The Joyce Foundation

Statement from The Joyce Foundation on the horrific gun violence attacks in Minnesota.

Join us in congratulating the 2024 recipients of the #JoyceAwards: Andrea Assaf with the Arab American National Museum; Marcus Elliot with the Detroit Parks Coalition; Terry Guest with Chicago Children’s Theatre; Katie Ka Vang with Theater Mu; and Edra Soto with The Sculpture Center.  This year’s cohort marks the 20th anniversary of The Joyce Foundation’s annual awards program supporting artists of color in the creation of new, community-centered works with organizational partners across the #GreatLakes region.  Learn more about each recipient’s project at the link in bio. 🔗  🎥: @ArtDocs.TV   #2024JoyceAwardees #GreatLakesArts #ContemporaryArt #ContemporaryArtists #MidwestArt #AndreaAssaf #ArabAmericanNationalMuseum #MarcusElliot #DetroitParksCoalition #TerryGuest #ChicagoChildrensTheatre #KatieKaVang #TheaterMu #EdraSoto #TheSculptureCenter  ID: A compilation of the 2024 Joyce Awardee images and videos. Artists and commissioning institutions explain each of their respective projects.

The Joyce Foundation is saddened to announce the passing of Director Emeritus Carlton L. Guthrie. A Harvard-educated entrepreneur, Carlton passed away on May 9 at age 73 in Chicago. He was a Joyce board member for more than three decades until his retirement in 2022. Born in Atlanta and raised in Gary, Indiana, Carlton was the co-chairman of Detroit Chassis and SPECTRA, LLC, a group of automotive-related companies he founded with his brother, Mike. Carlton was also CEO of Magnys Innovative Solutions, an engineering firm, and co-owner and Board Chairman of HealthCURE. Carlton credited his community-oriented, “can-do” ethos to his parents, Willie and Mary. He was drawn to Joyce’s ambitious mission of improving lives in the Great Lakes region and its willingness to take the lead within philanthropy on supporting issues like gun violence prevention. Among his many affiliations and board memberships, Carlton proudly and notably created the Guthrie Family Scholarship for students in Gary, Indiana and South Haven, Michigan. In addition to the fiscal stewardship and experience he brought to the board, Carlton also brought an unwavering commitment to mentorship, leadership development, and creating equitable opportunities for youth, and especially young boys and men of color in the Great Lakes region. Carlton was an active board member of Concerned Christian Men, which includes as its mission serving as “fathers to the fatherless.” We extend our deepest condolences to Carlton’s wife, Dawn-Marie, his children, Carille and Adam, his grandchildren, and his entire extended family.

We really enjoyed supporting @chicago_women_in_philanthropy ’s 2026 Making A Difference Luncheon! It was a great afternoon of connection and renewed commitment while recognizing transformative leadership and centering opportunities for women and girls across Chicago. We were inspired hearing from Renetta McCann, and congratulations to Making a Difference Award recipient Andrea Sáenz and legacy honoree National Louis University. #Chicago #Philanthropy #Leadership

A heartfelt Thank You to all of our administrative professionals at The Joyce Foundation. We literally couldn’t do it without you! 🎉

The Joyce Foundation and United States Artists are excited to announce new funding opportunities in 2026 and 2027 through the Foundation’s signature Joyce Awards. Administered by United States Artists, the program provides direct support to Great Lakes-based artists and culture bearers whose visionary creative practices meaningfully impact and advance racial equity in their communities. Awardees will receive $100,000 in unrestricted funding and the opportunity to select a Great Lakes organization to receive a $40,000 grant to help realize, expand, or deepen their work in the region. Artists and culture bearers based in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are invited to submit self-nominations now through May 4 for the 2026 cycle. Eligible nominees must be working in the visual and performing arts, film, media and multimedia disciplines, literary arts and/or other traditional, interdisciplinary or community-based cultural practices. Artists can submit a self-nomination directly through the United States Artists website. Eligible nominees will be invited to submit applications, which will be reviewed by a panel of regional and national arts leaders. The 2026 awardees will be announced in Fall 2026. The 2027 cycle will open in Spring 2027 for artists and culture bearers in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. 🔗Review eligibility and submit a self-nomination at the link in our bio! ___ [ID. Black text on a light blue gradient background reads: “Nominations Open Through May 4, 2026. Artists and culture bearers based in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are invited to self-nominate. In partnership with United States Artists.” The Joyce Awards Logo is placed in the top left corner.]

Kudos to the Press Forward Chicago and Press Forward Springfield teams for hosting last week’s Illinois Local News Summit at the Union League Club of Chicago. Our team enjoyed participating in an inspiring day of dialogue with local, regional and national leaders all invested in strengthening and elevating local news in our communities.

Strong local news is essential to civic life and democracy. It's why we invest in initiatives like Press Forward. On #LocalNewsDay, we celebrate the journalists and media leaders nationwide ensuring that communities have trustworthy information. We support many innovative news organizations across the #GreatLakes region, including: Block Club Chicago, Chicago Public Media, WTTW - Chicago PBS, Borderless Magazine, Sahan Journal, MinnPost, Outlier Media, Bridge Michigan, Capital-B Gary, Wisconsin Watch, and Madison365. We commit to many others through the Institute for Nonprofit News' annual NewsMatch fundraising campaign. Their work is vital to thriving and informed communities. Join us in supporting local news today and everyday!

The 7th annual Gun Violence Prevention Forum hosted by @northwellhealth will feature key healthcare and cross-sector leaders who are elevating the national conversation around gun violence as a public health emergency, including Soledad Adrianzén McGrath, our Gun Violence Prevention and Justice Reform Program Director. Register at PreventGunViolence.com to join virtually. #PreventGunViolence

On this date 84 years ago, more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent were incarcerated during World War II. Two of them were the parents of our President and CEO Julie Morita. Click the link in our bio to read Julie’s op-ed in today’s @chicagotribune , exploring the fragility of our civil liberties, the danger of unfairly targeting specific groups, and the salient reminder to choose discourse and actions that unite rather than divide us.#dayofremembrance #JapaneseAmericans 📸 Betty Morita’z ID; 4th grade class at Minidoka internment camp in Idaho; Julie Morita’s parents Betty and Motosugu Morita Jr.

The Joyce Foundation mourns the passing of Board Member Emeritus, @depauwu President Emeritus & @depauwprindle Founding Director Robert G. Bottoms. Dr. Bottoms served as a Joyce board member for 26 years, retiring in 2023. He died in Athens, Georgia on Tuesday, January 27. He will be missed. Click the link in our bio to read our full remembrance.

We note with sadness the passing of former Joyce Foundation President and Board Member emeritus Charles U. Daly. Chuck, as he was known to friends and colleagues, passed away on Wednesday, January 21 at his home in Chatham, Mass. He was 98. Chuck served as the Foundation’s president from 1978 to 1986 and remained a Board member until his retirement at age 92 in 2019. He curated many of the Foundation’s core strategies, including the commitment to the Great Lakes region and facilitating what would become the Foundation’s current focus on racial equity and economic mobility. We extend warm condolences to Chuck’s wife Christine and four sons. We are indebted to Chuck’s robust vision for the Foundation, the region and our sector. Click the link in bio to read the full remembrance on our website about Chuck’s expansive, fascinating, impactful life.