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Together, we have achieved extraordinary things:
Proving the Model: More than $40 million was raised over the years to support the pre-professional arts conservatory model.
Ensuring Access: Philanthropy made rigorous arts training accessible regardless of prior access or financial means.
Recruiting Novices: This support allowed us to recruit novice students, with over 65% of each freshman class entering with little to no prior training.
Scholar-Artist Success: ChiArts graduates consistently outperform citywide benchmarks and have gone on to careers across the creative industries and beyond.
Between now and June 30, our work is not yet finished. The Foundation remains focused on raising the critical funds needed to meet our 25/26 fundraising goal for ChiArts’ five arts conservatories. This support is essential to ensuring scholar-artists finish this school year with the full depth of experience they deserve.
We will continue sharing updates to ensure a thoughtful and strong close to this chapter. We invite you to read our press release, and next week we will share a website transition hub for our community to stay connected.
We are incredibly proud of what this community has built together and remain steadfast champions of ChiArts students and the school’s continued success as part of Chicago Public Schools.
With deepest gratitude,
Mirja Spooner Haffner, ChiArts Foundation Board Chair
Johnny Merrifield, ChiArts Foundation Executive Director
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