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Chicago arts, culture, and humanities nonprofits

There are 4,105 arts, culture, and humanities organizations in the greater Chicago metro area, including the cities of Chicago, Bolingbrook, Des Plaines, Elgin, Evanston, Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Schaumburg, Skokie, and Gary within the states of Illinois and Indiana. Combined, these Chicago metro arts, culture, and humanities nonprofits employ 25,882 people, earn more than $2 billion in revenue each year, and have assets of $10 billion.
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Types of arts, culture, and humanities nonprofits in Chicago

Nonprofit typeNumberRevenues
Performing arts organizations
 
1,382
 
$671,005,289
Arts and culture promoting and producing organizations
 
1,203
 
$273,091,617
Cultural and ethnic awareness organizations
 
507
 
$145,906,883
Theaters
 
372
 
$170,360,728
Music festival and event organizations
 
312
 
$40,116,081
Historical societies and organizations
 
308
 
$59,255,186
Arts education organizations
 
241
 
$72,164,407
Media production and publishing organizations
 
240
 
$211,336,225
Museums
 
236
 
$1,063,041,022
Dance organizations
 
207
 
$32,659,720
Showing 10 of 34 categories

Job trends for Chicago arts, culture, and humanities nonprofits

Employees per organizationNumber of organizations
0
 
455
1-10
 
318
11-25
 
101
26-100
 
83
101 to 1,000
 
43
1,000+
 
3
Key takeaways for employment stats:

Sizes of arts, culture, and humanities nonprofits in Chicago

Revenues per organizationNumber of organizations
< $250k
 
1,122
$250k to $1M
 
372
$1M to $5M
 
159
$5M to $25M
 
44
$25M to $100M
 
11
$100M+
 
4
Key takeaways for revenue stats:

Directory of arts, culture, and humanities nonprofits in Chicago

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1-20 of 4,105

The Obama Foundation

The Obama Foundation inspires and empowers global changemakers through scholarships, leadership training, and a museum honoring President and Mrs. Obama's legacy.
Revenue
$209.8m
Assets
$1.1b
Employees
337
EIN
46-4950751
IRS type
501(c)(3)

Art Institute of Chicago (AIC)

The Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) is an encyclopedic art museum located in Chicago's Grant Park. It features a collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art in its permanent collection.
Revenue
$464.4m
Assets
$2.2b
Employees
3,643
EIN
36-2167725
IRS type
501(c)(3)

Window To the World Communications (WTTW)

Window To the World Communications (WTTW) is Chicago's premier public media organization committed to creating and presenting unique content for television and digital media.
Revenue
$50.4m
Assets
$99.7m
Employees
225
EIN
36-2246703
IRS type
501(c)(3)

Chicago Public Media

Chicago Public Media serves the public interest by creating and delivering diverse compelling content that informs, inspires, enriches and entertains. Through a broad range of media platforms, they connect diverse audiences in their service area & beyond.
Revenue
$35.6m
Assets
$123.1m
Employees
180
EIN
36-3687394
IRS type
501(c)(3)

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Chicago Symphony Orchestra engages audiences through diverse concerts, educational programs, and community initiatives, showcasing artistic excellence and transforming lives through music.
Revenue
$125.9m
Assets
$647.0m
Employees
1,141
EIN
36-2167823
IRS type
501(c)(3)

Northlight Theatre

Northlight Theatre produces bold theatrical experiences to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion. Located in Skokie, IL.
Revenue
$12.0m
Assets
$31.0m
Employees
176
EIN
23-7390464
IRS type
501(c)(3)

Harris Theater for Music and Dance

Harris Theater for Music and Dance showcases diverse artists, supports local organizations, and fosters an inclusive environment for music and dance in Chicago.
Revenue
$8.9m
Assets
$57.3m
Employees
217
EIN
36-3930153
IRS type
501(c)(3)

The Dusable Black History Museum and Education Center

To promote The understanding and inspire appreciation of The achievements, contributions, and experiences of african Americans through exhibits, programs, and activities that illustrate african and african American History, culture and art.
Revenue
$5.1m
Assets
$15.2m
Employees
42
EIN
36-2524811
IRS type
501(c)(3)

The Adler Planetarium

The Adler Planetarium ('Adler') is a not-for-profit cultural institution whose mission is to connect people to The universe and each other under The sky we all share. It aspires to be The world's premier center for engaging in astronomy and space science.....
Revenue
$22.0m
Assets
$72.6m
Employees
174
EIN
36-6210902
IRS type
501(c)(3)

Terra Foundation for American Art

The Terra Foundation for American Art is dedicated to fostering exploration, understanding, and enjoyment of the visual arts of the United States for national and international audiences.
Revenue
$11.8m
Assets
$620.6m
Employees
26
EIN
36-2999442
IRS type
501(c)(3)

Lithuanian Foundation

The Lithuanian Foundation funds and preserves Lithuanian culture and traditions worldwide. It supports research into Lithuanian American heritage, especially the language and culture, by providing grants to university students.
Revenue
$5.9m
Assets
$59.0m
Employees
4
EIN
36-6118312
IRS type
501(c)(3)

United States Artists

United States Artists (USA) is a grant-making, artist-advocacy organization dedicated to supporting America's finest artists working across diverse disciplines. To invest in America's finest artists and illuminate the value of artists to society.
Revenue
$9.6m
Assets
$64.3m
Employees
19
EIN
22-3903993
IRS type
501(c)(3)

Old Town School of Folk Music

Founded in 1957, the Old Town School of Folk Music provides a wide range of music, dance, theater, and visual arts courses to people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.
Revenue
$16.0m
Assets
$27.6m
Employees
389
EIN
36-2373635
IRS type
501(c)(3)

Writers Theatre

For more than 20 years, Writers Theatre has captivated Chicagoland audiences with inventive interpretations of classic work, a bold approach to contemporary theatre and a dedication to creating the most intimate theatrical experience possible.
Revenue
$9.0m
Assets
$36.8m
Employees
217
EIN
36-3847280
IRS type
501(c)(3)

The HistoryMakers

The HistoryMakers is committed to preserving and making widely accessible the untold personal stories of both well-known and unsung African Americans. Here is how we do it.
Revenue
$6.7m
Assets
$17.1m
Employees
21
EIN
36-4328170
IRS type
501(c)(3)

The Illinois Saint Andrew Society

Illinois Saint Andrew Society promotes Scottish culture and heritage through events and an elder-care home, Caledonia Senior Living & Memory Care.
Revenue
$9.1m
Assets
$24.0m
Employees
176
EIN
36-2182150
IRS type
501(c)(3)

TimeLine Theatre Company

TimeLine Theatre Company presents stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. Our collaborative artistic team produces provocative theatre and educational programs that engage, entertain and enlighten.
Revenue
$5.3m
Assets
$29.9m
Employees
76
EIN
36-4197407
IRS type
501(c)(3)

Friends of Genesee Theatre

Friends of the Historic Genesee Theatre serves the cultural, educational and economic needs of the community by supporting quality diverse entertainment that brings smiles, laughter, warmth and lasting memories to every patron at excellent values.
Revenue
$7.8m
Assets
$6.4m
Employees
277
EIN
36-3069113
IRS type
501(c)(3)

Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Steppenwolf Theatre Company creates provocative theatre, nurtures new artists, and enhances community engagement through various programs and training while fostering curiosity and empathy.
Revenue
$28.0m
Assets
$119.1m
Employees
351
EIN
51-0149370
IRS type
501(c)(3)

Merit School of Music

Merit School of Music transforms the lives of Chicago-area youth through removing barriers to high-quality music education.
Revenue
$13.8m
Assets
$46.9m
Employees
224
EIN
36-3028768
IRS type
501(c)(3)
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Methodology: Cause IQ mines all tax-exempt organizations that file a Form 990, Form 990-EZ, or Form 990-PF with the IRS. We collect and aggregate this information from OCR'd paper taxreturns, XML e-file taxreturns, IRS-provided extract, the Business Master File, and Cause IQ secret sauce for data cleaning, categorization, classification, analytics, etc.
This category corresponds to the "A00: Arts, Culture, and Humanities: General" National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) code. Cause IQ determines NTEEs for organizations by its own internally-developed secret-sauce algorithms.
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