A new grant tied to Lollapalooza will give arts programming in Chicago Public Schools a boost, the district and festival announced.
The $1.7 million grant, announced Sunday, is set to expand “arts education opportunities for the city’s young artists,” and marks one of the largest gifts the district has received, according to a news release. Lollapalooza’s support of CPS arts programming totals $3.9 million since 2021.
The financial investments are expected to impact over 40,000 students in more than 150 CPS schools and over 40 city wards in the next half decade, the release states, and increase access to arts education overall across the district.
“Every young person deserves the chance to explore and develop their creative potential,” said Charlie Walker, a partner at C3, the company that promotes Lollapalooza, in a news release. “With this contribution, our goal is to create real impact in the classroom and provide students new opportunities outside of school to learn, perform, and share their talents.”
The first part of the donation includes a new $634,000 investment in CPS’s decades-old All-City Performing Arts initiative. The program, founded in 1963, offers Chicago students in grades 3-12 the opportunity to participate in after-school dance, music, and theater ensembles.
The support includes $500,000 toward rehearsal space, transportation, supplies, and performances. An additional $134,000 will go to Instrument Lending Library, which aims to expand access to musical practice tools for students, according to the release. The release states the program will be reimagined as “Lollapalooza Presents: All-City Performing Arts” and launch in fall 2026.
The second part of the gift includes a $1.1 million renewal of the existing Lollapalooza Arts Education Fund, which gives grants to district schools to expand in-school arts programs across artistic disciplines. Established in 2021, the fund supports school arts “instruction, teaching artists, and creative space improvements with the greatest needs,” according to the release.
“When students have access to instruments and rehearsal time outside of school, they’re empowered to practice consistently, grow their skills, and fully benefit from their performing arts program,” CPS CEO/Superintendent Macquline King said in the release. “All-City Performing Arts allows our students to take their talents to the next level, and Lollapalooza’s support allows CPS to maintain and expand our reach, ensuring that a student’s zip code does not define their access to high-quality artistic training and performance opportunities.”
