Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form

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Organization Name: Congo Square Theatre
Legal Name (if Different): Congo Square Theatre Company
Also Known As: N/A
Mailing Address: 1016 N Dearborn Street
City: Chicago
State: IL
Postal Code: 60610
Main Phone: 773.296.1108
Main Fax:
Organization Website: https://www.congosquaretheatre.org/
Employer ID Number: 36-4333856
Organization Tax Status: 501c3

Proposal Information

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Today’s Date: 03/31/22
Requested Amount: $10,000

Project Title: Congo Square Theatre Community Engagement + Education Program
Project Description:

Within the South and West Side schools of Chicago, there is significant underrepresentation of both Black educators and arts education. Through our outreach programs, Congo Square brings high-quality arts education to underserved communities and underrepresented demographics– namely Black and BIPOC communities. Congo Square advocates for Black stories to be clearly and unapologetically heard through authentic Black lenses, for Black art to be created with excellence and embedded into the cultural landscape, and for Black communities to have space to heal and find freedom​. With this in mind, we offer three types of partnership opportunities for schools and organizations:

-The CORE Program (Curriculum Objectives Residency Enrichment) is a curriculum-based in-school theatre arts residency. Teaching Artists, along with classroom teachers, provide integrated curriculums that enhance literary goals and social-emotional skills. Instruction includes language and script interpretation; theatre arts study; and peer to peer evaluation. ​
-The CAST School Partner Program (Congo After School) is a performance-based residency focused on African American Dramatic texts with student actors, designers, and technicians, produced in partnership with resident schools. The program occurs outside of the traditional school day and provides greater freedom to explore theatre arts and the structure of the text. CAST also provides students the necessary tools to manage conflict and allows more time for students to reach attainable goals​.
-The CAST Community Partner Program is a performance-based residency focusing on African American Dramatic texts with student actors, designers, and technicians, produced in partnership with youth-advocacy organizations. This program is customized to the needs of the organization to expose students to the arts and expand their growth through the employment of skills learned through theatre.

In an effort to make our work easily accessible, we ensure that these programs remain free and that there are no barriers to access high-quality arts education.

Total Project Budget: $125,000

Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): Robert & Toni Bader Charitable Foundation (committed) – $15,000 Crown Family Philanthropies (committed) – $20,000 Reva & David Logan Foundation (Committed) – $25,000 Polk Bros. Foundation (Pending) – $25,000 Lloyd A. Fry Foundation (pending) – $25,000

Project Duration: 7/1/22-6/30/23
Geographical Area Served: South and West side communities of Chicago
Age Group To Be Served: Middle school, high school, and young adults

Contact Information

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Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Ms.
Contact First Name: Charlique
Contact Last Name: Rolle
Contact Title: Executive Director
Contact Phone: 312.395.0747
Contact Email: charlique@congosquaretheatre.org