Chance the Rapper continues to do great and necessary deeds for his hometown. Most recently at The Harold Washington Cultural Center, Chance pledged to donate another $2.2M dollars to the Chicago Public Schools to fund the arts through “The New Chance Fund.” His organization, Social Works, empowers youth through the arts education and civic engagement.
The “New Chance Fund” was designed to bring arts and materials to schools that are in the greatest need. For every $100K donated by corporations and individuals, Social Works will donate $10K. Twenty public schools have been chosen to receive a portion of the proceeds.
At the beginning of the Steve Job-esque presentation, Chance mentioned that since he has been off tour, he has found a few things distressing. He has been told on two different occasions that he would be shot. The other matter on his mind was the thought that his daughter would soon be starting school in a city full of such unease. “Twice just in the last month [since] I’ve been back I’ve had someone tell me that they were going to shoot me. Both were small altercations and I could tell immediately upon [the] point of contact that these young people had a chip on their shoulder and that they felt undervalued or cheated,” Chance said
This continues Chance’s streak of good deeds from helping a Detroit nonprofit provide sleeping bags to their homeless to creating OpenMike, a safe space in the city of Chicago for high school students to share their expressions.
The Grammy Award winner exhibits a commitment to his city and his fans that that can only make the world better. Watching an artist use their platform for so many noble causes demonstrates what can be accomplished with a concerted effort.
Chance launched Social Works at the Bud Billiken parade in Chicago a few weeks ago. They gave away 30K backpacks and free tickets to a concert Chance put on later that evening. The support for Chance is infectious and it almost looks like a career in politics would be in the cards for him. Considering his father is one of the most influential people on Chicago’s political landscape, it wouldn’t be a stretch if it were to happen.
This latest donation comes at a time when the CPS is struggling with budgeting issues and the state of Illinois just passed a budget after three years of not having one. Organizations like Chance’s Social Works are needed now more than ever.
What do you think about this? Share your thoughts and take a look at a few pics from the announcement.
