Eight Chicago-based organizations will receive a total of $340,000 for community-led arts projects as part of Elevating Culture Near Transit, a regranting partnership between MacArthur and Elevated Chicago. The initiative supports artists, organizations, small businesses, and community leaders who are transforming the city’s neighborhoods through arts, culture, and equitable development.
In 2025, we announced a three-year, $1.5 million grant to Elevated Chicago, housed at the Chicago Community Trust, to administer and regrant funds for local community initiatives to stimulate economic activity and preserve community culture along key transit corridors in Chicago.
The inaugural cohort of grantees are leaders in community development, using art, storytelling, and design to foster health, belonging, and economic vitality near transit hubs. Grants range in size from $10,000 to $50,000. Collectively, these projects will activate public spaces, strengthen local economies, and celebrate cultural identity across the city.
Chicago-Based Grant Recipients
- Equiticity will receive $50,000 to begin activating vacant lots near The Go Hub, their community mobility center, through the design and development of the One Lawndale Movement Plaza. Centered on youth-led programming, community design workshops, and the installation of a public sculpture, the project will bridge North and South Lawndale while amplifying community culture and signaling future investment in the space.
- The Kehrein Center for the Arts Foundation will receive $50,000 to lead Love is on the (Green) Line, a cross-community cultural activation initiative connecting Austin to Washington Park. Through performances, workshops, painting, and storytelling, the project will activate commercial corridors and CTA stations along the Green Line and cultivate walkability and intergenerational participation.
- OH Art Foundation will receive $30,000 to coordinate the 2026 Festivals of the Cultural Arts, three month-long celebrations honoring Black, Asian Pacific American, and Hispanic heritage along the Morgan Street corridor in Bridgeport. In partnership with Zhou B Art Center, artists, and local businesses, the festivals will feature exhibitions, pop-ups, workshops, and performances. The project activates storefronts, strengthens cross-cultural relationships, and generates economic benefit for artists and small businesses.
- One Aim High LLC will receive $10,000 to activate a shared garden space near the 43rd Green Line station through Sip, Paint & Garden, a series of wellness-centered, arts-based community gatherings. Residents will co-create gardens, murals, painted planters, and communal artworks inspired by nature and storytelling. Led by local entrepreneurs, artists, and restaurants, the project builds relationships, leadership, and economic opportunity while strengthening community connection.
- Puerto Rican Arts Alliance will receive $50,000 to implement Puerto Rican Cultural Corridor: Murals, Music & Marketplaces, a two-year initiative activating public spaces near CTA stations in Avondale and Humboldt Park. Through art installations, performances, markets, and digital storytelling, the project preserves cultural identity while elevating local commerce. The initiative increases visibility and economic opportunity for Puerto Rican artists and small businesses.
- Quad Communities Development Corporation will receive $50,000 to implement the Bronzeville Commercial Corridors Public Art Initiative along 43rd and 47th Streets. With community stakeholders, the project will deliver up to 10 public art installations and cultural activations that transform underutilized spaces, amplify local history and culture, and increase positive activity and foot traffic in the corridor.
- Root2Fruit Youth Foundation will receive $50,000 to engage residents to shape the Austin Artisan Market through site activation, public art, and community-driven programming, transforming a vacant lot into a permanent market space for local entrepreneurs and artists.
- Southeast Chamber of Commerce will receive $50,000 to commission a Black and Brown Unity mural in a parklet on 79th Street, designed through community-led engagement. The project will transform a public space into a shared symbol of pride, belonging, and cultural solidarity. By centering resident voices, the mural strengthens neighborhood identity and encourages continued community stewardship.
