Philanthropic Impact Report 2021-22 (6.13.2023)

As I reflect on this past year, I am grateful. I am in awe of our School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) community. I am inspired by the support our School and students have received from our donors and friends. Finally, I am moved by the work our incredible students and alums have created.

As chair of SAIC’s Board of Governors, I have the privilege of witnessing firsthand the impact an SAIC education has on our students, alums, and their families. Last year, you helped us provide 85 percent of our students with institutional scholarships, making an art and design education more accessible. You supported our commitment to diversifying our community by expanding our FirstGeneration Fellows program. And our paid internship program and College Arts Access Program continued to open doors for future art leaders, strengthening Chicago’s creative landscape.

As a supporter of SAIC, you are a vital partner who played a key role in bringing these accomplishments to life. In the pages that follow, we are pleased to share the impact your support made possible this past year. Together, let’s reflect on last year’s triumphs as we look to the year ahead and continue to invest in a future of art and design that is accessible, vibrant, and full of potential.

Sincerely,

Anita K. Sinha Chair, SAIC Board of Governors

SEASON OF GROWTH

In 2021–22, SAIC’s philanthropic support further cemented the School’s reputation as one of the world’s leading art and design institutions. With your support, we made progress toward our goal of making an SAIC education more accessible and decreasing the financial burden of pursuing a degree in art and design. We are inspired by all that your generosity helped us accomplish.

Together, our community of alums, family, and friends contributed a total of $5,644,286 in philanthropic gifts during the 2021–22 year. These funds directly supported scholarships, wellness, career preparedness, and institutional programs aligned with President Elissa Tenny’s fundraising initiative Make Way: A Roadmap to Student Access, Equity, and Affordability.

2021-22 Total Contribution

$5.6M

First-Generation Fellows Program

305 134

Established in 2015, the First-Generation Fellows program provides comprehensive support to a rapidly growing student population at SAIC: students who are from the first generation in their families to attend college. With a $1,000,000 investment from SAIC Board Chair Anita Sinha and her husband, Prabhakant Sinha, a member of the Art Institute of Chicago's Board of Trustees, the program is poised to expand mentorship, community building activities, and workshops in the current academic year.

First-Generation Fellow Peer Mentor Alex Bortell (BFA 2024) reflects on how important the program is to keeping first-gen students on track: “The faculty members at SAIC have been an invaluable source of support since my first year. The on-campus employment aspect of the program also played a major role in my success, as it provided me with opportunities to forge connections across various departments and industries and develop a network of resources and mentors.”

UNRESTRICTED SUPPORT HELPS STUDENTS THRIVE

“The Fund for SAIC touches every corner of our campus. When donors lend their support through unrestricted gifts, they entrust us to invest their philanthropy in the areas of greatest need, which drives stability, innovation, and student recruitment and retention.”

COURTNEY ROWE, VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT

Celebrating SAIC on Giving Day

Once a year, the SAIC community comes together on a single day of giving, celebrating recent achievements and seeking to raise significant funds in support of the next generation of artists, designers, and scholars.

On March 2, 2022, SAIC alums, friends, and faculty and staff contributed $187,130. This cohort of 307 donors provided important general support for the School and expanded student scholarships, wellness, and internships.

Each and every gift you make to SAIC brings us closer to reaching our goal of ensuring our community, and especially our students, have the resources and support they need to thrive as artists, designers, and scholars. Your unrestricted support provides SAIC with the flexibility to address emerging priorities where funding is needed most.

In 2021–22, 275 donors helped our School become more nimble with $492,837 contributed to the Fund for SAIC to meet our most pressing needs.

$492k

Students gather on campus in fall 2021 to learn more about student groups.

PHILANTHROPY SPOTLIGHT

275 donors contributed to the fund

SCHOLARSHIPS INCREASE ACCESS TO ART AND DESIGN

In 2021–22, SAIC raised $2,444,520 in support of scholarships with 3,089 undergraduate and graduate students receiving some form of federal, institutional, and/or philanthropic support.

Your support of scholarships is essential to advancing SAIC’s mission to provide excellence in the delivery of an art and design education. Through scholarships, we are able to attract and retain the most talented and deserving students, decrease the barrier to education for students and their families, and provide emerging creatives with the resources they need to explore their artistic practice.

$2.4M

Total contributions to endowed funds and spendable scholarships

85% Degree students awarded some form of financial aid

PHILANTHROPY SPOTLIGHT

Opening Doors to SAIC across Chicago

Access to an affordable SAIC education is an important priority for the School. The Denise and Gary Gardner Scholarship Fund is one of six funds that specifically supports the academic careers of emerging creatives from Chicago such as student Lindsey Noelle Scott (BFA 2024).

Scott, whose work is shown below, is an interdisciplinary artist experimenting with the relationship between personhood and memory, particularly in moments of intense transformation. Scott is one of

40 students from Chicago who received a scholarship made possible by donors during the 2021-22 academic year. Funding from gifts, such the Denise and Gary Gardner Scholarship, removes financial barriers, provides valuable resources that support students' work in the classroom, and makes it possible for talented artists to study here.

(BFA

“When donors support scholarships it is really encouraging because it makes the recipient feel like you belong in the community. You know there are all these people who have come before you and who are there to support you and who believe in you. It gave me confidence and made me feel I was capable of attending art school.”

MARLEY ANDERSON

2023)

Lindsey Noelle Scott (BFA 2024), untitled, photography

SUPPORTING THE WHOLE STUDENT

PHILANTHROPY SPOTLIGHT

The Disability and Learning Resource Center

“Our students make art that explores, challenges, and evolves our shared society. This work is vitally important and rewarding, but it is also hard and ongoing. Through their care of our students, my team shows compassion. I believe that philanthropy is an act of compassion, too.”

JOSEPH M. BEHEN, DEAN, WELLNESS CENTER

In 2021–22, through support from the government and gifts from individuals, SAIC’s Wellness Center continued to serve 55 percent of our undergraduate and graduate student body.

Our nationally recognized student wellness program is powered by philanthropy. Through our partnership with donors, we are able to provide comprehensive health and counseling services for all SAIC students who need them. With each gift, loyal supporters increase our capacity to provide integrative, holistic care.

55% Undergraduate and graduate students who use Wellness Center resources

The Disability and Learning Resource Center (DLRC) supports a universally accessible educational community that fosters the full participation and contribution of every member. The DLRC carries out its mission by delivering innovative and high-quality services to students who identify as having a disability —approximately 25 percent of our student body. DLRC staff ensure that all students have equal access to all programs, activities, and services of the institution.

Classes like Lecturer Megan Euker’s Intro to Designed Objects and exhibitions such as Come/Back encourage all students to create, reflect, and be compassionate toward people of all backgrounds and

abilities. Euker’s class used the collections at Chicago’s International Museum of Surgical Science to identify medical or bodily constraints that could be alleviated through a thoughtfully designed assistive device. Come/Back encouraged viewers to think about what it means to “come back” in a time of profound loss, inequity, and uncertainty. With $2,000,000 in philanthropic funding gifted between 2020 and 2021, the DLRC was able to invest in an additional disability specialist to continue providing expert student support while also pursuing expanded programming opportunities.

A still of an animation that features a disabled student applying for accommodations.

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR A CAREER

“It was a really fulfilling experience for me to get to work with different groups of individuals and getting to make art all summer. The internship stipend made it possible for me to accept this internship."”

College Arts Access Program

Our career preparedness and college bridge programs open doors. Donor support is integral to two of our most impactful initiatives, career preparedness programming through our Career and Professional Experience (CAPX) office and our College Arts Access Program (CAAP).

Internships are essential for students as they seek to learn more about the professional world. Our Chicago Makers Internship Program, offered through CAPX, provided students with $72,500 of support from corporations, foundations, parents, and institutional leaders. This one-of-a-kind career preparedness initiative connects talented students, who are otherwise unable to accept unpaid internships, to professional opportunities.

$72k

Support for our internship program from corporations, foundations, parents, and institutional leaders

The College Arts Access Program (CAAP) is a three-year bridge program for Chicago Public Schools students who are dedicated to studying arts and design. In a recent longitudinal study completed by Michigan State University, CAAP students were found to be as competitive in college admission as more socioeconomically advantaged peers. Now in its eighth year, CAAP has an initial cohort of 15 high school sophomores and has influenced similar programs nationwide.

Philanthropy has been a key factor in the growth of CAAP and its success. Since its founding, CAAP has grown its cohort size by 50 percent. With a recent $750,000 gift from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, a key supporter whose visionary partnership with the School established the program in 2014, CAAP is poised for expansion in 2022–23.

PHILANTHROPY SPOTLIGHT

Each year, the CAAP graduation is a program highlight—especially in 2022, when students were able to celebrate their accomplishments in person for the first time in over two years.

MILA ZEKIC (BFA 2023)

OUR COMMUNITY OF SUPPORTERS

Without our dedicated alums, parents, faculty, staff, and friends, SAIC would be unable to offer our students scholarships, internships, pre-college programming, and so much more.

Annual income from the School’s endowment provides student financial aid, supports academic programming, and funds faculty positions, facilities, and student activities. The endowment enables the School to fulfill its mission as one of the world’s top art and design schools. A gift to the endowment is a gift for more than one lifetime; it is a gift in perpetuity.

Your support is essential to building a vibrant, strong community. We are inspired each and every day by the passion you show for our students and School.

Why I Give

“SAIC students are exceptional. For all the teaching I do, I feel like I learn just as much from our students.” Associate Professor Oli Watt supports scholarships

“SAIC has gone above and beyond to help my daughter graduate. I appreciate all the support she received.” Lisa Foy, parent of a 2022 graduate, supports the Fund for SAIC

“SAIC, more than any other school I’ve had experience with, understands and respects mental and emotional wellness. I’m donating to support student wellness.” Francesca Gagliano (MFA 2011) supports the Wellness Fund

“We believe that the arts are able to make this world a more human place and can be the catalyst for needed changes. We want to help, through scholarships, to make art education for everyone who wants to pursue it—not just for those with means to do so!”

Jeanne and Robert Petrick, friends of SAIC, support scholarships

SAIC Trustees

Board of Governors* Corporate Foundation Friends

Government

Constituent Giving

SAIC Alums

SAIC Faculty/Staff

SAIC Parents

*current and emeritus

$ 2,607,829

Endowment Pledges and Outright Gifts

Total Funds Raised

$5.6M $ 295 M

SAIC Endowment as of June 30, 2022

$ 670,332

Fund for SAIC and other Non-Restricted Gifts

$2,366,125

Restricted

ALUMS INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION OF ARTIST AND DESIGNERS

“I think that the biggest and most substantial element of scholarships is the effect of having that statement of support. It gave me a certain push for me to leave home, go somewhere unknown and figure out this dream I always had of being an artist.”

Alums Who Give Back

Throughout the history of SAIC, alums have been central to nurturing, mentoring, and shaping the next generation of artists.

Alum Angel Otero (BFA 2007, MFA 2009) has long been a mentor and champion for SAIC’s current students. He first came to the School based on a recommendation from a professor at the University of Puerto Rico. Once he arrived here, he

found a diverse program with students from all over the world with different creative perspectives. During his time at SAIC, he was a scholarship recipient which gave him extra confidence to pursue his dreams. Since his graduation, he has given back to the School as a donor and a volunteer with the CAPX program.

With more than 30,000 alums around the world, SAIC’s network of creative individuals is positioned to make an impact wherever they go. Our growing number of regional alum leaders serve as ambassadors in some of the most prominent and thriving artistic cities in the world, connecting with and opening up opportunities for the next generation of artists and designers long after their time at the School.

More than 450 alums have founded their own businesses and organizations in the greater Chicago area, upholding the School’s commitment to fostering an arts ecosystem that promotes inclusivity, equity, and discussions around justice.

With contributions totaling $174,437 from 173 alums, our alum community members remain key philanthropic partners.

30,000

450

$174,437

PHILANTHROPY SPOTLIGHT

Alum Angel Otero in his studio.

ANGEL OTERO (BFA 2007, MFA 2009)

Alums worldwide

Chicago area businesses and organizations founded by alums

Total contributions from alums

PARENTS & FAMILIES UPHOLD A PLACE OF BELONGING AT SAIC

“We support the Parent & Family Internship Fund because we recognize the value of Career and Professional Experience (CAPX) and the internship fund to make valuable professional opportunities available to all students.”

PAUL AND CATHY DRIFTMIER PARENTS OF A 2022 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

PHILANTHROPY SPOTLIGHT

SAIC Parent & Family Council Internship Fund

Internships are essential to establishing a career: research shows that students with internship experience are 32 percent more likely to get a job offer in the months after graduation. Established in 2019, the Parent & Family Council (PFC) Internship Fund partners with the School’s Career and Professional Experience (CAPX) department to award $2,500 stipends to students with financial need, providing financial resources that help students pursue internships. Last year, PFC Internship Fund stipend recipient Mallory

Qiu (BFA 2023) worked at High Concept Labs, a Chicago-based nonprofit whose mission is to provide artist residencies across disciplines. Mallory shared, “Receiving support from the PFC fund helped ease the extra transportation and food expenses that come with the summer internship. It supported my full participation in the internship.” Mallory continues to intern at High Concept Labs and is excited to keep learning this academic year.

Our families are valued members of the SAIC community. Support from parents and families enables the School to shape and build a place of belonging and educational excellence for our citizen artists. Last year, SAIC’s parents and families contributed $146,401 and directed funding to areas aligned with student success such as wellness and internships. Internship support is a focus of SAIC’s Parent & Family Council (PFC). Each year, the PFC partners with CAPX to fund summer internships for students that might otherwise be unpaid. These internships are an important way to prepare and foster professional connections for students when they seek future employment. Last year the PFC raised $22,500 to sponsor nine internship stipends awarded by our CAPX program.

$146k

Images taken by Mallory Qiu during her internship at High Concept Labs.

Combined support for wellness programs and internships

FACULTY, STAFF, AND FRIENDS CELEBRATE SAIC

SAIC Faculty Blend Artistic Practice and Teaching

Advanced education in the arts is a significant commitment of both talent and resources. SAIC faculty and staff are critical to ensuring students are successful, supported, and have the resources to thrive. Last year, they went above and beyond, supporting the School by making gifts totalling over $27,000 to priorities such as the Fund for SAIC, scholarships, and wellness.

A key group of dedicated friends at the School who are helping close the resource gap for students pursuing a practice in fashion is the Fashion Council. Through the council’s support, 16 undergraduate and three graduate students were able to complete their world-class education in fashion design, and enter the professional world ready to contribute as citizen artists and designers who will shape our collective future.

“This is the next generation of artists and creators, and I’m interested in seeing and experiencing what their vision is going to look like. I’m interested in what they bring to the table, helping them problem solve and establish a particular point of view.”

$72,100

Funds disbursed to fashion students

88

Faculty and staff donors

Beyond being excellent educators and experts in their fields, SAIC faculty are generous themselves, engaging in professional practice and enriching the entire arts ecosystem with their time, talent, and expertise. In June, SAIC’s Fashion Council celebrated the generous spirit of Stephanie and Bill Sick Professor of Fashion, Body and Garment Nick Cave. He gave council members and friends a guided tour of his retrospective exhibition, Forothermore, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

During the tour, Cave illuminated the social justice and aesthetic intentionality

of his distinctively powerful, purposeful, and playful practice. He brings that same engagement and care to his artworks; to his collaborative, community-situated studio, Facility; and to his teaching. It is why students are so eager to study with him. At the post-tour reception, Cave reflected on his own experience receiving scholarships as a student, noting how impactful both the financial support and the vote of confidence were in his own conviction that he could not only make art but also make a difference through his practice.

NICK CAVE, STEPHANIE AND BILL SICK PROFESSOR OF FASHION, BODY, AND GARMENT

Attendees to at the Forothermore exhibit gather together with Professor Nick Cave.

LOOKING AHEAD

Reflecting on the 2021–22 academic year, I am so grateful to the many donors who have included the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in their giving plans. As in nearly every home, school, and organization, SAIC students, faculty, and staff members have overcome unprecedented challenges during the pandemic. During this period of adversity, however, the School community was also able to refocus attention on the barriers to students’ education and start removing them by expanding scholarship funding, increasing resources for wellness services, and investing in career preparedness.

With the support of donors like you, SAIC is laying the groundwork for the future of our shared society, enriched by the contributions

of engaged citizen artists and designers. It has long been the School’s tradition to educate global citizens who are awake to the interconnectedness of people and alive to how their work makes the world better: more beautiful, more compassionate, and more aware.

On behalf of our entire SAIC community, I thank you for your partnership and belief in the creative potential of our students!

Elissa Tenny President