Homewood Science Center Receives Up To $10K In ComEd Grant

HOMEWOOD, IL — The Homewood Science Center has received a grant from the annual ComEd Powering the Arts Program. The center will receive up to $10,000, according to a news release from ComEd.

The release states that as a way to support accessibility to the arts in northern Illinois in the face of challenges due to the pandemic, ComEd and the League of Chicago Theatres are awarding grants of up to $10,000 each to 16 nonprofit organizations.

According to ComEd, this grant will help further establish the Homewood Science Center as a hub for science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) in the south suburbs of Chicago. As part of its arts programming, the center will provide guests speakers, exhibits, film screenings and a STEAM studio family makerspace for creative expression at two facilities located one block from the Homewood Metra station.

According to the release, since 2018, the program has supported initiatives and workshops across the communities ComEd serves that boost public awareness, community programming, engagement and enjoyment of the arts. This year’s grants place special emphasis on arts organizations’ efforts to reach new and diverse audiences.

“Long before the challenges of the past year and a half, ComEd and the League of Chicago Theatres recognized the value of the arts as a means to enrich people’s lives,” said Melissa Washington, senior vice president of governmental and external affairs at ComEd. “Today
nonprofit arts organizations continue to face challenges in adapting to ever-changing health and safety protocols. Our program is designed to help keep the arts open and accessible to all residents across every community we serve.”

According to the release, this is the fourth year ComEd has partnered with the League of Chicago Theatres, an alliance of more than 200 Chicago theatres. Since its inception in 2018, the program has awarded more than $450,000 in grants in support of 58 local theatres, arts programs and cultural institutions throughout northern Illinois.

Each year, ComEd funds the program, and the League of Chicago Theatres reviews applications and administers the program to grant recipients.

“As arts organizations everywhere are recovering from pandemic shutdowns and looking to the future, the League of Chicago Theatres is pleased to again partner with ComEd for Powering the Arts in an ongoing effort to increase access to the arts,” said Deb Clapp, executive director of the League of Chicago Theatres. “The arts are a vital element to the health of our communities, a fact that inspires our steadfast commitment to making the arts more equitable and available to all audiences in and around Chicago.”