Arts Alliance Illinois

Founded in 1982, we are a statewide, multidisciplinary organization dedicated to strengthening arts and culture in Illinois.

We advocate for arts resources and policies that benefit our members and all Illinois residents. We’ve partnered with scaleLIT to provide career support for creative workers, including employment stability coaching and help navigating workforce services and public benefits through our Help Desk. We also organize events like Capitol Day in Springfield to connect with lawmakers.

Our goal is to empower the creative sector through advocacy and by connecting members to vital resources. Our network includes over 20,000 individuals and 350 members, forming a strong grassroots coalition of arts advocates across Illinois. Since 2020, our network has taken over 10,000 actions. We’ve helped 41 individual artists and creative businesses learn about or apply for public funding, and we’ve generated over $1 million in state and local funding for arts and culture in Illinois. Our work emphasizes statewide civic engagement, arts education, and cultural equity.

We offer individual and organizational memberships on a pay-what-you-can basis, alongside resources like webinars and reports.

We envision an Illinois where the arts are central to life, enhancing quality, fueling innovation, and promoting understanding across cultures.

Our mission is to foster a just and thriving creative sector, supported by both public and private investment. We believe artists, cultural organizations, and creative industries are essential to Illinois’ economic, civic, and social health.

We achieve this by mobilizing the creative sector for advocacy, expanding professional opportunities for artists and creatives (including policy recommendations for gig workers), ensuring K-12 students have access to arts education, assisting the creative sector with grants and government systems, and conducting research to champion the arts.

Our advocacy for arts and culture is rooted in our commitment to equity, professional development, work-life balance, and a supportive culture.

We are a team of 1-10 employees.

Our culture prioritizes equity, professional development, and work-life balance, fostering a supportive environment for everyone.

We work primarily remotely, with occasional in-person meetings.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package. We provide remote work flexibility (primarily 90% remote with occasional in-person meetings) and professional development opportunities.