Cook County offering grants to arts and culture organizations

Cook County is launching a new grant program to assist arts and culture organizations.

The Nonprofit Relief Grant Program is a component of Cook County Arts, a $5 million pilot arts initiative funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. It focuses on suburban communities, as many artists and organizations there are ineligible for major funding opportunities available through the City of Chicago.

The Cook County Bureau of Economic Development is spearheading the initiative, which will include relief grants, creative placemaking investments and new research on the suburban arts sector.

In this phase of the initiative, the county will provide $1.5 million in grants to nonprofit arts organizations to mitigate the lingering effects of the pandemic. Eligible nonprofit arts organizations may apply for $5,000 or $10,000 grants, depending upon the size of their operating budget.

Applications opened Tuesday and the deadline to apply is Feb. 29, with awards announced before June. For detailed information on eligibility and how to apply, visit CookCountyArts.org.