What Rebuild Foundation does

Rebuild Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2010 by artist Theaster Gates, operating a constellation of cultural sites on Chicago's South Side focused on art, cultural development, and neighborhood transformation. It stewards a portfolio of Black cultural archives, including the Johnson Publishing Company library (12,000+ volumes), 60,000+ glass lantern slides, the Frankie Knuckles vinyl collection, and the Edward J. Williams Collection (4,000+ artifacts), and operates six integrated sites: the Stony Island Arts Bank (headquarters and archive/exhibition space), The Land School (the recently opened 40,000+ sq ft reconstituted former St. Laurence Elementary School), Kenwood Gardens (community green space with sculpture park and permaculture food forest), Dorchester Art & Housing Collaborative (32-unit arts-focused residential community developed with Chicago Housing Authority), Miyagi Records (creative entrepreneurs-in-residence), and The Listening House / Archive House (vinyl and music/poetry programming). The organization also operates AESOP, an interactive art installation and DJ booth at the 95th/Dan Ryan Red Line station.

Its core 'technology' is physical and programmatic: acquired and renovated real estate converted into cultural infrastructure, archival collections, and free public programming including exhibitions, residencies, classes, grants, and listening hours. The Mellon Archives Innovation Program, launched in August 2022 with a $3.5M Mellon Foundation grant, layers a structured fellowship and archival infrastructure program on top of the physical sites.

The business model is that of a grant-funded nonprofit: revenue is generated through donations from individuals and grants from foundations and corporations (Bloomberg Philanthropies, MacArthur, Ford, Mellon, Kresge, Terra Foundation, Prada Group, Pritzker Traubert, Wallace, Joyce, Chicago Community Trust, JPB, Knight, Rockefeller, NEH, and others). All programming is free to the public; there are no priced products or services. Distribution is direct via its six owned physical sites on Chicago's South Side, with programming marketed through Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, email newsletter, and earned media coverage in outlets including the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Financial Times, Hyde Park Herald, Hube Magazine, and Designboom. The primary customer base is local artists, cultural workers, and community residents on Chicago's South Side, with secondary reach to general public audiences engaging with Black art, culture, and community programming.

Name

Rebuild Foundation

Legal name

Rebuild Foundation

Website

https://rebuild-foundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rebuild Foundation is a Chicago-based nonprofit founded by Theaster Gates in 2010 that operates six cultural sites on the South Side, stewarding Black cultural archives and providing free arts programming, residencies, and exhibitions to local artists and residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts and Cultural Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• Arts and culture programming
• Cultural archive stewardship
• Community arts foundation
• Artist residencies grants
• Black cultural archives

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Revenue is generated through donations from individuals and grants from foundations and corporations. The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rebuild Foundation is a nonprofit platform for art, cultural development, and neighborhood transformation that operates a constellation of physical sites on Chicago's South Side. It delivers free arts and cultural programming including exhibitions, residencies, grants, classes, public events, and access to significant Black cultural archives such as the Johnson Publishing Company library, glass lantern slides, and the Frankie Knuckles vinyl collection.

Product overview

Rebuild Foundation operates a constellation of cultural sites on Chicago's South Side including the Stony Island Arts Bank (cultural archive and exhibition space), The Land School (land stewardship and artistic experimentation facility), Kenwood Gardens (community green space with sculpture park and permaculture food forest), Dorchester Art & Housing Collaborative (arts-focused residential community), and Miyagi Records (music programming). The foundation also maintains extensive archival collections including the Johnson Publishing Company Archive, Frankie Knuckles Vinyl Collection, and Edward J. Williams Collection. Programming includes the Mellon Archives Innovation Program, Listening Hours, and exhibitions. The organization strengthens creative communities through grants, classes, residencies, access to collections, and free public programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mellon Archives Innovation Program: A multifaceted initiative supporting new research, scholarship, and artistic production through engagement with Rebuild Foundation's archival collections housed at the Stony Island Arts Bank.

Products and services

• Stony Island Arts Bank A cultural archive and exhibition space on Chicago's South Side that houses extensive collections including the Johnson Publishing Company library (12,000+ volumes), 60,000+ glass lantern slides, and serves as headquarters for artistic programming and Black archival stewardship; available for free public access during open hours.
• The Land School A 40,000-square-foot space-based project at the former St. Laurence Elementary School proposing a radical model of land stewardship rooted in artistic excellence, creative experimentation, and archival practice. Offers space, time, access, critique, and process-driven programming for artists and cultural workers.
• Kenwood Gardens A community green space on Chicago's South Side transforming vacant lots into hubs for art, sustainable agriculture, and community engagement. Features a sculpture park, artist studios, a permaculture food forest, and hosts educational and cultural events.
• Dorchester Art & Housing Collaborative An arts-focused residential community in Chicago's Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood. Developed with the Chicago Housing Authority, it transformed vacant public housing into space for creativity and community, featuring 32 townhomes with public housing, affordable, and market-rate units.
• Miyagi Records A creative entrepreneurs-in-residence program extending Theaster Gates' philosophy of honoring community cultural legacies through music, education, and gathering. Located at 307 E. Garfield Boulevard in Chicago.
• AESOP (An Extended Song of Our People) Interactive art installation and DJ booth at the 95th/Dan Ryan Red Line station in Chicago. The first active radio and DJ booth in a U.S. rapid transit station, celebrating African American music and culture with local DJs and cultural programming.
• Listening House A cultural space converted from a former candy store, housing over 8,000 vinyl records, hosting music and community events.
• Archive House A converted library and archive space serving as a resource center for music, poetry, and education.
• Mellon Archives Innovation Program A multifaceted initiative supported by a $3.5M Mellon Foundation grant supporting new research, scholarship, and artistic production through engagement with Rebuild Foundation's archival collections at the Stony Island Arts Bank; funds fellows' projects and develops archival infrastructure.
• Johnson Publishing Company Archive Archive spanning seven decades of Black American life, including the Ebony and Jet magazine collections, founded in Chicago in 1942. Houses 12,000 volumes in the reference library, periodicals, furniture, and architectural fragments.
• Glass Lantern Slides Collection Collection of more than 60,000 glass lantern slides housed at the Stony Island Arts Bank.
• Frankie Knuckles Vinyl Collection The personal vinyl collection of Frankie Knuckles, the godfather of house music, housed at the Stony Island Arts Bank.
• Edward J. Williams Collection Collection of approximately 4,000 artifacts representing historical documentation of and reflections on the Black experience in America.
• Listening Hours Regular programming at The Land School featuring listening sessions, music performances, and community gatherings led by artists and cultural workers.

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major.

• Smart Museum of ArtmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosting Theaster Gates' first major solo exhibition 'Unto Thee' (September 2025 - February 2026).
• Chicago Architecture BiennialmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRebuild is participant in CAB's 6th edition 'SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change' with installations at Stony Island Arts Bank through November 2025.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Artspace: National nonprofit developer of artist-led live/work spaces and arts facilities. Comparable to Rebuild's real-estate-driven model that uses adaptive reuse and partnership with housing authorities to create spaces for artists.
• Souls Grown Deep Foundation: Nonprofit focused on stewarding and promoting work by African American artists from the U.S. South, with comparable archival, exhibition, and community-empowerment functions. Closely parallels Rebuild's mission of preserving Black cultural heritage and supporting Black creative practitioners.
• Joan Mitchell Foundation: Artist-endowed foundation supporting individual artists, particularly painters and sculptors, through grants, residencies, and archives. Comparable to Rebuild's grantmaking and residency offerings, particularly through the Mellon Archives Innovation Program.
• Project Row Houses: Artist-led nonprofit in Houston's Third Ward that uses the renovation of historic properties as a platform for Black arts, culture, and neighborhood revitalization. Highly comparable to Rebuild's 'space redemption' approach combining adaptive reuse with cultural programming in disinvested urban communities.
• Laundromat Project: NYC-based nonprofit that brings arts programming into laundromats and everyday neighborhood spaces in communities of color. Comparable to Rebuild in its community-embedded, free arts programming model targeting artists and residents in underserved neighborhoods.
• South Side Community Art Center: Historic Black arts institution on Chicago's South Side (founded 1941) that supports African American artists through exhibitions, classes, and residencies. Directly comparable geographically and mission-wise to Rebuild's local arts programming for Black creators and community.

Broad incumbents

• Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago: Major Chicago contemporary art museum presenting exhibitions, collections, and educational programming. Operates as a broader incumbent in the same Chicago contemporary arts ecosystem where Rebuild's exhibitions and archives participate.
• Studio Museum in Harlem: Premier NYC museum dedicated to supporting artists of African descent through exhibitions, an in-residence program, and permanent collection. Comparable to Rebuild in its mission to advance Black artists, but operates at significantly larger institutional scale.

Others

• Smart Museum of Art: University of Chicago fine arts museum currently hosting Theaster Gates' 'Unto Thee' solo exhibition (September 2025–February 2026). Strategic partner rather than direct competitor; included because it documents Rebuild's institutional standing in the Chicago art ecosystem.

Regional players

• Hyde Park Art Center: Chicago South Side contemporary arts center providing exhibitions, education, and studio programs for local artists. Regional peer to Rebuild's programming with overlapping geographic catchment and artist-development mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rebuildfdn
• Facebookfacebook.com/rebuildfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/rebuild_foundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rebuild-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rebuild Foundation