Creative Schools Fund (CSF)

Complete your Creative Schools Survey to automatically receive a $1,000 Arts Essentials grant for art materials and supplies and an opportunity to apply for a $10,000 CSF competitive grant.

Find an arts partner on artlook and confirm that they are an active CPS vendor if you are applying for a district-managed school.

Collaborate with your arts partner and team to identify funding priorities and develop program plans.

Apply online during our annual application window at the beginning of the school year.

Receive funding and start bringing your creative vision to life!

Before this grant, there was no musical theater program at George Westinghouse College Prep. Thanks to Ingenuity’s support through the Creative Schools Fund, Porchlight Music Theatre provided a teaching artist who helped facilitate lessons and theatre technology support, and students have been able to put on two annual productions complete with sets, costumes, lighting, and sound each year. The multi-year funding has allowed us to make long-term investments in costumes, props, and set pieces. This grant hasn’t just introduced theater to our students—it’s built a lasting foundation for the future.”

The Creative Schools Fund made it possible for us to bring in a teaching artist from the Old Town School of Folk Music to work with our first and third graders on a dance routine that helped them express themselves, manage emotions, and engage in a safe, energetic way. By collaborating with our PE teacher, we were able to double students’ weekly arts minutes and introduce dance as a new discipline — expanding their creative experiences beyond the visual arts they typically receive. This partnership brought both structure and joy into their school day.”

For years, our students asked for a tap program, but we didn’t have the resources—until we received support from Ingenuity’s Creative Schools Fund. Partnering with the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, we introduced tap dance for the first time. Now, our students aren’t just learning a new art form—they’re gaining confidence by performing in front of others. This grant turned a long-standing dream into a reality.”