Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle announced the launch of a new grant program to assist arts and culture organizations in building resiliency in the post-pandemic economy. 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 (ARPA). Cook County Arts 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, Cook County will provide $1.5 million in grants to nonprofit arts organizations to mitigate the lingering effects of the pandemic on the cultural sector. Eligible nonprofit arts organizations may apply for $5,000 or $10,000 grants depending upon the size of their operating budget. Applicants must be a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in suburban Cook County with a primary mission focused on arts and culture programming. These unrestricted grants will help support the work of suburban museums, theaters, arts festivals and more. Applications for Cook County Arts Nonprofit Relief Grants open today, January 23. The deadline to apply is February 29 with awards announced before June. For detailed information on eligibility and how to apply, visit CookCountyArts.org.