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Make an Impact

Our impact starts at the root—with the seed of an idea.

We believe that ideas should be available to everyone, irrespective of their circumstances. Whether you give $5 or $50, your contribution keeps ideas accessible to everyone so that we can all create a more joyful and prosperous Chicago.

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The Ideas Platform for Progress

From our Youth program to our social innovation fellowship, and member events to volunteer opportunities, Chicago Ideas is designed to foster connections that spark action. Learn more about what makes us tick, who informs our programming, and how we’re impacting our community.

The 77 Project

The 77 Project is a storytelling and media project presented by Xfinity with additional support from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help share the narrative of Chicago's neighborhoods from the inside out.

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Retrospective

Since its inception, Chicago Ideas has been a place of meaningful impact. Whether it was found through a speaker who graced the stage during a Chicago Ideas Week, an attendee who was compelled to action by something they heard or saw, a youth who felt changed by their experiences within our Youth Program…or simply a member of one of Chicago’s many neighborhoods who was given a platform to learn or speak their truth. This is who we are. This is who we have always been. This is who we hope to continue to be for years to come. 

In the last 10 years we have had...

500K+
Attendees

3.5K+
Speakers & Performers

195
Community Partners

130
Community Engagements

500+
Stage Programs

250+
Labs

25+
Youth Labs

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