Northbrook Nonprofits Receive Arts And Culture Grants: Cook County

NORTHBROOK, IL — Last month, Cook County announced $790,000 in grants have been awarded to 100 nonprofit arts and culture organizations in suburban communities, including two in Northbrook. The grants came through the Cook County Arts Nonprofit Relief Grants program.

According to officials, Cook County Arts is a $5 million pilot arts initiative funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. The pilot focuses on mitigating the lingering negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthening the suburban arts sector in the long term. Grantees come from more than 30 municipalities throughout suburban Cook County and represent an array of disciplines, from theater to dance, from history to arts education, and more.

The Northbrook nonprofits receiving grants include:

• Bravo Theatre, 3323 Walters Ave., Northbrook
• Special Gifts Theatre, Northbrook

"We are so grateful for Cook County Arts support for suburban nonprofit arts organizations," Elise Larsen, executive director at Special Gifts Theatre, tells Patch. "This grant will allow us to continue our inclusive theatre programs for individuals with disabilities and put on full musical theatre performances."

According to its website, Special Gifts Theatre addresses the need for theatre arts activities and experiences for people with disabilities. Larsen, who has been part of the SGT staff since 2011, says everything at Special Gifts was down during the pandemic, including enrollment, ticket sales, donations and morale.

"What increased was the need for our programming — the arts provide a beautiful way for communities to connect — and our drive to creatively adapt and continue serving the disability community through performing arts programming," Larsen said. "This grant will help us (re)build a sustainable organization that serves suburban Cook County so we can continue to have an impact through the arts for decades to come."

Grant award amounts were based on an organization’s annual expenses in 2019: $5,000 for organizations with expenses between $20,000 and $100,000, and $10,000 for organizations with expenses over $100,000.

"Culture and creativity serve as critical elements in thriving communities — that's why Cook County is supporting these vital organizations. They are essential community assets that foster human connection, joyful exchange and innovative thinking," Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said. "Suburban nonprofit arts organizations have not had access to significant COVID recovery resources, and Cook County is proud to fill this gap for our local economy and cultural sector."

To be eligible for the program, activists needed to be active 501(c)(3) determination from the Internal Revenue Service along with a certificate of Good Standing from the Illinois Secretary of State Office; an official business address in suburban Cook; a primary mission to create, produce, present, provide or support arts and culture activities or services for the public; active operations before March 12, 2020; and total expenses of at least $20,000 in the fiscal year ending in 2019.