Harper Court Arts Council

Background

In 2008, with assets from the sale of the Harper Court shopping center, the Harper Court Arts Council was founded as a grant making 501(c)(3) foundation with the dual purposes of supporting the arts and economic development within the geographic boundaries of Chicago's Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhoods, defined as 47th Street to 59th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue to the Lakefront.

As of 2022, HCAC has made grants totaling more than $1.28 million to 36 organizations with a particular focus on projects that enhance cultural programming and services for children and youth or stimulate economic development and community diversity.
 

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Board of Directors
President               Addison Braendel, Partner, Baker McKenzie  
Treasurer                Mary Anton, Board Member of Hyde Park School of Dance and Court Theater
Secretary               Barbara Koenen Founder + Director, Creative Chicago Reuse Exchange

Marlies Carruth, Senior Program Officer, MacArthur Foundation

Nathan Decety, Accenture

Kenneth Grant, President, Grant Construction, Inc

Paula Jones, Director of Operations, St. Thomas the Apostle Parish; Board Member, Hyde Park Jazz Fest

Jacob Rosenbacher, Fastly

​​Paul Sauerteig, Goldberg Kohn

Gregory Smith, Director of Partnerships, Hyde Park Art Center
Jesse Berns-Zieve, student, University of Chicago

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as of August 2025