ComEd, League of Chicago Theatres Award $230,000 in Grants to Power Cultural Programs, Expand Access to Arts

2025 Powering the Arts Program Awards Grants up to $25,000 Each to 21 Local Nonprofit Organizations

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ComEd and the League of Chicago Theatres are proud to announce the latest recipients of the Powering the Arts Grant Program, launching projects focused on cultural embracement and access to arts programs in 21 communities across northern Illinois. This latest cohort of grants reflects a long-standing partnership between ComEd and League of Chicago Theatres to sponsor grants for local nonprofits that enable projects to expand access to the arts. Now in its eighth year, the Powering the Arts Grant Program will award a total of $230,000 to local nonprofits in 2025.

“ComEd is proud to partner with the League of Chicago Theatres to support local arts initiatives that enrich our neighborhoods,” said Melissa Washington, senior vice president of government, regulatory and external affairs at ComEd. “This year’s grantees truly embody that mission—each project celebrates the vibrancy of our communities and expands access to the arts across the region.”

The Powering the Arts Program has delivered more than $1.2 million in funding to 132 different arts and cultural projects since it launched in 2018. This year’s grant recipients embody a wide range of inclusive efforts, ranging from increased youth programming to new accessibility features for individuals with sensory impairments.

Since 2018, ComEd has partnered with the League of Chicago Theatres, a coalition of over 200 theatres, to administer this program. Through this partnership, ComEd provides program funding, and an external panel of judges reviews the applications. The League of Chicago Theatres then distributes the awards. Grant recipients match ComEd’s contribution with their own funding of equal or greater value.

“At the League of Chicago Theatres, we believe that art is essential to the quality and vitality of our communities,” said Executive Director at the Chicago League of Theatres, Marissa Lynn Jones. “Our partnership with ComEd through the Powering the Arts Program amplifies this belief by empowering local communities to innovate, engage, and inspire through arts and culture. Together, we are expanding access to the transformative power of the arts and ensuring that diverse cultures continue to thrive.”

Below is a summary of ComEd’s 21 Powering the Arts grant recipients for 2025:

3 Seeds Mentoring Group will expand its Podcast Studio initiative to serve more Black, Hispanic and multiracial youth in Hazel Crest, Country Club Hills and Markham by embedding hands-on media production training into local schools and libraries.

Chicago Latino Theater Alliance will expand its Destinos: Chicago International Latino Theater Festival to present bilingual productions from Chicago, the U.S. and Latin America, engaging diverse audiences across the city and amplifying Latino voices through accessible programming and growing its audience to over 10,000 participants.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Association will expand its CSO for Kids program to provide free and low-cost access to live orchestral performances and music education for over 25,000 children and families, especially in underserved communities.

Citadel Theatre will implement a Wi-Fi-assisted listening system to enhance accessibility for patrons with hearing impairments, senior citizens and others who struggle with traditional devices, ensuring they can fully enjoy live performances.

CityPoint Community Church will expand Black & Bronze: A Bronzeville Music Fest by supporting intergenerational programming, youth dance competitions, and partnerships with local businesses, artists and cultural organizations to deepen community engagement and ensure the festival reaches over 2,500 attendees.

The Connecting Routes Project will present interactive performances across ComEd’s service area, combining Playback Theatre, community storytelling and recording stations to build a shared Story Archive, while offering workshops and story circles that deepen engagement and lay the foundation for a future touring production shaped by the voices of participating communities.

ConTextos Chicago will maintain public access and staffing for its newly transformed first-floor gallery in the evenings and on weekends, expanding access to the work of their authors while supporting year-round storytelling, healing and youth programming.

Elmhurst Centre for the Performing Arts will deepen its support for the veteran community by producing a dedicated performance in 2026 that includes discounted tickets and recognition of veterans.

The Emerald Avenue Foundation, Inc. will introduce its Lyrics & Lemonade program on Chicago’s South Side by launching hands-on workshops in visual arts, music production, fashion design and multimedia storytelling, paired with business training, mentorship, youth art exhibitions and pop-up creative markets to empower underserved young creatives to turn their talents into sustainable careers.

Evanston Symphony Orchestra Association will launch a new sensory-friendly holiday concert designed for individuals with disabilities, offering adjusted lighting and sound, flexible seating and a welcoming environment for vocalization and movement.

Green Star Movement will launch a new intergenerational mural cohort, engaging at-risk youth and isolated seniors in collaborative public art that fosters creative expression, community pride and cross-generational connection through 24 sessions of programming.

Heritage Museum of Asian Art will collaborate with Timeline Theatre and the Chicago International Puppet Festival to co-create performances, workshops and exhibitions that engage immigrant teens, seniors and multigenerational families in Chinatown, Uptown and Argyle.

Hyde Park School of Dance will expand accessibility across Chicago’s South Side by integrating ASL interpretation into performances, offering professionally filmed shows for remote audiences and hosting community screenings with live dancer visits, as well as free senior dance classes, subsidized tickets and transportation for public school students and refugee families.

ISPro Academy will engage underserved youth from Chicago’s South and West Sides in a ten-week sound design program using professional audio tools and the CLEAT spatial audio system, culminating in a public performance at Elastic Arts with hands-on training, stipends, transportation and post-program career development.

Lookingglass Theatre Company will expand its free, citywide summer series, Lookingglass Outdoors, by adding eight artist-led community workshops, integrating local participants into performances, hosting a culminating family day at its home theatre and providing year-round transportation to mainstage shows for residents from historically underrepresented neighborhoods.

Pec Playhouse Theatre will rebuild its community theatre in a newly purchased, ADA-accessible facility by upgrading electrical infrastructure to support HVAC, lighting and theatre equipment, expanding access for seniors and disabled patrons, restoring full-scale productions and revitalizing downtown Pecatonica through arts, volunteerism and economic impact.

Red Line Service Institute will expand its Puppet-of-Care initiative in North Lawndale by building new lantern puppets with houseless artists, co-creating scripts with a professional writer, activating the puppets at six public events and documenting the project’s community engagement model with an architectural journalist, while establishing consistent monthly programming at local venues to build a sustained, inclusive arts presence in the neighborhood.

South Chicago Dance Theatre will expand The Josephine Project to deliver 100 hours of weekly intergenerational dance programming for 30 youth and 60 seniors in South Shore, integrating physical wellness, emotional development, financial literacy and workforce training, culminating in a public performance and published data to support future community arts planning.

Synapse Arts will offer the Full Radius Integrated Dance Training Series, including a community workshop, four-day intensive and teacher certification program led by Douglas Scott to train dancers, educators and disabled artists in inclusive movement practices; and will extend the impact through new adaptive classes, collaborative performances and ongoing programming with partners like Unfolding Disability Futures, UIC and the Chicago Park District.

Teatro Vista Productions will expand its Teatro For All initiative by offering ASL-interpreted performances, post-show discussions, and increased access to discounted tickets, engaging underserved audiences including students, seniors, artists and the Latine and Deaf communities through strategic outreach and sustained partnerships.

Wilmette Theatre Education Project will expand its inclusive arts programming by adding sensory-sensitive screenings, enhancing hearing-impaired accessibility, increasing cultural heritage film events, hosting affordable music and comedy nights and showcasing local filmmakers, reaching 5,000 new audience members and sustaining long-term engagement through community partnerships, loyalty programs and adaptive programming.

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 200 company and one of the nation’s largest utility companies, serving more than 10.7 million electricity and natural gas customers. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information, visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and YouTube.

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Source: ComEd