Chance the Rapper’s non-profit SocialWorks just dropped $500,000 into five Chicago Public Schools to expand career and technical education. From barbering to digital media, the next wave of CPS talent is getting real resources for real futures.
Chance Keeps Giving Back
Chicago’s own SocialWorks (founded by Chance the Rapper) announced a fresh investment in local students this August: $100,000 grants to five CPS high schools—$500K total. The schools tapped for the latest cohort are Dunbar Vocational High School, Walter H. Dyett High School for the Arts, Manley Career Academy High School, Prosser Career Academy, and Simeon Career Academy. The reveal went down at Simeon with Chance pulling up in person.
The move is part of SocialWorks’ New Chance Fund, a grant program run with CPS and the Children First Fund that backs enrichment during the school day. CPS confirmed the five-school, $500K package, and outlets across the city covered the moment at Simeon’s career campus and barbering lab. Chicago Sun-Times and CBS Chicago both reported the $100K grants for each school.
“This funding is about creating real pathways from the classroom to careers.”
Where the Money’s Going
Each $100K grant is designed to grow programs that lead directly to skills, credentials, and jobs. Per SocialWorks’ announcement of the Cohort 4 schools, that includes:
- Skilled trades (e.g., carpentry and other CTE pathways)
- Arts & digital media (creative tech, production, and content skills)
- Culinary arts (equipment, supplies, and hands-on training)
- Cosmetology & barbering (stateboard-ready skills and real shop experience)
See SocialWorks’ cohort details and how each school plans to use funds here: Cohort 4 overview. And for the broader program design, SocialWorks explains how the New Chance Fund supports school-day enrichment with implementation help from Children First Fund: Support CPS / New Chance Fund.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t a one-off. Since 2017, SocialWorks’ New Chance Fund has funneled millions into CPS schools to shore up arts, literacy, and career-connected learning. The organization notes it has raised $5.1M+ for CPS initiatives since launch—part of a longer arc that started with Chance’s early donations and community partnerships. (SocialWorks; see also early coverage via ABC7, 2017.)
Bottom line: these grants back programs that turn talent into credentials—industry-recognized certs, portfolio work, and work-based learning that can translate to a paycheck. It’s access, not just charity.
Why It Matters for Chicago
When schools on the South and West Sides get equipment, mentors, and real-world practice, it closes the distance between what students learn and what the city needs—barbers and stylists, line cooks and chefs, carpenters and coders, editors and creators. That’s how you keep Chicago’s creative and economic engine running—by investing in the pipeline.
Fast Facts
- Who: Chance the Rapper’s non-profit SocialWorks + CPS + Children First Fund
- What: Five $100K grants ($500K total) for career-connected learning
- When: Announced August 2025 at Simeon Career Academy
- Where: Dunbar, Dyett, Manley, Prosser, Simeon
- Why: Create “real pathways from the classroom to careers” in trades, arts/digital media, culinary, and cosmetology/barbering
- Context: SocialWorks’ New Chance Fund has invested $5.1M+ in CPS since 2017
