Chicago arts groups face cuts; Links Hall to close in June
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Links Hall in Roscoe Village. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
The arts funding landscape is looking somewhat bleak, forcing local organizations to compete for a piece of a smaller pie.
The big picture: Nonprofit arts organizations rely on national, state and city grants for programming and general operations. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) cut more than 1,000 grants nationwide this month, while the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) has scaled back some of its grants, which has already caused irrevocable fiscal damage, and some groups have canceled events.
Driving the news: Performance art collective and venue Links Hall announced recently it was closing in June because of a dire financial picture caused in part by not securing a DCASE CityArts grant. Executive director SK Kerastas tells Axios that Links has received anywhere between $80,000 and $120,000.
- "In our feedback session [with DCASE], there wasn't a clear reason, and the person facilitating the session gave us the impression that it was budget cuts. And this was not unique to us," Kerastas says. "There were many, many, many organizations that had consistently received that grant for years and didn't get it this past year."
- "Our options are few, our capacity is diminished, and with another looming cash flow gap on the horizon, this time months-wide, we feel the most responsible decision to make is to sunset," Links leaders wrote in a public letter about the decision to close.
Zoom in: At least one DCASE grant that local groups rely on to cover free arts programming, Chicago Presents, is not currently available as DCASE says it's "undergoing program revisions."
- No Small Plans Productions, which runs the popular Slo 'Mo Party, is not moving forward with its Queer Fam Pride Jam this year due to the absence of funding, founder Kristen Kaza tells Axios.
State of play: More than 200 artists and arts organizations, including Links Hall, signed a letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson recently criticizing DCASE commissioner Clinée Hedspeth for budget and staff mismanagement and lack of transparency.
- Among the many concerns outlined in the letter, organizations and artists say they have not received payments and grant opportunities have been postponed or denied, making it unclear what kind of city funding will be available.
Yes, but: Kerastas said they talked to Hedspeth on Monday about what DCASE could do to help Links Hall. "They're clearly responding to the feedback," Kerastas says.
The other side: DCASE did not respond to Axios for this story.
Zoom out: The Trump administration's cuts are also having a ripple effect on local organizations, Kerastas tells Axios, as individual donors are in even more demand by all nonprofits, beyond the arts, looking for funding to replace DOGE-related cuts.
- The NEH cut a third of Illinois Humanities' budget, about $2 million, as part of DOGE's overall slashing of the NEH.
The latest: The Institute of Museum and Library Services terminated grants to several Illinois museums, the Tribune reported Monday — including the Chicago History Museum, which lost a $237,000 grant last month, a museum spokesperson tells Axios.
- IMLS did not respond to questions from Axios.
What's next: Links Hall has programming through June 30, including a performance tomorrow called "Black Coffee + Raw Sugar," featuring shorts from Chicago performers of color.