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Supporting land conservation, artistic vitality, and regional collections for the people of the Chicago region and the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

Through grantmaking and other tools, the Foundation helps strengthen and sustain the communities in which we work by supporting equitable and inclusive access and engagement with land, art, and collections.

LAND CONSERVATION

Natural lands; preserved and restored on a landscape scale — are critical to the well-being of wildlife, plant life, and human communities.

ARTISTIC VITALITY

Arts organizations; creatively accomplished and operationally strong — are the backbone of our regions’ artistic vitality.

COLLECTIONS

Collections; accessible to the public and creatively interpreted, urge us to consider where we’ve been, where we are now and where our next steps might take us.

GDDF News

Explore recent news and stories from the Foundation, grantees, and partners.

Performances and Exhibitions | November 2019

Photos of Theater Y, Babes With Blades, Silk Road Rising in Chicago Sun-Times article

David Farren, Executive Director in The Chicago Sun-Times

Op-Ed: Give Charleston’s nature a chance for climate resilience

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Supporting land conservation, artistic vitality, & regional collections for the people of the Chicago Region & Lowcountry of South Carolina.

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The Den Theatre is a great model for smaller theaters because “Creating your own space from the ground up is so expensive,” said Elise Marie Davis, the artistic director of Broken Nose Theatre. “It’s been wonderful being one of the companies to thrive in [#WickerPark] and bring more diverse and economically accessible theater in that area.” They're in residence along with grantees First Floor Theater and The New Colony and a couple other groups.

A number of other theater grantees have performed at or been in residence at the Den through the years.

http://bit.ly/2XjnOlV

#ArtisticVitality #2019isYOCT #ChicagoRegion #ChiTheater

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The Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge near Conway, SC is embarking on a groundbreaking effort to literally re-shape itself, giving up on some lands it had set out to buy in 1997 and adding new ones. The goal is to make room for species that face having their habitat shifted by development, climate change, and sea rise.
The @USfws & @wnwRefuge, @AmericanRivers, and @ConservationLeague have been excellent partners in and advocates for this work.
#LandConservation #Lowcountry #SouthCarolina #SeaLevelRise
[📷 Overlooking the Great Pee Dee River and Yauhannah Lake at the Refuge's visitor and environmental education center.]
https://bit.ly/37fHTxV

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Out of Albany Park and venues through-out the city, Curious Theatre Branch has been presenting "rude, strange, often brilliant original work" for nearly 30 years. Makers of the Rhinocerous Theatre Festival, and resident company at Prop Thtr, we love our curious theater-making grantees.
#YearofChicagoTheatre
#2019isYOCT
#ChiTheatre
#TheatreThursdays
#ArtisticVitality 📷 Jeffrey Bivens

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One of our very first collections grants was awarded to Georgetown County Library. Their digital librarian, Julie Warren, is a leader in the field, and this week becomes one of few Americans ever to speak at the prestigious United Kingdom National Archives Conference, Discovering Collections Discovering Communities.
https://bit.ly/33Dcq6p
#RegionalCollections #GeorgetownSC #digitization #DCDC19 #SouthCarolina

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Shakespeare - in the suburbs, outdoors, indoors, and in our city parks - graces our city through grantee organizations Midsommer Flight, Oak Park Festival Theatre, and First Folio Shakespeare Festival. Our "bounty is (almost) as boundless as the sea." #YearofChicagoTheatre
#2019isYOCT
#ChiTheatre
#TheatreThursdays
#ArtisticVitality 📷 Jhenai Mootz