For almost 50 years, Links Hall has been a lifeline of the Chicago independent performance ecosystem. We are one of the very few accessible and reliable multi-disciplinary performance, theater, and dance spaces for independent artists to experiment with, incubate, rehearse, and produce their work. Artists depend on us to be here and Chicago depends on us, too.

We are now asking our community to be our lifeline.

Links Hall, like many small arts nonprofits, has been in an increasingly precarious financial position since the start of 2020. With COVID support funds ending last year, drastic shifts in the Chicago arts funding climate, the recession, and a potential space change down the line, the organization is struggling to continue operating with its current business model and is in urgent need of a transformation.

This fall, an unexpected and sudden funding cut put us in an even more vulnerable financial position, prompting us to ask for your immediate support.

We know that these types of campaigns are a last resort and Links has reached that point.

We also know that you only get one chance to do a fundraising campaign like this to save an organization, so we want to make this count. We are not fundraising for a “band-aid” amount that would help us get by but could potentially return us to a similar position in the future. We are fundraising for an amount that will:

stabilize the organization
ensure our long-term commitments to artists
build the launch pad we need to respond to our conditions and evolve our business model

Butterfly from the chrysalis. Phoenix from the ashes. Hail Mary pass completed.

We are calling in all of Links Hall’s community– from 2024 to 1978– to help us spread the word of this campaign.

Please share our campaign online via social media and email. Please share your “Links Story” along with it. Links has almost 50 years of culture, relationships, experimentation, expression, and support. This organization is the plankton that feeds the Chicago performance community. It is essential.

The bravest thing we can do right now is ask for help. To ask our community to carry us forward.

We believe we can reach this 350K goal (and beyond).

Will you join us?

Donation Levels

This campaign is our primary fundraising effort for the fiscal year.

For annual donors, we encourage you to give to this campaign and ask you to consider a one-time stretch amount.
For individuals, please give what you can and consider a one-time stretch amount for Links. At least $50, if possible. $500 would be amazing. We accept and deeply appreciate ANY amount.
For large donations over $1000 please donate via zelle to Mario@linkshall.org.

Please send any checks to Links Hall, 3111 N. Western Ave, Chicago IL 60640.

If your employer has a matching program or employee giving program, please use it to donate to Links Hall via this campaign.

This is an ALL IN moment.

Links Community in Strategic Action

We recently received an Arts Work Fund grant to address these challenges via community-centered strategic planning for the organization. We put a call out to the Links community, past and present. Between our Town Hall and Community Circle, 100 Links supporters reached out to us hoping to participate. Our first Town Hall and Community Circle meeting took place earlier this month and the energy is galvanizing. We are activating the Links community to help us vision this essential organization into its next chapter.

FUNDS - Transparency

Here is a brief breakdown of how we plan to use the funds:

100K – Pay off our line of credit and renew it as a tool for 2 more years.

105K – Replenish our cash reserves to be invested.

100K – 3 months of operating expenses

42K – 7 months’ rent

Context/Financial Story of How We Got Here

40th Season:

This story begins with the successful 40th anniversary season in 2018-2019. The previous leadership and Board at that time made Links Hall completely rent-free for artists that year. They fundraised like hell, and as a result, tons and tons of artists were able to do shows that year. At times, there were 5,6,7 different shows happening each week. The season was a wonderful success and a capstone for the previous ED’s tenure in the role, which had been planned. After her transition, though, Links experienced a full staff turnover. There were many reasons for this, but the biggest takeaway from the Board at the time was burnout.

Pandemic + Pay Equity:

As the Links Board brought in a new Executive Director, they committed to more livable wages and workloads. They hired a new full staff and then the pandemic hit. Amidst this worldwide crisis, Links was nimble. We turned our space into a film studio and created many opportunities for artists to make work and get it seen. The Board made a value-aligned decision to not fire anyone and this was supported by PPP loans. At a time when everything was shrinking, Links doubled down on their commitment to pay equity. Over the course of a couple years, the organization raised staff salaries, increased artist payments, added staff capacity (PT General Manager and contract grant writing support), and provided travel stipends for residency artists traveling from the south and west sides. These changes increased the Links budget substantially and the leadership knew this was a healthy size for Links to ethically operate and thrive. Foundations supported our commitment to pay equity.

Deficit + Campaign:

This larger organizational budget size created a deficit that the Board plugged with cash reserves while planning to launch an aggressive fundraising campaign to raise 750K in two years. This would give Links a 5 year runway to grow into this new size, building up the fundraising capacity and resources to operate at this budget level. We also received a large line of credit, backed by the MacArthur Foundation to support our efforts.

Sudden Executive Director Change:

As the campaign was gearing up to launch, the Executive Director left for a position on the east coast in May 2023. The move was due to personal circumstances, the Board appreciated her work keeping Links alive in the pandemic, and she parted on good terms. However, this change significantly delayed the timeline of the campaign, as the organization needed to conduct a new Executive Director search. During this time, the Board of Directors made the difficult choice to pass a large deficit for FY24 to make space to keep staff, get a new ED in the door, and launch this campaign.

New ED + Potential Space Change:

By November 2023, the new and current ED, SK Kerastas was in the door. Soon after, we learned that the building’s owner (and our partner over the years) was looking to potentially make a transition with the building in the coming years. This brought a new question into the picture around space. We folded this issue into our campaign and sought funds to support strategic planning around it. In May 2024, we launched the silent phase of our previously-planned campaign and by October 2024, we had 41.5% of our first year goal committed.

Arts Funding Crisis:

Despite campaign efforts going well and the energy of a new ED, Links received several funding blows this past year that put the organization in an even more precarious cash flow position. We laid off one of our employees to address our cash flow issue, but then we received news of yet another funding cut, this time a general operating grant that we were counting on (we had received this grant every year for 7+ years), which threw us into a dire cash flow situation. We had planned to go public once we reached 50% of the campaign, but we realized we had to pivot and go public immediately if we were going to be successful.

Lifeline for Links Campaign Launch:

One of the reasons Links has stayed alive for this long (unlike many of its peers from 1978) is because of its ability to adapt, innovate, and change. Each previous leadership has played a huge part in those evolutions. If we are going to continue to breathe life into the performance culture of Chicago, we have to face these conditions with innovative thinking, collectivity, and a willingness to change.

Links has stayed vibrant for so long because of its ability to innovate and change. This moment isn't just about sustaining Links as it has been, but asking our community near and far to help us respond to our conditions and evolve. We are taking this big step with transparency, openness, and excitement about what is possible

Thank you so much for your time, attention, and support.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to Executive Director, SK Kerastas for further connection: sk@linkshall.org.

Lifeline for Links

By Links Hall Incorporated

Lifeline for Links