Be Creative: A Campaign for Chicago Arts Education and Ingenuity announced that through its Creative Schools Fund grant program, more than $1.5 million in campaign funding will be distributed among 156 Chicago Public Schools (CPS) for the 2015-2016 school year. This is the third year of the Creative Schools Fund grant program, with Be Creative and Ingenuity distributing nearly $2 million to CPS this year, and nearly $5 million since the start of the program. Ingenuity—CPS’ non-profit partner in ensuring an arts education for every CPS student—will distribute the Be Creative-raised funds through Arts Advance Program and Creative Schools Award grants. These grants, ranging from $10,000 to $15,000, will allow eligible schools to enhance arts and cultural partnerships, expand in-school partner residencies, fund field trips, in-school performances and hands-on learning, and support other arts-related needs. This year’s grant recipients include:

• Kelvyn Park High School, which will partner with Chicago Youth Shakespeare for a school-wide effort to help students see themselves and their community in a global and historical context
• Leslie Lewis Elementary School, which will collaborate with Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago and Mexican Folkloric Dance Company to provide a fusion of dance and percussion instruction to its students, blending the school’s cultures
• Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy, which will complete its Fine Arts Wing and develop a fully functional gallery and performance space
• Blair Early Childhood Center, which will partner with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago to bring dance instruction to all grades, with a focus on students with special needs and autism