Inaugural F.A.I.R. Fund Grants Awarded in Honor of Iris Krieg

Promoting Equity through the F.A.I.R. Fund

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In 2022, Bright Promises made the inaugural grants through the Iris Krieg Fund for Fairness, Access, Inclusion, and Resiliency (Iris Krieg F.A.I.R. Fund). This special fund created in honor of recently retired Executive Director, Iris Krieg, supports programs where youth are actively engaged in working for social justice and the equitable treatment for themselves and others. Through this fund, each year Bright Promises Foundation selects two organizations to receive one-time, grants of $20,000 each.  F.A.I.R. Fund grants support programs that engage youth to stand against discrimination of all kinds and promote equity for all.

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The inaugural recipients of the F.A.I.R. Fund grants were selected because they are youth-led and youth are actively engaged in advocacy and/or activism. The grants support social justice programs rooted in the four core tenets of this fund: fairness, access, inclusion, and resiliency.  

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About the 2022 F.A.I.R. Fund Grant Recipients

Theater Y

‍Theatre Y’s mission is to produce community-centered original works of theatre that revitalize North Lawndale and provide safe spaces for social & cultural diffusion. Theatre Y participates in people’s lives in ways that matter, here and now. Rather than telling stories about a community, we seek to participate in our community’s story, working with youth, the elderly, educators, local businesses, and community advocates to share their stories and interrupt the cycle of violence permeating North Lawndale. Theatre Y serves to manifest imagined realities to better understand our shared humanity.  

The F.A.I.R. Fund grant will enhance their youth-led initiative by enabling Theater Y to compensate the youth for their mentorship experience, bring in additional mentors thereby improving our teacher-to-student ratios, and enable us to have additional performance opportunities at the conclusion of each season.

Firebird Community Arts

Firebird Community Arts (Firebird/FCA) empowers and connects people through the healing practice of glassblowing and ceramics. FCA primarily serves populations that have been impacted by collective or individual trauma, including violently injured youth, formerly incarcerated individuals, and CPS neighborhood school students. FCA provides access to glassblowing and ceramics, a safe space, linkages to wrap-around services, and professional and educational pathways in the arts.

The F.A.I.R. Fund grant will  allow FCA to expand its trauma-informed arts programming in the rarefied artforms of glassblowing and ceramics to younger ages (9-14). Funding will support the planning and piloting of this program. This program was conceived in direct response to the goals and desires of current participants.

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About the Iris Krieg Fund for Fairness, Access, Inclusion, and Resiliency (The F.A.I.R. Fund)

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Throughout her life and career in philanthropy, Iris Krieg has been committed to eliminating the barriers of social inequity, especially for children and youth. She has championed the idea that youth are change-makers and it is our responsibility as adults to pave the way for them.
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This Fund created in Iris’s honor is a celebration of her impact and her lasting legacy. Grants will support youth as they work for social justice and equitable treatment for themselves and others, while developing their own leadership skills. Eligible organizations will be direct-service providers where youth are actively engaged and directly involved in social justice work.


Grants will support social justice programs rooted in the four core tenets of this fund: fairness, access, inclusion, and resiliency.  
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1. ‍Fairness - A society rooted in justice where all young people are treated as they deserve.
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2. ‍Access - A society where all young people have equal and equitable opportunities and where any actual or potential barriers preventing equitable participation are removed.
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3. Inclusion - A society that eliminates all forms of exclusion and discrimination and seeks, develops, and values the talents of all young people.
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4. Resiliency - A society where young people are taught the skills to navigate life successfully and to thrive under any circumstances.
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In 2022, grants focused on the issues of reproductive health, youth mental health, disability inclusion, and addressing youth trauma through the arts.

Friends of Iris

Thank you to this special committee of Iris'  friends, family, and colleagues without whom this special fund would not be possible.
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Sunny Fischer, co-chair
Francia Harrington, co-chair‍

Marjorie Craig Benton
Shelley Davis
Tina Erickson
Gaylord Gieseke
Ed Hamburg
Stacey Poland Hamburg
Jim Hardy
Lauren Krieg
Marcena Love
K. Sujata
Gigi Pritzker

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How to Apply

501c3 organizations serving youth in the Metropolitan Chicago Area where youth are actively engaged inworking for social justice and the equitable treatment for themselves and others are eligible to apply for the Iris Krieg F.A.I.R. Fund. To apply, read the guidelines and complete the application form.

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Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis. The deadline to be considered for a 2023 F.A.I.R. Fund grant is Friday, September 1. Any proposals received after this date will be considered the following funding cycle.

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