Data Snapshot: Residency Program Costs & Teaching Artist Compensation

Introduction

The history of arts partnerships with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is a compelling journey of collaboration aimed at enriching student experiences through the power of creativity and community connections. These partnerships began as modest initiatives to complement arts curriculum with partner programming, often driven by passionate educators and local arts organizations. Over time, they have evolved into more sophisticated alliances, reflecting a deepened understanding of the role that arts education partnerships play in fostering high-quality arts programming rooted in the community.

Currently, the landscape of arts partnerships with CPS schools is marked by diversity and innovation. These collaborations vary significantly, depending on the specific needs and resources of individual schools and the artistic disciplines involved. For instance, there are no universal benchmarks for evaluating the financial aspects of these partnerships, including program costs or Teaching Artist (TA) pay. Instead, each partnership is shaped by its unique context—whether it’s the type of art being taught, the school’s demographics, or the goals of the collaboration.

The lack of a standardized template presents both opportunities and challenges. Schools and arts organizations must navigate a range of factors, including budget constraints, programmatic objectives, and stakeholder engagement. Consequently, partnerships can differ greatly, from large-scale residencies with artists to smaller, community-driven projects.

Understanding the current landscape requires an appreciation for this diversity and a flexible approach to measuring success. As arts partnerships with CPS schools continue to evolve, they remain a vital component in enhancing educational experiences and fostering a culture of creativity within the city.

Purpose

The purpose of this Data Snapshot is to provide an initial understanding of residency program costs and Teaching Artist compensation within Chicago’s arts education sector. This Data Snapshot provides an overview of residency program costs and Teaching Artist compensation based on applications from the 2023-24 Creative Schools Fund Partnerships grant cycle. Schools could request funding up to a total of $10,000 for the spring to support a partnership with an arts organization, including costs for arts partner services (arts programming and consulting support), teacher planning, program supplies, and field trips.

As part of the application, arts partner organizations submitted hourly rates for Teaching Artist planning and implementation. Data from 143  completed applications were used, with responses anonymized and reported in aggregate. 

This Snapshot explores the following data questions:

• What are the costs associated with an arts partnerships residency? How are these costs allocated across categories, such as arts partner services, teacher planning, program supplies, and field trips?
• What is the current landscape of Teaching Artist hourly compensation for planning and implementation?
• How do residency program costs and Teaching Artist compensation rates vary by artistic discipline (e.g., visual arts, music, dance, theatre, media arts, and literary arts)?

Background on the Creative Schools Fund

The role of the Creative Schools Fund is to support increased access to high-quality arts education for every student in every grade through teacher-led arts programs in Chicago Public Schools. The Fund is the largest philanthropic investment for the arts, and it is directly invested in schools each year. It’s supported through public and private funding sources from Ingenuity, CPS, and the Mayor’s Office. Over $20M has been invested since 2013 across various granting strategies. Grants prioritize those schools with the least systemic arts access, delivering immediate arts programs to students – and fuel sustainable, long-term increases to arts education access for every student, in every grade. For more information on the Creative Schools Fund, check out Ingenuity’s website. 

The Value of Establishing Benchmarks for Arts Partnerships with CPS Schools

Introducing benchmarks for arts partnerships with CPS could offer substantial benefits, enhancing the effectiveness and impact of these collaborations – especially when considering the financial aspects of partnerships. While the current landscape is characterized by diversity and variability, establishing some clear benchmarks could provide a structured approach to managing, evaluating, and ensuring equity within these partnerships. For instance:

1. Improved Resource Allocation and Increased Accountability: By establishing benchmarks for program costs, TA pay, and other financial aspects, schools and arts organizations can better plan and allocate resources. 
2. Facilitated Collaboration and Scaling: Benchmarks provide a common language and framework, making it easier for schools and arts organizations to collaborate effectively. They also help scale successful programs across schools by leveraging proven practices, ultimately achieving a broader impact.
3. Enhanced Advocacy and Funding Opportunities: Understanding the costs of arts partnerships through established benchmarks can strengthen advocacy efforts and attract funding. When funders and stakeholders have a clear understanding of the financial needs and impact, they are more likely to invest in these programs.

Bridging the Gap: Insights from the Data Snapshot

While the benefits of establishing benchmarks are clear, it’s crucial to recognize the current state of practice in arts residencies. The highly specified and adaptable nature of residencies has allowed teachers and arts partner organizations to tailor their programs to the students they serve. This can be an asset, as every school population, even within schools and between grades, has different needs. While strict guidelines over how residencies are structured could become overly prescriptive and lessen the creativity and adaptability of programs, this Data Snapshot provides valuable insight into what is currently happening in the sector and helps to initiate conversations around guidelines that can help schools and arts partner organizations know what to expect from each other. Understanding the landscape can also help the sector begin to establish some residency baselines to provide equity for the students we serve, as well as pay equity for emerging organizations operating in the sector.

Current Landscape: Residency Program Costs

Applicants for Creative Schools Fund Partnerships grants were asked to submit dollar amounts for each of the following residency program costs, for a total of up to $10,000:

• Partner Services – In-school-time arts programming provided by an arts partner
• Partner Services – Consulting support for professional development; curriculum development; and/or arts integration
• Teacher Planning – Teacher non-instructional extended day pay at $47.88 per hour, including 1.45% added on for benefits
• Field Trips and Experiential Arts Learning
• Program Supplies – Materials and supplies for arts learning (e.g.; art supplies; costumes)
• Program Supplies – Supplies to support culminating school performances; exhibitions; and events
• Program Supplies – Hardware and equipment valued at $500 or more each (e.g.; laptops; iPads; 3D printers)

The summary table below displays the median costs for each residency program budget item, both across all disciplines and within individual programmatic disciplines. The median refers to the middle value in a sorted list, with 50% of the data points falling above and below it. Unlike the mean (the typical average value calculated), the median is less influenced by outliers. 

As you review the summary table, consider the following questions: 

• What does the current landscape of residency program costs look like? 
• How does this differ by artistic discipline? 
• If you work at a school or arts organizations, how do these data points compare to your understanding of residency costs? How can these costs be used to inform budgeting and resource allocation for future programs? Who should see this data?

Programs can vary greatly in the number of weeks of delivery and the minutes of instruction per week. Some proposed programs are six weeks long with one hour of weekly programming, while others are fifteen weeks long with two hours of weekly programming. To facilitate a more apples-to-apples comparison, standardization was performed to explore the average cost for partner services for in-school time arts programming. 

 The following  questions from the application were used for standardization:

• How many minutes of instruction will take place, on average, each week?
• How many weeks will students participate in programming?

From the above questions, the total proposed budget for partner services for in-school time arts programming was standardized on a program-hour basis5. The following table reports these average standardized values:

Explore the data further using the visualization below. This tool provides a distribution of each of the residency program budget items across all and within each specific artistic discipline. Click on different tabs and hover over the bars to get additional information. Please try refreshing the page if the following visualization does not load.

Use this data to inform budgeting and planning for arts residency programs. The data provides a landscape view of potential costs and programming structures, which can help in understanding and managing residency program expenses. 

Current Landscape: Teaching Artist (TA) Compensation

Within the Creative Schools Fund Partnerships grant applications, arts organizations and individual teaching artists were asked to report hourly rates for teaching artist compensation. Specifically:

• What is the hourly rate for the Teaching Artist for planning on this project?
• What is the hourly rate for the Teaching Artist for program implementation on this project? 

The data includes 77 responses from 53 organizations. The table below shows the median hourly rates for TA program planning and implementation across and within different programmatic disciplines. Across all artistic disciplines, the median hourly rate is $30 for planning and $52 for implementation.

Explore the data further using the visualization below. This tool provides a distribution of Teaching Artist compensation across all disciplines and within specific artistic disciplines. Hover over each bar for additional details, including the number of responses and organizations. Please try refreshing the page if the following visualization does not load.

Here are some ways you can leverage the data:

• Understand the Landscape: Review the summary table and explore the data in the interactive visualization. 

• Inform Your Work: Consider how this data can guide your understanding of Teaching Artist compensation. If you are part of an arts organization, how do your rates compare to the data presented? Does your understanding of TA compensation align with these findings? 

• Encourage Dialogue: Who else should see this data? How can this data spark conversations about equity and sustainability in the arts education sector? What role can you play in fostering dialogue among peers and stakeholders about Teaching Artist compensation?

TA Pay Calculator 

To further our analysis, we also referenced the Teaching Artists Guild’s TA Pay Rate Calculator which offers national insight on living wages for teaching artists across U.S. regions. The Calculator factors in information based on elements such as employment type, level of experience, and the size of the hiring organization. According to The Teaching Artist Guild’s Calculator the liveable hourly rate for a Teaching Artist working in Chicago as an independent contractor at a “professional” level, with 0 dependents, should be making an hourly rate of $52.95 and an annual rate of $61,417.  While these numbers do not account for all possible variables, it does provide us with a starting point and some expectations of where the rates land for TA pay.

Based on these data points, The table below compares the hourly rates for Teaching Artists (TAs) from two different sources.

While the Teaching Artist Guild’s Calculator lists an overall hourly rate at $52.95, the median implementation rate from our data closely aligns at $52.

Conclusion

These initial analyses shed light on residency program costs and Teaching Artist compensation, providing an important first look at the current landscape. While this analysis lays the groundwork, further data collection and community engagement are crucial for establishing meaningful benchmarks in the future. These benchmarks will play a vital role in improving resource allocation, increasing accountability, and expanding advocacy and funding opportunities.

Here are some next steps you can take:

• Contribute Data: If you are an arts organization or teaching artist, we invite you to shape future analyses by updating your organization’s artlook® profile and filling out this short Teaching Artist Compensation Survey and Residency Program Costs Survey. We also encourage arts teachers to fill out the Residency Program Costs Survey. The insights you provide will be integral to refining and expanding upon our initial findings and will be incorporated into the next iteration of these analyses. 

• Engage with the Data: Whether you are a school leader, arts teacher, arts organization, teaching artist, or funder, we encourage you to actively engage with this data. Share these insights with relevant stakeholders, discuss their implications, and consider where your school or arts organization stands in terms of current funding or compensation trends. 

By contributing your data and engaging with the findings, you will play a key role in advancing our collective understanding, leading to more effective strategies, stronger partnerships, and increased support for arts education.

Footnotes

1 The figures reported are a sum of all of the following program supplies items: materials and supplies for arts learning; supplies to support culminating school performances, exhibitions, or events; and, hardware and equipment valued at $500 or more each.
2 Literary Arts and Media Arts have been combined in reporting due to the small sample size. In future analyses, Literary Arts and Media Arts will be reported separately if there are more responses.
3 No field trips were reported for Literary Arts and Media Arts programs.
4A program’s discipline is coded as ‘Multidisciplinary’ if a school reported multiple disciplines and also stated that all disciplines have an equal focus.
5 Weekly minutes of instruction were divided by 60 to get the number of program hours per week. This figure was then multiplied by the number of program weeks to determine the total number of programming hours. The budget figure reported for Partner Services – In-school Time Arts Programming was then divided by the total programming hours to get the average cost per program hour.
6 It is possible that schools and arts organizations may supplement or seek additional funding beyond the $10,000 CSF grant for a given residency, which may account for programs that have a high total number of programming hours.
7 Outliers of abnormally high (150 or more) total program hours were removed in this analysis.

Authors

Lead Analyst
Christine Ng, Ingenuity, Data Analyst

Contributors
Courtney Cintrón, Ingenuity, Director of Programs
Ayriole Frost, Ingenuity, Partnerships & Learning Manager
Angela Lin, Ingenuity, Director of Data & Research