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Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education

aka CAPE   |   Chicago, IL   |  https://www.capechicago.org

Mission

CAPE is a 30-year old organization dedicated to promoting students' voices, advancing equity in education, and engaging young people in social justice understanding by collaborating with schools to provide high-quality arts education through partnerships with artists. CAPE works with schools that serve low-income students of color in order to build equity and improve access to the arts in communities that lack the resources to do so.

Ruling year info

1994

Executive Director

Ms. Amy Rasmussen

Main address

1010 W. 35th Street, Suite 697

Chicago, IL 60609-1401 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

36-3969334

NTEE code info

Arts Education/Schools (A25)

Educational Services and Schools - Other (B90)

Other Youth Development N.E.C. (O99)

IRS filing requirement

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

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

CAPE challenges the current status quo of traditional scripted curriculum by weaving the arts into the academics. CAPE's teaching artists partner with teachers to make learning fun and engaging, reaching students of all learning levels, capacities and interests. By breaking down traditional hierarchies, CAPE enables teachers to reflect and improve upon the strategies they use in the classroom everyday. In addition, CAPE addresses the lack of access to arts education for low-income children of color. By collaborating with schools, CAPE is reducing achievement gaps, increasing equity and building skills among at-risk youth.

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?

Artist/Researcher Partnerships

The Artist/Researcher Partnerships are a network of 60 educators (either classroom or arts
teachers) and teaching artists (from multiple arts disciplines) who collaborate
to develop, document, and research innovative approaches to arts integrated
teaching and learning.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
At-risk youth

Supporting Communities through Arts Learning
Environments (SCALE) is a group collaboration of multiple partners, with each
bringing their own expertise to the table. The after-school programs focus on improving students'
academic achievement, supporting families in their efforts to nurture
children's growth and development, and demonstrating excellence in arts
learning. We have developed a brand new model for connecting after school
programming to in-school curriculum development.  SCALE serves 8 Chicago Public Schools and 5 West Chicago, IL schools with 12 hours of after-school programming each week of the school year.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
At-risk youth

Co-Lab fosters new partnerships between teachers, schools, and artists who have little to no experience or training in co-planning and co-teaching arts integrated curricula; these partnerships are supported by CAPE for a minimum of two years, after which Co-Lab teaching teams can move into the Veteran Partnerships Program for sustained, longer-term work. Every two years, 10 new schools and 20 teachings artists will participate in this program.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
At-risk youth

STEAM Ahead, funded by the US Department of Education's Assistance for Arts Education Development & Dissemination program with a 4-year, $2,300,000 grant, supports arts integration programming. STEAM Ahead is a collaboration between CAPE and Park Forest/Chicago Heights School District 163. Over four years, 25 professional teaching artists will collaborate with all K-5 SD163 classroom teachers, visual arts teachers and STEM teachers to weave the arts into STEM subjects. The project will culminate in a public exhibition of students' work over the course of the project.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
At-risk youth

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

Young Audiences 2015

Videos

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 students who are enrolled in after-school programs and who attend 30 days or more

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, Ethnic and racial groups, People of Latin American descent

Related Program

SCALE -- CAPE's After-School Arts Program

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

The SCALE program runs for approximately 28 weeks per school year, each class meeting twice per week (56 class sessions per year). Typically a 80-90% of our elementary students attend 30 days or more.

Number of free participants on field trips

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, Ethnic and racial groups, At-risk youth

Related Program

SCALE -- CAPE's After-School Arts Program

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Students have the opportunity to visit cultural institutions (such as museums and theaters) as well as other sites around the city germane to their projects.

Number of family members participating in school activities

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults, Parents, Ethnic and racial groups

Related Program

SCALE -- CAPE's After-School Arts Program

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Parents are invited to participate in hands-on art making activities in the program. These are often connected to adult learning in ESL, technology training, or family leadership.

Number of students educated through field trips

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, Ethnic and racial groups, At-risk youth

Related Program

Artist/Researcher Partnerships

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Students see their own work on display as part of a CAPE city-wide student art exhibition called Convergence. The viewing of the work is a reflective practice that is a part of the learning process.

Number of educators who have opportunities to attend programs offered by professional organizations

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Across CAPE's multiple programs teachers attend professional development sessions, partner with professional teaching artists to implement arts integrated projects, and create a learning network.

Number of students who feel their program structure provides opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary work

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, At-risk youth

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

All students in CAPE programs experience arts integrated projects that combine arts learning with other academic subjects including math, science, language arts, and social studies.

Number of students who perform at average or above on standardized testing

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, At-risk youth

Related Program

SCALE -- CAPE's After-School Arts Program

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

CAPE is not reporting standardized test data at this time because data was not collected in 2020 and 2021 data is not yet available.

Number of grants and research funding awarded to the institution

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, At-risk youth

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

CAPE continually seeks and wins competitive grants from federal sources as well as private and corporate foundations to support programming and research in public schools.

Number of parents/guardians engaged in student activities

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Parents, Economically disadvantaged people

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

CAPE provides parent programming at 10 sites where we also offer after-school programs. We provide weekly programming for approximately 50 parents at each site, online and in person.

Total number of classes offered

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, Parents, At-risk youth

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Distinct arts integrated classes were implemented as a result of CAPE programs.

Number of training events conducted

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

CAPE provided multi-session courses (typically 4 sessions x 3 hours each) as well as one-time workshops (3 hours). These courses were held remotely in 2020 and 2021.

Total dollars received in contributions

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

CAPE provides free programming to schools and communities -- it does not charge constituents for its services. CAPE receives grants and contributions to support its programs.

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.

CAPE’s organizational goals are to:
-- Increase equity for arts education by serving students and communities with a lack of high-quality, sustained programs.
-- Elevate students’ voices by sharing work publicly and engaging in public dialogue and debate
-- Research and document arts partnership practices to further engage the field of arts education
-- Ensure that the organization’s board, staff, and teaching artist network represent a wide range of communities and engage diverse voices in governance and decision-making.

CAPE's focus is on building authentic partnerships between teachers and teachings artists to co-design and co-implement arts-based curricula that engages students in academic, artistic, and social experiential learning opportunities.

In 1992, CAPE established the field of arts partnerships at a time when most arts organizations only superficially served schools. Today, CAPE is a leading organization respected for establishing, documenting, and researching the impact of collaborative curriculum development, artmaking, and instruction among teachers and teaching artists. CAPE’s Artist/Researcher Partnerships continue this trajectory of innovation by investigating big questions about teaching and learning, community and social justice issues, and student identity and their future roles in the world.
CAPE is a financially responsible organization with a 30-year history of ethical and transparent management practices. CAPE's programs are lead by Scott Sikkema, Education Director, with support from Mark Diaz and Teju Adesida, Associate Directors of Education.

In 1999, CAPE was featured in Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts On Learning. This important research-based publicatio connected the arts with student learning growth and garnered national attention.

In 2000, CAPE published Renaissance in the Classroom: Arts Integration and Meaningful Learning, currently in its 7th printing. The book relates the stories of over 200 teachers and artists developing a new model of collaborative partnerships, and also provides tools and guides for those seeking to replicate CAPE's approach.

In 2004, CAPE launched its first after-school program serving low-performing, low-income schools. Now in its 15th year, the program has demonstrated consistently positive outcomes for students and teachers.

In 2013, CAPE released the results from the Partnerships for Arts Integration Research project. The results are shared at www.pairresults.org and have also been published in several academic journals.

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 shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education
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Operations

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

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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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.

Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education

Board of directors
as of 11/06/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mr. Kyle Johnson

Adobe

Term: 2023 - 2026

Carol Eastin

Starbucks Coffee Company (retired)

Richard Assmus

Mayer Brown

Margaret Koreman

Decatur Classical School

Kyle Johnson

Adobe

Kevin McGowan

New Sullivan Elementary School

William Estrada

U of Illinois at Chicago

Phil Cotton

Chicago Public Schools (retired)

Kirti Parakh

Deloitte

Adam Engle

The Fund for Equitable Business Growth at The Chicago Community Trust

Timothy Slomka

Redwood Logistics

Josh Nathan

Orbit Energy Legal Consultants, PA

Marsha Carey

Nonprofit Professional

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? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 11/6/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

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
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 11/21/2022

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.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • 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.