Chicago Dramatists is dedicated to developing a safe and nurturing environment for artists of all background.
Click here to view our Land Acknowledgement
Below you will find an alphabetical list of resources dedicated to our ongoing mission to dismantle white supremacy and fight against inequality in the theatre community and the world at large.
AddictionResource.net
AddictionResource.net is an organization dedicated to helping members of the community dealing with addiction find rehabilitations centers and additional help wherever they may be.
Anti-Asian Violence Resources
Anti-Asian Violence Resources. This link provides a collection of resources gathered to help individuals educate others, take action, and donate to take action against anti-Asian violence.
Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League: ADL is a leading anti-hate organization that was founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of antisemitism and bigotry.
Apna Ghar
Apna Ghar: Apna Ghar is a human rights organization working to end gender violence with an evidence-based model that factors in macro and micro level conditions that create the unique barriers that our program participants face
Arts of Life
Arts of Life: Arts of Life advances the creative arts community by providing artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities a collective space to expand their practice and strengthen their leadership.
A Safe Haven Foundation
A Safe Haven Foundation: A Safe Haven provides the tools for each individual to overcome the root causes of homelessness through a holistic and scalable model. A Safe Haven’s visible social and economic impact unites families, stabilizes neighborhoods, and creates vibrant, viable communities.
Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women & Transgender Community
Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women & Transgender Community : APIQWTC provides opportunities for Asian & Pacific Islander queer women and transgender people to socialize, network, build community, engage in inter-generational organizing, and increase community visibility.
Autism Self-Advocacy Network
Autism Self-Advocacy Network: The Autistic Self Advocacy Network seeks to advance the principles of the disability rights movement with regard to autism. ASAN believes that the goal of autism advocacy should be a world in which autistic people enjoy equal access, rights, and opportunities.
Best Buddies
Best Buddies: Best Buddies International is a dynamic and growing organization, thanks to the people that help advance its mission every day. From the Board of Directors to the summer interns, everyone on the Best Buddies team shares their energy and enthusiasm as they work to enhance the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter Chicago: The BLM chapter here in Chicago works “to end state violence and criminalization of Black communities by deconstructing white supremacist, capitalist, patriarchy.” This organization is 100% volunteer run: click the link to donate funds, time, supplies, or energy.
Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance
Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance: The Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance is being launched to bring the two communities together in solidarity, to support each other in their struggles, and to better understand each other’s plight and narratives.
Black-Owned Businesses
Black-Owned Businesses: Here you’ll find a long list of Black-Owned Businesses you can support across numerous different categories.
Black Trans Femmes in the Arts Collective
Black Trans Femmes in the Arts Collective: BTFA Collective is dedicated to creating spaces for the production and preservation of Black trans art and culture by building community with Black trans femme artists and providing them with the resources and support necessary to thrive.
Black Women’s Blueprint
Black Women’s Blueprint: This organization aims to “provide a blueprint for black liberation through a feminist lens.” They offer services, trainings, and community engagement opportunities. From their website: “Black Women’s Blueprint envisions a world where women and girls of African descent are fully empowered and where gender, race and other disparities are erased.” Click on the link for details on getting involved, and how you can donate.
Brave Space Alliance
Brave Space Alliance: This organization, located in Hyde Park, is a Black and trans-led LGBTQ center that offers support and supplies to LGBTQ members on the South and West side of Chicago. Their mission is to “strive to empower, embolden, and educate each other through mutual aid, knowledge-sharing, and the creation of community-sourced resources as we build toward the liberation of all oppressed peoples. ” Click the link above to donate and get involved.
BYP100
BYP100: The Black Youth Project 100 is an organization of activists dedicated to “creating justice and freedom for all Black people.” It’s a membership based organization of Black activists, ages 18-35. Their current national campaign, entitled She Safe, We Safe, is focused on “putting an end to the different forms of gender violence that Black women, girls, femmes and gender non-conforming people face everyday.” Click the link above to learn more on how you can take part, and/or support.
Casa Central
Casa Central: Casa Central transforms lives and strengthens communities, with a special focus on Hispanics. Our network of social services propels a diverse population of all ages toward self-sufficiency and a higher quality of life.
Center on Halsted
Center on Halsted: Center on Halsted is the Midwest’s most comprehensive community center dedicated to advancing community and securing the health and well-being of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) people of Chicagoland. More than 1,000 community members visit the Center every day, located in the heart of Chicago’s Lakeview Neighborhood.
Chicago Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression
Chicago Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression: From their website: “We defend the civil liberties of workers, activists, and prisoners. We struggle against white supremacy, the prison-industrial complex, and state violence. We demand community control of the police and full representation for Black people and other poor and oppressed people at all levels of government.” Click the link above to learn more about their organization, and how you can lend a hand, or donate.
Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative
Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative: The members of the Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative are dedicated to furthering diverse causes and the greater well-being of American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and First Nations people in the Chicago area. We seek to maximize effectiveness by creating a forum for fostering mutual aid, political support, positive public recognition, strategic alliances, collaborations, and partnerships.
Chicago Bond
Chicago Bond: A great number of peaceful protestors are being arrested right now, for enacting their constitutional right to protest. Many of those people are unable to make bond. The mission of Chicago Community Bond Fund is to pay the bond of folks arrested in Cook County, IL. Their focus remains on assisting “individuals whose communities cannot afford to pay the bonds themselves and who have been impacted by structural violence.”
Chicago Freedom School
Chicago Freedom School: This organization is modeled after the Mississippi Freedom Schools of the Civil Rights Era, and is geared towards helping youth develop into adults who fight for social justice. From their site: “Through youth programs and trainings, the Chicago Freedom School equips young people and adult allies with the tools to develop actionable strategies for social change.”
Chicago Hispanic Health Coalition
Chicago Hispanic Health Coalition: The Chicago Hispanic Health Coalition’s mission is to promote healthy behavior and prevent chronic disease and health disparities in the Hispanic communities of metropolitan Chicago. CHHC improves health in Hispanic communities by sponsoring culturally appropriate, evidence-based health education classes, and by providing a forum for policy development.
Chicago House
Chicago House: Chicago House empowers persons living with or vulnerable to HIV/AIDS to lead healthy and dignified lives through housing and compassionate, client-centered support services.
Chicago Survivors
Chicago Survivors: Chicago Survivors works to offer crisis intervention, supportive counseling and comprehensive referral services to surviving family members of Chicago homicide victims; work collaboratively to provide training in sensitive and effective communication with and treatment of victim’ families to law enforcement, court personnel, medical examiner’s office, emergency rooms and other systems family members interact with in the aftermath of homicide; foster a community of survivors to promote peer-to-peer empathy, support, education and healing from one another, and to contribute to anti-violence work through their collective voice and experience.
Chi-Nations Youth Council
Chi-Nations: Chi-Nations Youth Council was created in 2012 and comprised a diverse group of youth and adults, with a mission to create a supportive, open environment for Native Youth, raise awareness of cultural identity, and promote a healthy lifestyle through arts, activism, and education. We work towards this goal by strengthening the community through avid volunteerism, fundraising, and traditional values.
Cultural Survival
Cultural Survival: Cultural Survival advocates for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and supports Indigenous communities’ self-determination, cultures and political resilience since 1972.
Disability Allyship Resources
Disability Allyship Resources: This site contains a list of resources for disability allies collected by The Division of Disability Resources & Educational Services at The College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Equal Justice Initiative
Equal Justice Initiative: From their website: “EJI is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. We challenge the death penalty and excessive punishment and we provide re-entry assistance to formerly incarcerated people.” Please click the link to access their website.
Family Rescue
Family Rescue: Family Rescue is dedicated to eliminating domestic violence in the Chicago community by providing comprehensive support services and shelter to victims of domestic violence, particularly abused women and their children, engaging in advocacy to promote future system change, and encouraging prevention through community education.
Get IN Chicago
Get IN Chicago: Get IN Chicago is a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to reduce community and gun violence in Chicago. They combine private resources with expertise in social policy and evaluation to identify, fund, and evaluate anti violence strategies that lead to a sustainable reduction in violence for individuals and communities most affected by gun violence and poverty.
Girls 4 Science
Girls 4 Science: Girls 4 Science is a nonprofit organization dedicated to exposing girls in Chicago, ages 10-18 years old, to (STEM) science, technology, engineering and math.
G-PAC
G-PAC: The Gun Violence Prevention Political Action Committee (G-PAC) was founded to counter the political influence of the gun industry and their lobby in Springfield. G-PAC raises the resources necessary to protect and elect public officials with the courage to stand up to the gun lobby.
Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign: The Human Rights Campaign envisions a world where every member of the LGBTQ family has the freedom to live their truth without fear, and with equality under the law. We empower our 3 million members and supporters to mobilize against attacks on the most marginalized people in our community.
Human Rights First
Human Rights First: Human Rights First is an independent advocacy and action organization that challenges America to live up to its ideals. We believe American leadership is essential in the global struggle for human rights, so we press the U.S. government and private companies to respect human rights and the rule of law. When they fail, we step in to demand reform, accountability and justice. Around the world, we work where we can best harness American influence to secure core freedoms.
Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence
Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence: The Gun Violence Prevention Education Center (GPEC) and the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence (ICHV) are combining forces to be a preeminent leader in the fight to reduce death and injury caused by gun violence in Illinois through education, research, organizing, and enforcement around public policy. We are preparing to maximize impact by organizing operations, identifying strengths, and strategically expanding the gun violence prevention (GVP) efforts already in progress.
Instituto Chicago
Instituto Chicago: Our mission is to contribute to the fullest development of Latino immigrants and their families through education, training and employment that fosters full participation in the changing United States society while preserving cultural identity and dignity.
International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago
ILCC: The International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago (ILCC) is a Pan-Latino, 501(c)(3) (EIN #36-3580462) nonprofit multidisciplinary arts organization dedicated to developing, promoting and increasing awareness of Latino cultures among Latinos and other communities by presenting a wide variety of art forms including film, music, dance, visual arts, comedy and theater. The ILCC, originally founded as Chicago Latino Cinema, attained not-for-profit status in 1987, at which time it fulfilled its mission of promoting Latino culture primarily through the annual Chicago Latino Film Festival.
Jews & Allies United to End Anti-Semitism
Jews & Allies United to End Anti-Semitism: Jews and Allies United to End Anti-Semitism is a group of people of all ages and from many countries working together as Jews and non-Jews to end anti-Semitism.
Lambda Legal – Illinois
Lambda Legal: Lambda Legal is the oldest and largest national legal organization whose mission is to achieve full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights: This coalition of over 200 organizations is dedicated to “promoting and protecting the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States.” They cover a wide range of topics, from Immigrant Rights to Justice Reform, and are focused on making this country more equitable for all. Click the link above to donate and support.
LVEJO
LVEJO: The mission of LVEJO is to organize with our community to accomplish environmental justice in Little Village and achieve the self-determination of immigrant, low-income, and working-class families.
Midwest SOARRING Foundation
Midwest SOARRING FOUNDATION: Midwest SOARRING (Save Our Ancestors Remains & Resources Indigenous Network Group) Foundation was formed in November of 1996. Our mission is to offer assistance, when asked, as a facilitator to the tribes regarding repatriation concerns, educate the public about various American Indian cultural issues, environmental issues, and build community among all people.
Minority Rights Group
Minority Rights Group: Minority Rights Group International campaigns worldwide with around 150 partners in over 50 countries to ensure that disadvantaged minorities and indigenous peoples, often the poorest of the poor, can make their voices heard.
Moms Demand Action
Moms Demand Action: Moms Demand Action is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. We pass stronger gun laws and work to close the loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families. We also work in our own communities and with business leaders to encourage a culture of responsible gun ownership. We know that gun violence is preventable, and we’re committed to doing what it takes to keep families safe.
MPower Change
MPower Change: This grassroots rooted in Muslim communities, works digitally and in the field to fight for racial, social, and economic justice. From their website: “We are building a mass movement of U.S. Muslims and allies prepared to win a future free from Islamophobia and White Supremacy.” Click the link above to learn how you can take part, join, and donate.
Mujeres Latinas en Acción
Mujeres Latinas en Acción: Mujeres Latinas en Acción (Mujeres), a bilingual/bicultural agency, empowers Latinas by providing services which reflect their values and culture and being and advocate on the issues that make a difference in their lives.
MuslimARC
MuslimARC: MuslimARC is an human rights education organization. Our work consists of raising awareness and training Muslim communities on issues of racial justice. In order to uproot racism, we focus on developing and delivering education on internalized, interpersonal, and institutional racism. While the majority of our members are currently in the United States, we stand in solidarity with oppressed people and incorporate global voices because our community is cosmopolitan, reflecting transnational identities with local particularities. In our trainings and workshops, MuslimARC addresses both personal and systemic racism.
Muslim Legal Fund of America
Muslim Legal Fund of America: Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) is a charity that funds legal work and programs to defend Muslims against injustice in American courtrooms, prisons, and communities. Muslim Legal Fund of America is the ONLY national tax-exempt nonprofit legal fund dedicated to defending Muslims’ civil rights and liberties at the federal level.
NAACP
NAACP: One of the oldest and most essential social justice organizations in the United States, the NAACP strives to “secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.” In particular, their Vision Statement is extremely prudent in this current climate: “The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race.” We hope you’ll consider joining, assisting, and donating as much as you are able.
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Center for Transgender Equality: The National Center for Transgender Equality advocates to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people. In the nation’s capital and throughout the country, NCTE works to replace disrespect, discrimination, and violence with empathy, opportunity, and justice.
Native American Rights Fund
Native American Rights Fund: Since 1970, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) has provided legal assistance to Indian tribes, organizations, and individuals nationwide who might otherwise have gone without adequate representation. NARF has successfully asserted and defended the most important rights of Indians and tribes in hundreds of major cases, and has achieved significant results in such critical areas as tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, natural resource protection, and Indian education.
RAICES
RAICES:The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services is a non for profit dedicated to free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant and refugee communities. They are Texas based but work on a national level. From their website: “We defend the rights of immigrants and refugees, empower individuals, families, and communities, and advocate for liberty and justice.” You can click the link to learn more, and find ways you can donate during this time.
RefugeeOne
RefugeeOne: RefugeeOne creates opportunity for refugees fleeing war, terror, and persecution to build new lives of safety, dignity, and self-reliance.
Rehab Spot
Many people have experienced new addictions over the past year in themselves or someone they know. Rehab Spot is a completely free web guide that helps empower people to break free of a wide array of addictions.
Sarah’s Circle
Sarah’s Circle: Sarah’s Circle is a non-profit organization with a mission of serving women who are homeless or in need of a safe space. Located in Chicago’s Uptown community, Sarah’s Circle has provided support for thousands of women since 1979.
Special Olympics
Special Olympics: The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
Strides for Peace
Strides for Peace: Strides for Peace believes that everyone has a stake in ending gun violence and that communities have the answers. Their work is centered around harnessing the power of community organizations and providing new pathways for people who care to get involved.
Transgender Community & Substance Abuse
Transgender Community & Substance Abuse: Provided by Sunshine Behavioral Health, this webpage provides information regarding issues of addiction within the transgender community, information on treatment, and a collection of resources and helplines.
Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund
Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund: Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund is committed to ending discrimination based upon gender identity and expression and to achieving equality for transgender people through public education, test-case litigation, direct legal services, and public policy efforts.
Transgender Media Portal
Transgender Media Portal: The Transgender Media Portal aims to make audiovisual work by trans, Two Spirit, nonbinary, intersex, and gender-nonconforming people more available to artists, activists, festival programmers, researchers, instructors, and the public.
Trans Lifeline
Trans Lifeline: Trans Lifeline is a grassroots hotline and microgrants 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis – for the trans community, by the trans community.
Trans Women of Color Collective
Trans Women of Color Collective: Trans Women of Color Collective (TWOCC) was created to cultivate economic opportunities and affirming spaces for trans people of color and our families, to foster kinship, build community engage in healing and restorative justice through arts, culture, media, advocacy and activism.
UNESCO
UNESCO: UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture. UNESCO’s programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in Agenda 2030, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Learn about the Holocaust. Remember Survivors & Victims. Confront Genocide & Antisemitism.