Advancing Leadership

In conversations with dozens of individuals and organizations across Chicago, we heard a call to support leaders from throughout the city. In the private sector, the public sector, and philanthropies, many individuals who are leaders in their communities, professional fields, or interest areas are not heard in public discourse.

Our goal is to promote and advance leaders who face or have faced adversity, discrimination, or prejudice to increase their representation across the civic sector; foster their ability to influence decisions; and use their leadership skills to advance policies and practices that contribute to a more equitable Chicago. We include leaders who represent a broad array of Chicago residents and communities and who reflect different perspectives and backgrounds.

The Chicago Commitment supports leadership advancement within our three focus areas: Culture, Equity, and the Arts; Vital Communities; and Civic Partnerships. Within these areas, we seek to advance equity by expanding access to a wide range of leadership opportunities and by fostering conditions that recognize and support people who bring different experiences and perspectives to leadership positions. Our approach consists of these components: 1) Support for Leadership Programs, 2) Support for Individual Leaders, and 3) Support for Leadership Advancement Within Organizations.

Support for Leadership Programs

Our priority is to support current and emerging leaders as they pursue leadership advancement opportunities within the nonprofit sector. We identify and fund leadership programs that:

• Reflect, serve, and amplify the voices of leaders across Chicago, with an emphasis on communities that have been underrepresented in civic discourse;
• Are led by and/or predominantly staffed by individuals able to effectively represent communities most affected by structural racism, discrimination, or disinvestment;
• Provide an in-depth, cohort-based experience over the course of several months, enhancing individual leadership skills, building resiliency in nonprofit leaders, and expanding professional networks; and
• Demonstrate a clear connection to arts and culture, community and economic development, or community safety and violence prevention; or include substantial participation by staff members of MacArthur-supported organizations in Culture, Equity, and the Arts; Vital Communities; and Civic Partnerships.

Support for Individual Leaders

Many individual leaders struggle to find the time or resources to pursue personal development or to execute a project they believe will enhance their own leadership potential. The demands of leading a movement or organization may require all their time and energy. Accordingly, we explored how to support leaders in the ways they wish to learn, grow, and advance their skills.

In 2019, we launched the Leaders for a New Chicago initiative with the Field Foundation of Illinois. In 2024, we renewed the collaboration for another five years.

Leaders for a New Chicago supports individuals who are leaders in their communities, professional fields, or interest areas and who work in the Field Foundation’s focus areas of arts, justice, or media and storytelling. The initiative advances equal access to opportunity and fosters conditions that recognize and promote people who bring a variety of backgrounds and experience to leadership positions.

Leaders for a New Chicago awards $50,000 to eight recipients a year. The award is “no-strings-attached” which enables individuals to pursue their own self-defined goal. In addition, a $25,000 general operating grant is awarded to the individuals' affiliated nonprofit organizations. The initiative supported 65 recipients during its first six years.

To nominate a leader or self-nominate, please see the Field Foundation’s nomination portal.

Support for Leadership Advancement within Organizations

Organizations with a strong infrastructure can often reduce stress on their leaders and prevent the loss of talented staff. To this end, we offer awards to organizations to improve their effectiveness through technical assistance and capacity building.

Evaluation of our work is a critical tool for informing our decision making, leading to better results and more effective stewardship of resources. We develop customized evaluation designs for each of our programs based on the context, problem, opportunity, and approach to the work. Evaluation is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing process of collecting feedback and using that information to support our grantees and adjust our strategy.

Findings and analyses from evaluation activities are posted publicly as they become available.

Last Updated June 2025