Program History

Nurturing a diverse and thriving culture is an important part of the Joyce Foundation’s dedication to improving the quality of life in the Midwest. Its Culture grant making has mostly centered on Chicago, and since the mid-1990s has focused on diversity in the arts. That includes supporting community-based arts groups such as Black Ensemble Theater, the Cambodian Heritage Museum, and Luna Negra Dance Theater, and encouraging mainstream arts groups to expand their audiences, boards and staffs to reflect Chicago’s diversity.

More recently, Joyce grant making has supported expanding opportunities for individual artists through fellowships, residencies and commissions. Since 2003, The Joyce Awards have funded 36 awards to enable Midwest arts groups (and, beginning in 2013, other groups) to commission new works by artists of color. Recognizing that technology creates new possibilities for art-making and community building, in 2012 the Foundation began seeking projects that engage audiences through new media and link the arts to community revitalization efforts.