneral public/audiences
Funding Style
unspecified (no purpose text provided)program-focused fundingsector-specific support
About League of Chicago Theatres Foundation
The League of Chicago Theatres Foundation concentrates its grantmaking on Chicago theatre organizations and related arts groups, with 98% of grants going to recipients in Illinois. Its recent awards repeatedly use the same $10,000 level, alongside larger $25,000 grants, to support theatres, dance organizations, museums, and arts education groups connected to the city’s performing-arts ecosystem. Chicago Children’s Theatre and Lyric Opera of Chicago each received $25,000 in 2025 through the Powering the Arts Program, showing that the foundation funds established institutions as part of its theatre-sector support. The same program has also reached groups such as Albany Park Theater Project, Northlight Theatre, Hyde Park Art, and Free Street Theater, indicating a mix of theatre companies and broader arts organizations. The foundation’s public description says theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens, and its grantmaking reflects that view through support for operations, projects, audience development, and capacity strengthening for Chicago-area theatres and nonprofit theatre organizations.
What League of Chicago Theatres Foundation Funds
A major theme is theatre-sector support. Under the Powering the Arts Program, the foundation gave $25,000 to Albany Park Theater Project for the program and $17,500 to Free Street Theater for the same purpose. It also backed theatre-centered institutions such as Court Theatre and Auditorium Theatre at $10,000 each through the program. Arts education appears as a second thread. Chicago students were supported through a donation tied to the August Wilson New Voices competition, a program focused on playwriting and student participation in local preliminary and city-wide rounds. The foundation also supports broader arts programming beyond theatre. Grants went to Snow City Arts, SkyART, and PlayMakers Laboratory, all at $10,000, and to Grant Park Orchestral Assoc and Chicago Blues Museum through the same program, showing that its arts support extends across multiple disciplines.
How League of Chicago Theatres Foundation Gives
The grant size pattern is tightly clustered: p25, median, and p75 are all $10,000, indicating a strong standard award level. Larger grants appear less often, with $25,000 awards at the top of the recent list and a $17,500 grant in 2023. The foundation is a regular funder rather than a DAF, and the recent grants list suggests repeated program-based support rather than a one-off gift pattern. The active programs show both grantmaking and sponsorship activity, including general operating support, project support, and event sponsorship linked to the League’s own fundraising events. Unsolicited applications are accepted for some opportunities, while the general League of Chicago Theatres Foundation Grants program does not accept unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$4.1M
Total Assets
$1.3M
Total Revenue
$1M
Total Expenses
$4.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $10K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$10K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
About 98% of grants go to recipients in IL.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Heidi Thompson Saunders
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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