Navy Pier Inc

NAVY PIER, CHICAGO'S ICONIC LAKEFRONT DESTINATION AND CULTURAL INSTITUTION, IS (SEE SCHEDULE O)AN ALL-WELCOMING, YEAR-ROUND CIVIC SPACE WHICH IS FREE TO THE PUBLIC, OFFERING UNIQUE DINING, RETAIL, ENTERTAINMENT AND FREE PROGRAMMING TO NEARLY 9 MILLION GUESTS ANNUALLY, WHILE RELIEVING THE BURDEN OF THE GOVERNMENT TO MAINTAIN AND OPERATE THE HISTORIC DESTINATION.

AS AN ICON OF THE CITY, NAVY PIER IS FIRMLY ROOTED IN CHICAGO'S VIBRANT CULTURE, UNIQUE SKYLINE, AND CONNECTED COMMUNITIES. THE LONGEST PIER IN THE WORLD, IT'S MORE THAN A LIVING POSTCARD, IT'S AN ECONOMIC ENGINE, PROVIDING SPACE AND EXPOSURE FOR SMALL AND FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESSES AND OFFERING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE THAN 3,000 PEOPLE, OFTEN WITH UNIQUE JOB-SKILLS TRAINING, AND OFTEN TO NEW-ENTRIES TO THE WORKFORCE. NAVY PIER PROVIDES A YEAR-ROUND WORLD-CLASS STAGE FOR EMERGING INDEPENDENT ARTISTS AND ESTABLISHED CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS ALIKE, PARTNERING WITH MORE THAN 1,000 ARTISTS AND 60 ORGANIZATIONS TO REFLECT THE BEST OF CHICAGO AND ITS NEIGHBORHOODS, INCLUDING TENANT NONPROFITS SUCH AS CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER AND CHICAGO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM. NAVY PIER DESIGNS ITS OWN ARTS, CULTURE, (SEE SCHEDULE O) AND ENGAGEMENT (ACE) PROGRAMMING TO INSPIRE, EDUCATE AND CONNECT ARTISTS TO AUDIENCES. EVEN IN A YEAR DRASTICALLY CURTAILED BY THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, NAVY PIER REOPENED IN APRIL 2021 TO OFFER SAFE AND ENGAGING EXPERIENCES TO ITS GUESTS, INCLUDING THE LAUNCH OF DARING NEW INITIATIVES SUCH THE TWO-DAY PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL CHICAGO LIVE AGAIN!.HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:- NOTE: ALL PROGRAMMING PRIOR TO MAY 1, 2021 WAS CANCELED DUE TO THE PANDEMIC AND THE PIER'S UNPRECENDENTED CLOSURE. - THE RETURN OF NAVY PIER'S MOST POPULAR FREE PROGRAMS, SUCH AS LIVE ON THE LAKE! (WEEKLY LIVE MUSIC SERIES); WAVE WALL WAX (WEEKLY DJ SERIES); WIGGLEWORMS (WEEKLY CHILDREN'S MUSIC SERIES); SUMMER FITNESS (WEEKLY EXERCISE AND YOGA SERIES); WATER FLICKS (WEEKLY OUTDOOR FILM SERIES); NAVY PIER PRIDE (ANNUAL LGBTQ+ PRIDE CELEBRATION); WATER COLORS (WEEKLY LIVE JAZZ MUSIC SERIES); AND MORE.- LATINXT: A TWO-DAY LATIN MUSIC FESTIVAL FEATURING NEXT-GENERATION, TRADITION-BENDING MUSIC FROM LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL LATINX ARTISTS.- FRESH FEST! PRESENTED BY ALLSTATE: AN ALL-DAY SHOWCASE FEATURING TALENTED LOCAL YOUTH.-CHI-SOUL FEST: A TWO-DAY MUSIC FESTIVAL FEATURING AND CELEBRATING CHICAGO'S NEWEST AND LEGENDARY SOUL ARTISTS.-CHICAGO LIVE AGAIN! A FREE EVENT WELCOMING THE RETURN OF LIVE PERFORMANCES IN CHICAGO FEATURING OVER 50 OF CHICAGO'S WORLD-RENOWNED PERFORMANCE ORGANIZATIONS.-"OUR COMMON HOME"- A FREE PUBLIC ART INSTALLION WITH MONTREAL BASED DIGITAL ART STUDIO IREGULAR.-LIGHT UP THE LAKE: NAVY PIER'S NEWEST TICKETED INDOOR WINTER EXPERIENCES FEATURING A MAGICAL LIGHT GARDEN, ICE RINK, AND MORE!PRE-PANDEMIC, NAVY PIER AND AFFILIATED PARTNERS GENERATED $130 MILLION IN ANNUAL SALES ONSITE, WHICH INFUSED APPROXIMATELY $15 MILLION INTO THE ECONOMY VIA CITY, COUNTY AND STATE TAXES, AS WELL AS AN ADDITIONAL $200 MILLION IN SALES IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY.SINCE BECOMING A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION IN 2011, NAVY PIER HAS RAISED $74 MILLION FOR CAPITAL AND OPERATIONS. IN 2021, ROUGHLY 17% OF THE PIER'S $55.8 MILLION OPERATING REVENUE CAME FROM CORPORATE AND PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERS. THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT AND CONTRIBUTIONS HELPED UNDERWRITE MANY OF THE PIER'S FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS. AS A RESULT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ENGAGED IN A "SAVE THE PIER" FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO ALLOW THE PIER TO RE-OPEN, REPLENISH CASH RESERVES AND CONTINUE TO OFFER RENT RELIEF TO ITS TENANT PARTNERS. "SAVE THE PIER" CAMPAIGN RAISED $9M IN CASH AND PLEDGES BETWEEN 2020 AND 2021, FROM APPROXIMATELY 50 DONORS COMPRISING INDIVIDUALS, FOUNDATIONS, AND CORPORATIONS.NAVY PIER, GOVERNED BY A 35-MEMBER VOLUNTEER BOARD CONSISTING OF BUSINESS AND CIVIC LEADERS, CONTINUES TO OPERATE DILIGENTLY UNDER THE VALUES OF EXCELLENCE, INCLUSION, STEWARDSHIP, AND INTEGRITY.