Illinois

In the past five years, the National Endowment for the Arts distributed $31,349,976 in federal funding, either directly or through state and regional partners, in Illinois.

In the most recent information (2023) from the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA), which is produced jointly by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Office of Research & Analysis and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Commerce Department, Illinois...

• Added 3.4 percent or $37.4 billion to the state economy from arts and cultural production
• Employed 226,407 workers in the arts and cultural industries, with workers earning wages and benefits totaling $19.9 billion

More than 38 percent of Illinois’ adults attended live music, theater, or dance performances, while 13 percent attended art exhibits, according to the 2022 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau.

In addition to offering direct grants, the NEA supports national initiatives benefiting people across the country. Over the last five years:

The Blue Star Museums program provided free admission to thousands of active military personnel and their families at 154 participating museums in Illinois.

More than 9,849 students from 147 high schools in Illinois participated in Poetry Out Loud.

The NEA Big Read program generated community events focused on reading outstanding American literature and involving more than 20,332 adults and students in Illinois.

The Shakespeare in American Communities program in Illinois enabled schools to offer 4,644 children the opportunity to see live professional performances of
Shakespeare, or to engage in educational programs.