Art & Business Council of Chicago
Lending expertise. Providing Support. Facilitating Partnerships.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Arising from the Field Foundation Heat Maps, the 2017 Point The Way report from a coalition of Chicago capacity building funders, and our own internal racial equity audit of 2018, A&BC concluded: 1. That stronger business, management, and governance practices lead to better outcomes for art makers. The resulting strengthened arts sector leads to more engaged, deeper, and increased cultural participation. Studies show that cultural participation increases a person’s desire to participate in improving their community. 2. That communities of color have been structurally underinvested and/or disinvested through historic, demographic, geographic, economic, and race-based inequities. Since 2019, A&BC’s focus has been to serve creatives in all 77 of Chicago’s named communities, prioritizing historically excluded communities and organizations in the arts & culture landscape.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Core Programs
A&BC/Chicago is one of 5 U.S. affiliates, which collectively provide the largest national volunteer network serving the cultural community. Each year A&BC serves more than 100 creative businesses in metro-Chicago, strengthening the business side of their operations through innovative and practical programs: Business Volunteers for the Arts [BVA] recruits, develops and places experienced business professionals as pro bono business consultants with small to mid-sized arts organizations. BVAs address challenges in such areas as strategic, marketing and financial planning. On BOARD addresses the leadership and governance needs of arts organizations and their boards. Learning Labs are professional development workshops for administrators and leaders of arts-engaged organizations. smARTscope® is A&BC/Chicago's proprietary diagnostic tool that assesses management and governance.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of members from priority population attending training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Artists and performers
Related Program
Core Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Business Volunteers for the Arts (BVA) Projects or On-Demand requests which served organizations led by or serving People of Color or Under-Represented People
Hours of consulting time accessed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Artists and performers
Related Program
Core Programs
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Volunteers time serving BVA Projects and On Demand
Number of consulting projects completed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Artists and performers
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
BVA Projects launched; does not include On Demand requests
Number of organizations accessing technical assistance offerings
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Artists and performers
Related Program
Core Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Labs & OnBoard workshops
Total number of new organization members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Artists and performers
Related Program
Core Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of unique Zip codes served by BVA Projects
Number of community initiatives in which the organization participates
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Artists and performers
Related Program
Core Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Annexes in community
Number of one-on-one coaching sessions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Artists and performers
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
BVA On Demand
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We "do" - to empower cultural workers and enterprises to fulfill their mission and sustain their visions.
We accomplish this by:
1. MODELLING ORGANIZATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY - to inspire accountability, persistence, integrity, and respect among our colleagues in the creative economy
2. EMPOWERING CREATIVES - through programming that helps grow capacity to fulfill their visions
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Arts & Business Council of Chicago (A&BC) began operations in Chicago in 1985 under the auspices of Business Volunteers for the Arts® which remains the core of its capacity building programming. A&BC’s programs focus on enhancing business acumen and developing leadership.
A&BC serves Chicagoans interested in giving back to their communities by providing voluntary consulting to small to mid-sized arts and culture not for profits and creative business of all disciplines, their staff and boards, prioritizing those that have been historically excluded from capacity building programs.
We accomplish this priority by committing to increasing our programs to serve creatives in all 77 of Chicago’s named communities, prioritizing historically excluded communities and organizations in the arts & culture landscape.
By focusing on small to mid-sized creative businesses A&BC acknowledges that limited human resources and specific business acumen hinders a business from becoming sustainable and thriving.
Our strategies to build the capacity include:
• Business Volunteers for the Arts® (BVA), a voluntary consulting program connecting skilled Chicagoans with arts, cultural, and creative communities in need of operational and management assistance
• Learning Labs, professional development & skill-build workshops to enhance management and leadership core competencies
• On BOARD®, unique nonprofit board leadership training program
• smARTscope®, a proprietary diagnostic tool that assesses the management core competencies of creative businesses
• Annexes, community-centered and co-created with creative entrepreneurs from populations that
have been historically marginalized, in partnership with the Chicago Park District’s Arts & Culture Unit
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
A&BC is Chicago's only organization with a mission to connect the culture and corporate communities, linking money and business expertise to community-level creative endeavors.
A&BC is structurally designed to act as a connector and encourage private sector investment within community.
A&BC’s position at this unique intersection creates the opportunity to develop prosperous communities, focusing on Main Street, with the support and collaboration of LaSalle Street.
A&BC harnesses the capacity of the private sector to build the capacity of the arts & culture sector through our corps of 130+ Business Volunteers for the Arts.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2022, A&BC served 300+ individuals and 50+ organizations, including 16 Arts Partner organizations’
capacity building through Business Volunteers for the Arts® (BVA). 50% of the projects supported
organizations that are led by or served by people of color or underrepresented people.
The value to an organization that completed a BVA project is approximately $35,000; Volunteer hours are
valued at $150/ hr. In 2022, 59 (of 130+) volunteers contributed 2,294 hours of pro bono consulting on the
following campaigns: 5 Marketing / Communications Plan, 2 Strategic Plans, 1 Concept Development
(mission, vision, values) Plans, 2 Board Development Plans, 1 Financial Plan, and 1 Succession Plan.
Additionally, 100+ people engaged with one of our Learning Labs or On BOARD® workshops. A total of
31 people engaged in a 2022 Annex activity in Englewood, North Lawndale/Little Village, or Austin. 11
participants in an Annex Listening Sessions receive a stipend ($50-100) as do Arts Partners who provide
testimonials at A&BC’s volunteer orientations and board meetings.
In 2022, A&BC concluded its three-year capacity-building engagement with the Chicago Community
Trust’s SMART Growth cohort, a capacity-building program founded upon the smARTscope® philosophy
developed by A&BC. Since the program was launched in 2006, CCT and A&BC supported four separate
cohorts totaling 127 organizations, of which 116 (91%) are still in business today, enduring the economic
downturns of 2001, 2008-2009, and 2020-2022.
From our unique point of service to the entire arts & culture sector, A&BC has filled the gap for hundreds
of understaffed and under-resourced organizations, leveraging 38 years of case studies that are data-driven
and human-centered across various artistic disciplines and drawn upon cross-sector collaboration. All this to
say, we know a thing or two about building long-term sustainable capacity of the creative community.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Art & Business Council of Chicago
Board of directorsas of 05/11/2023
Ms Simi Gambhir
Third City Properties
Term: 2022 - 2023
Melissa Elbert
AON
Simi Gambhir
Third City Properties
Roche Schulfer
The Goodman Theatre
Jake Trussell
Metabolize
Meida Teresa McNeal
Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events
Vanessa Stokes
VS Creative Consulting
Derek Lowrey
Meta Platforms, Inc
R. Kimberly Grigsby
Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater
Haman Cross
Freedom House Studios
Robyn Wheeler
PhD Student – International Psychology
Liz Rice
2ND Story
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/21/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.