Two Roads to Public Art Funding in Chicago: The City's Percent for Art Program vs. the ART Initiative

Chicago offers two distinct public art funding pathways: the city's DCASE Percent for Art Program for artist commissions and the MacArthur/Field Foundation's ART Initiative for organizational operating support. Understanding the differences between these routes is crucial for artists and arts organizations seeking funding.

Caitlin O'Malley

October 24, 2026 · 5 min read

Chicago offers two fundamentally different routes to public art support, and choosing the wrong one can cost an applicant months. If you are an individual artist hoping to create work for the city, your pathway runs through the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), which commissions artists for Percent for Art projects. If you are part of a small arts or culture organization, your likelier route is a grant from A Road Together (ART), a Field Foundation initiative supported by the MacArthur Foundation that funds organizations with annual budgets up to $1 million.

Understanding Chicago's Public Art Funding Landscape

Chicago's public art scene is sustained by both public money and private philanthropy, and the two streams serve different purposes. The city side is the Chicago Public Art Program, run by DCASE, which implements the City's Percent-for-Art effort and manages other publicly funded permanent and temporary public art throughout the city, according to the program's own overview. It is the machinery behind works that have become city landmarks, from Cloud Gate in Millennium Park to Alison Saar's Monument to the Great Northern Migration.

The private side is newer. In 2023, the MacArthur Foundation established a regranting partnership with the Field Foundation to offer general operating support to small and mid-sized arts and cultural organizations in Chicago. That partnership, A Road Together (ART), is an initiative of the Field Foundation supported by MacArthur, and it reflects an explicit goal stated by MacArthur: a more equitable distribution of its Chicago Commitment resources across the city's geographies and populations, and greater diversity in the organizations it supports. The key distinction is mechanism—one path pays artists to make work, the other funds organizations to operate.

Step-by-Step: Engaging with DCASE for Public Art Projects

For artists, engagement with DCASE follows a sequence with two entry points, and neither is an application for a specific project. The steps below are drawn from the official program guidelines.

Join the Artist Email Registry. The Chicago Public Art Program maintains an Artist Email Registry to notify interested artists of public art opportunities, including Percent for Art projects and other open calls. This is the lowest barrier to entry and the way most artists first learn about projects.
Consider the Prequalified List. The 2023/2024 Chicago Public Art Prequalified List is a juried pool of 58 professional artists, artist teams, and arts nonprofits based in Chicago. This list helps facilitate the selection of artists for public art and other special commission opportunities of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) Chicago Public Art Program. Being on it positions an artist for the direct-commission track—the smaller projects the city awards without a competitive call.
Respond to Calls for Artists. For larger projects, watch for the Calls for Artists announced through the registry and apply when a project fits your practice.
Participate in community review. Once a project is underway, expect the alderman notification and public meeting process, where community input shapes the final selection.

One point of clarity: the Prequalified List is a pathway to direct commissions and selection opportunities, but it is not the only door. Artists who are not on the list can still pursue larger projects through open Calls for Artists, and anyone can join the email registry.

Attribute	DCASE Percent for Art Program	ART Initiative (Field Foundation, supported by MacArthur)
Funding source	City of Chicago, via DCASE	Field Foundation initiative supported by the MacArthur Foundation
Primary mechanism	Artist commissions for public art projects; direct commissions for projects of $10,000 or less, Calls for Artists for larger work	General operating support grants to organizations
Eligibility focus	Artists—including opportunities tied to the juried Prequalified List and open Calls for Artists	Arts and culture organizations in Chicago with annual budgets up to $1 million
How to engage	Join the Artist Email Registry; apply to the Prequalified List; respond to Calls for Artists; expect community input via alderman notification and public meetings	View ART funding guidelines and application information through the Field Foundation, which also fields questions

Two Roads to Public Art Funding in Chicago: The City's Percent for Art Program vs. the ART Initiative

Understanding Chicago's Public Art Funding Landscape

DCASE Percent for Art Program: City-Funded Commissions

Step-by-Step: Engaging with DCASE for Public Art Projects

MacArthur/Field Foundation's 'A Road Together (ART)' Initiative: Private Grant Opportunities

Decision Framework: City Commission vs. Foundation Grant

Your Next Steps: Engaging with Chicago's Public Art Funding

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