Chance The Rapper Raises Over $2 Million For Chicago Public Schools

Christopher Polk/Getty

Chance The Rapper Raises Over $2 Million For Chicago Public Schools

Christopher Polk/Getty

Back in March, Chance The Rapper pledged to donate $1 million to help fund the Chicago Public Schools system. And yesterday, during an event at the Harold Washington Cultural Center, as ABC 7 Chicago reports, he was joined by 20 CPS principals to announce that his SocialWorks nonprofit has raised $2.2 million for arts education programs through the New Chance Arts & Literature Fund.

“Funding for public schools is the single most important investment a community can make,” he said. “As a parent and proud product of CPS, I’m committed to helping Chicago’s children have quality learning experiences that include the arts. Over the past month, I’ve crisscrossed the city, from Chatham to Chinatown, Humboldt Park to Hyde Park, visiting students and one thing is clear: if we invest in Chicago’s children, we’ll change the world.”

Selected based on need, budgetary restriction, and the innovation of their individual principals, each school will receive $100,000 over the next three years, with budgeting and staffing and guidance provided by CPS and the education advocacy organization Ingenuity.

In other Chance news, NBC 5 Chicago reports that he’ll manning the grills at the grand opening of a new Nando’s Peri-Peri chicken at Lake Street and Michigan Avenue on Tuesday. All proceeds from sales between 9/5 and 9/7 will go to Chance’s SocialWorks charity. “Nando’s has a history of supporting public schools and community non-profits when they open new restaurants, which I really admire,” Chance said in a statement. “Besides, they make damn good chicken, so I hope everyone will come out and eat some peri-peri chicken and help us raise money for SocialWorks.”

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