Innovation 80
Innovation 80 is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit grantmaker that funds small arts nonprofits serving underserved communities, operating a signature CoGen intergenerational arts program alongside apprenticeship, photography, and gallery initiatives, and is transitioning to 'Innovation 80 2.0' under new executive leadership in 2025.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Innovation 80 does
Innovation 80 is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit grantmaking organization founded in February 2020 by Arnie Kanter, Carol Kanter, and Janis Mendelsohn — three Brandeis classmates. The organization functions as a 'mutual fund' for small Chicago arts nonprofits, distributing funds exclusively to invited 501(c)(3) arts organizations (with organizational budgets not exceeding $2 million) that serve disadvantaged populations. It began by supporting four arts organizations in 2020 and has grown to fund over fifty, raising more than $2.5 million cumulatively over five years. Its signature initiative, CoGen (Connecting Generations through the Arts), launched in 2023 and has funded 52 intergenerational projects across 26 organizations, pairing youth (25 and under) with seniors (55 and older) for collaborative artmaking, oral history, music, theater, and visual arts.
The core product is a portfolio of grant programs and support services — primarily CoGen Grants, plus an Apprenticeship Program (placing ChiArts graduates with grantees), FreshLens Event Photography funding, and since July 2025 the Innovation 80 Lounge & Gallery at Impact House. Donations are accepted via credit card (Salesforce portal), check, donor-advised funds (housed at The Chicago Community Foundation), stock, and wire transfers. The technology stack is minimal and non-proprietary: a Squarespace website, Salesforce donation processing, and organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram). Key institutional partners include The Chicago Community Foundation (fiscal host), The Elizabeth Louise Smith Fund (joint funder), Springboard Foundation (grantee pipeline), ChiArts Foundation (apprentice pipeline), FreshLens, Field Foundation, and The Amadeus Foundation in Medellin.
The business model is philanthropic: 100% of inflows are donations and philanthropic contributions, and 100% of outflows are grants. The organization charges nothing for its services and operates with a small staff of 1–10 employees. In 2025, founders announced a transition to 'Innovation 80 2.0' under incoming leaders H.R. Reynolds (Harvard MBA, ex-McDonald's, CPA) and Lenese Reynolds (national S.T.E.A.M. consultancy founder, CSO/Shedd Aquarium advisory boards), signaling a capacity-building phase. Geographic reach is intentionally constrained to Chicago.
Innovation 80 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Innovation 80
- Legal name
- Innovation 80
- Website
- https://innovation80.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Innovation 80 is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit grantmaker that funds small arts nonprofits serving underserved communities, operating a signature CoGen intergenerational arts program alongside apprenticeship, photography, and gallery initiatives, and is transitioning to 'Innovation 80 2.0' under new executive leadership in 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Innovation 80 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Arts Philanthropy and Grantmaking
- NAICS
- Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Arts, Culture & Creative Learning for Seniors (Music, writing, crafts) (EDAAAMAI)
Keywords
Where Innovation 80 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Innovation 80 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Philanthropic Contributions: Innovation 80 raises funds through donations from individuals and institutional partners. In five years since inception, they have raised over $2.5 million to further their mission of supporting Chicago arts organizations.
- Grants to Nonprofit Organizations: The organization distributes grants to eligible Chicago nonprofit organizations focused on arts and culture, with a current exclusive focus on CoGen (intergenerational) programs. Grants are used for specific projects that benefit disadvantaged populations and involve intergenerational participants.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Innovation 80 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Innovation 80 is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit grantmaking organization that distributes funds to small arts organizations serving underserved populations, with an exclusive current focus on CoGen (intergenerational) arts programs connecting youth and seniors. The organization operates as a donor-advised fund housed at The Chicago Community Foundation and raises donations through multiple channels to redistribute as grants.
Product overview
Innovation 80 is a philanthropic foundation offering a unified portfolio of grant programs, donations, and support services for Chicago arts organizations. Its core product is the CoGen (Connecting Generations) grant program, which funds intergenerational arts collaborations between youth and seniors in underserved communities. Additional offerings include an Apprenticeship Program connecting grantees with ChiArts graduates, FreshLens Event Photography opportunities for grantees, and the Innovation 80 Lounge & Gallery showcasing grantee artwork. The organization accepts donations via multiple channels including credit card, check, donor advised fund, and stock transfers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CoGen: Innovation 80's CoGen (Connecting Generations through the Arts) initiative supports projects that intentionally encourage younger and older participants in underserved Chicago communities to create art together and mentor each other.
Products and services
- CoGen Grants Primary grant program funding intergenerational arts projects connecting youth (25 and under) with seniors (55 and older) at Chicago-based 501(c)(3) arts nonprofits that serve disadvantaged populations.
- Charitable Donation Program Charitable giving program accepting tax-deductible donations from individuals and institutional partners via credit card, check, donor advised fund, and stock/cash wire transfer to support Innovation 80's grantmaking mission.
- Apprenticeship Program Support service offering grantees the opportunity to choose a recent ChiArts graduate to serve as a part-time apprentice, with Innovation 80 providing the stipend.
- Innovation 80 Lounge & Gallery Community gallery space at Impact House in Chicago showcasing CoGen artwork by Innovation 80 grantees, located at Madison and Wells in Impact House coworking community.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $2.5 million raised in five years to support Chicago arts organizations
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Innovation 80
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Innovation 80 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Innovation 80 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Impact HousecoreIn July 2025, through a connection from the Field Foundation, Innovation 80 entered a partnership with Impact House to designate one of its community rooms as The Innovation 80 Lounge & Gallery. Impact House is a coworking community founded by Israel Idonije to support Chicago's mission-driven funders and changemakers.
- Springboard FoundationcoreSpringboard's mission is to give grants to very small start-up organizations, usually supporting them for a five-year cycle. They notify Innovation 80 of arts organizations completing their fifth year so Innovation 80 can consider funding them. MUSIC Inc. was the first graduate selected.
- ChiArts FoundationminorInnovation 80 offers grantees the opportunity to choose a recent graduate of ChiArts to serve as a part-time apprentice. ChiArts advertises for applicants who are interviewed and selected by the grantee; Innovation 80 provides a stipend.
- FreshLensminorFreshLens teaches photography to teens in underserved communities and conducted an advanced course in event photography. Innovation 80 offers funding to its grantees to hire FreshLens graduates to photograph their events.
- The Amadeus FoundationminorInnovation 80 has become 'sisters' with The Amadeus Foundation, an organization in Medellin, Colombia that has been teaching children music for thirty years. Innovation 80 hopes to connect Amadeus Foundation students with Chicago students engaged by similar arts organizations.
- Ignition Community Glass and Storycatchers TheatreminorInnovation 80 sparked Ignition Community Glass to partner with Storycatchers Theatre to create a summer program for Storycatchers youth to be introduced to basics of glass blowing.
- The Kedzie Center and 2nd StoryminorInnovation 80 convened a mental health clinic (The Kedzie Center) to partner with 2nd Story to engage DACA students to tell their stories. Innovation 80 funded the initiative.
- Green Star Movement and North Lawndale Pop-Up SpotminorGreen Star Movement partnered with North Lawndale's Pop-Up Spot to create a mosaic statue serving as a Welcome sign. Innovation 80 is funding the project.
- MUSIC Inc. and Stone TempleminorInnovation 80 introduced MUSIC Inc. to Stone Temple, which agreed to house their new Suzuki violin program beginning fall 2022.
- ReinventAbilityminorInnovation 80 encouraged ReinventAbility to spearhead DisFest, an initiative for an annual festival featuring arts by people with disabilities.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Innovation 80 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Chicago Community Trust: One of the largest community foundations in the U.S., housing Innovation 80's donor-advised fund. Operates at substantially larger scale but in the same Chicago arts and culture funding ecosystem.
- The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity, and the Arts (Prince): MacArthur Foundation's arts program in Chicago is referenced in Innovation 80's advisor bios. A substantially larger incumbent in the same Chicago arts-funding space, providing multi-year general operating and program grants to major cultural institutions.
Direct peers
- The Elizabeth Louise Smith Fund: Chicago philanthropic fund that has jointly funded Innovation 80's grantees since 2021. Operates with a similar focus on small Chicago arts organizations serving underserved communities.
- Lloyd A. Fry Foundation: Chicago foundation focused on education, arts, and economic development, with explicit priority on serving Chicago's underserved communities. Comparable mission and Chicago-only geographic scope.
- Polk Bros Foundation: Chicago-based foundation that funds arts, education, and human services nonprofits serving Chicago's underserved populations. Comparable grantmaking model, geography, and focus on smaller community-based organizations.
- Prince Charitable Trusts: Family foundation supporting arts, education, and the environment in Chicago and other cities. Comparable arts grantmaking focus on community-based cultural organizations.
- The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation: Chicago-area foundation supporting land conservation, arts, and humanities. Its arts program funds small and mid-sized Chicago arts organizations, closely paralleling Innovation 80's grantmaking focus.
- Springboard Foundation: Chicago foundation providing five-year capacity-building grants to very small startup nonprofits. Direct pipeline partner to Innovation 80 — Springboard notifies Innovation 80 when grantees complete their fifth year.
- Field Foundation of Illinois: A Chicago-based private foundation funding small arts and culture nonprofits serving marginalized communities. Highly comparable to Innovation 80 in mission, geography, and grantee profile; Field Foundation actually facilitated Innovation 80's Impact House partnership.
Regional players
- The Amadeus Foundation: Medellín, Colombia-based foundation teaching music to children for 30 years, described as Innovation 80's 'sister' organization. Operates in the same arts-education space but in a different geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Innovation 80 social profiles
Digital presenceInnovation 80 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Innovation 80 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Innovation 80 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Innovation 80 M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Innovation 80
What does Innovation 80 do?
Innovation 80 is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit grantmaking organization that distributes funds to small arts organizations serving underserved populations, with an exclusive current focus on CoGen (intergenerational) arts programs connecting youth and seniors. The organization operates as a donor-advised fund housed at The Chicago Community Foundation and raises donations through multiple channels to redistribute as grants.
Is Innovation 80 a public or private company?
Innovation 80 is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Innovation 80 founded?
Innovation 80 was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Innovation 80 based?
Innovation 80 is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Innovation 80 make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Philanthropic Contributions are the primary driver. The others are grants to Nonprofit Organizations.
Who are Innovation 80's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Chicago Community Trust and The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity, and the Arts (Prince). Direct peers are The Elizabeth Louise Smith Fund, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Polk Bros Foundation, Prince Charitable Trusts, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Springboard Foundation and Field Foundation of Illinois. The Amadeus Foundation is listed as a regional player.
Does Innovation 80 have an API?
No public API is recorded for Innovation 80.
What industry is Innovation 80 in?
Innovation 80's product category is Arts Philanthropy and Grantmaking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAJ, Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of EDAAAMAI, Arts, Culture & Creative Learning for Seniors (Music, writing, crafts). Its NAICS code is 81321 and its SIC code is 8600.