3rd Ward E-News for 6/11/26

In This Issue

• "The 78" TIF 3rd Ward Town Hall Meeting
• 3rd Ward Free Dog Vaccine Clinic
• 43rd St. Green Line Station Temporary Closure - June 13-15
• Free YMCA Summer Memberships
• Park District to Participate in Summer Food Service Program
• Hyde Park Farmers Market
• Next Stage Chicago Grant Program
• Men's Health Awareness Summit

New Date Announced!!

Now on Thursday, July 9th

43rd St. Green Line Station Temporary Closure - June 13-15

Please be advised that due to stair construction, 43rd Green Line Station will be closed, and Green Line trains will bypass the station in both directions on Saturday, June 13th at 4:30 am to Monday, June 15th at 4:00 am.

Passengers who need to board or exit at the 43rd Station can connect to the Green Line using a bus shuttle between 43rd and Indiana stations. The bus shuttle will operate every 10-15 minutes.

Park District to Participate in Summer Food Service Program

In accordance with the USDA federal regulations, the Chicago Park District will participate in the Summer Food Service Program in conjunction with summer day camp. Lunches and/or snacks will be provided for enrolled children. 

Registration for day camp began April 20, 2026. The Park District encourages community residents to register for summer day camp programs via their website at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com or by calling 312-742-PLAY.

 2026 Next Stage Chicago Program Overview 

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is launching the Next Stage Chicago grant program designed to strengthen Chicago’s producing theater ecosystem. This new special initiative will provide funds to support organizational development and capacity building for emerging producing theater organizations seeking to scale their operations and impact. Through a competitive application process, selected participants will receive grants up to $50,000.

The grantee will be required to use the grants funds in one or more of the following areas and applicants must select their focus area(s) in their application:

• Organizational management
• Marketing and audience development
• Financial planning and development
• Production management
• Strategic planning

For the purposes of this program, an emerging producing theater organization is defined as a Chicago-based nonprofit producing theater organization that has been incorporated for at least three (3) years and no more than ten (10) years, has an adjusted operating budget of $500,000 or less based on its most recently completed fiscal year, demonstrates active theatrical programming and a commitment to producing artistic work, and is actively building its organizational capacity, audience base, and long-term financial sustainability.

The application deadline for Next Stage Chicago is Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. CT. Please email Melissa.Thomfohrda@cityofchicago.org for questions.

 Eligibility Criteria 

To be eligible to apply, organizations must meet the following criteria:

• Be a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.
• Be a resident company in the city of Chicago with a valid street address (P.O. Boxes will not be accepted).
• Be incorporated in the state of Illinois for at least three (3) years and no more than ten (10) prior to applying.
• Have a primary mission to produce and present theater arts.
• Primarily serve the residents of the city of Chicago (demonstrate that, on average, half of all programming occurs within the city of Chicago limits).
• Be able to complete a grant agreement with the City of Chicago.
• Provide evidence of organizational structure, including leadership and governance.
• Align with the program definition of emerging producing theater organization.