PLATINUM2023

Art & Business Council of Chicago

Lending expertise. Providing Support. Facilitating Partnerships.

aka A&BC of Chicago   |   Chicago, IL   |  http://www.artsbiz-chicago.org

Mission

A&BC/Chicago's programming serves Chicago’s cultural workers and enterprises to ensure community vitality and an equitable creative economy. A&BC/Chicago builds partnerships which enhance the management capacity of creatives while strengthening the business sector by expanding the consulting, management, and leadership capabilities of individuals through effective volunteerism. A&BC/Chicago supports a diverse population of creative businesses each year. By advancing a philosophy among arts leaders of professionalism, innovation, client/community service and entrepreneurship. A&BC/Chicago strives to grow the capacity of the arts to make a deep and lasting impression in the lives of communities and individuals.

Notes from the nonprofit

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on America’s arts sector. Even as arts organizations return to in-person programming and employment conditions improve for artists and creative workers, the arts are recovering slower than other industries. The U.S. Census Bureau’s Small Business Pulse Survey reports that “arts, entertainment, and recreation” businesses are among the most likely to take longer than 6 months to recover from the pandemic. It’s estimated that creative economies across the U.S. see negative economic impact of over $14.1 billion. Here at home in Illinois, 1,200+ arts administrators were laid off and 1,500+ more furloughed. As our sector and our society move beyond Rescue and Relief, it’s important to remember that A&BC has offered Recovery & Rebuilding assistance during every economic disruption and national disaster since 1985. In fact, we do this in stable times as well. It’s part of our “continuum of care” philosophy. - Read more on our website.

Ruling year info

1986

Executive Director

Ms. Kristin Larsen

Main address

4725 North Rockwell Street

Chicago, IL 60625 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

36-3376861

NTEE code info

Other Art, Culture, Humanities Organizations/Services N.E.C. (A99)

Arts Council/Agency (A26)

Nonprofit Management (S50)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2022, 2021 and 2020.
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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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.

Population(s) Served

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

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

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

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.

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

Art & Business Council of Chicago
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build 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 directors
as of 05/11/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • 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

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 5/11/2023

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
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 10/21/2021

GuideStar 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

Data
  • 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.
Policies and processes
  • 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.