Who We Are

Opened in 2017, CHICAT is based on a successful model created in Pittsburgh by social entrepreneur and MacArthur Fellow, Bill Strickland. Strickland founded the Manchester Bidwell Corporation, a center dedicated to helping adults-in-transition and youth in underserved communities realize their own genius through arts and technology. CHICAT is a part of the network of Manchester Bidwell’s National Center for Arts & Technology (NCAT).

CHICAT leverages the power at the intersection of art and technology to ignite hope and provide pathways to socio-economic advancement for underserved youth and adults across the city, with a focus on residents from North Lawndale, Little Village, and Pilsen.

A Chicago where all residents have an equitable opportunity to thrive through creativity and high demand 21st century careers.

– Environment shapes behavior

– Every human being is an asset and every life is valuable

– Design thinking solves human problems and expands human  possibility

– Being engaged in the broader conversation matters

– Creativity fuels enterprise