Arts supporters, unite!
In homage to Chicago’s area code, Arts First is seeking to recruit 312 artists, cultural workers, creative entrepreneurs, and their champions to make founding contributions in support of our mission and the city's creative growth and development.
As a member of The 312, you’ll be joining a group of highly engaged and passionate people across a variety of creative disciplines, neighborhoods, and roles within the arts and cultural ecosystem who want to provide a meaningful contribution to advance the arts in Chicago and beyond.
Members of The 312 can be based anywhere but are primarily Chicago-based artists, creatives, cultural workers, creative entrepreneurs, and their advocates. The thing that all 312 members have in common is their belief in the power of the arts.
Artists are the foundation
Too often, artists are asked to contribute their skills, talent, and ideas but lack decision-making authority over the programs that impact them most. By inviting artists to make a financial investment in their own community, they become the primary stakeholders in this new model of an artist-centered collective arts fund.
We hope that by demonstrating to the larger philanthropic sector a groundswell of support and meaningful financial investment from within the creative community, we can inspire reciprocal support and investment from the philanthropic sector.
Benefits
As a founding contributor to Arts First, you’re crucial to the development of the organization. You’ll be forever celebrated as one of its earliest advocates. You will be given opportunities to participate in designing funding initiatives, philanthropic mentorship, and advocacy networks, if you wish. You’ll also be the first to learn about Arts First events, workshops, community gatherings, and more.
Expectations
A pledge of $10,000 to the Arts First Fund, to be distributed on a timeline that works for you.
A pledge to champion the organization’s Mission, Vision, and Values by being a booster of artists, creatives, cultural workers, and creative entrepreneurs.