Meg Leary

Meg Leary (she/they) is an independent arts and cultural consultant based in Chicago, Illinois. Their practice is dedicated to working with organizations and individual artists committed to using the arts to address today's most intractable issues. As a consultant, Leary has worked with various entity types and sizes, including large philanthropic institutions, start-up not-for-profit organizations, and individual artists seeking ways to support their creative practices. In all these instances, they bring a unique background of 20 years as a practicing visual and performance artist, not-for-profit fundraiser and administrator, and private Foundation professional.

Leary was the first Program Director of Performing Arts at the Walder Foundation, a private family foundation based in Skokie, IL. They were with the Foundation from its inception and contributed to developing the facilities and operationalizing grantmaking at the new grantmaking entity. The program Leary led was committed to supporting the sustainability of independent artists and small and mid-size performing arts organizations in the Greater Chicago region. In 2020/2021, Leary contributed to launching several initiatives to support those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund, Cultural Venue Relief Fund, Chicago Cultural Treasures, and Chicago Takes 10. In 2024, under Leary's leadership, the Foundation launched a significant new multi-year artist award program called the Platform Awards. The initiative was created to provide deep and meaningful support to mid-career performing artists in the Chicagoland region. Under Leary's tenure, the Foundation made over 17 million in investments toward thriving careers for artists and cultural workers in the area, including deep commitments to individual artist support, pay equity, arts journalism, leadership development, and capacity building.

Before joining the Walder Foundation, Leary was the Director of Programs for United States Artists (USA), where they led what was, at that time, the largest grantmaking initiative for individual artists in the country. They produced the first USA Artists Assembly, an annual convening of artists, philanthropists, and thought leaders in the arts, and led an assessment of the first 10 years of the USA Fellows program that culminated in a white paper that measured the formidable impact of direct support to living artists. Before their role at USA, Leary was the Communications and Program Officer at the Irving Harris Foundation, a Chicago-based family foundation supporting Reproductive Health and Justice, Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, Jewish Values, and Arts & Culture. They managed a broad portfolio of grants intended to support arts and cultural organizations, progressive media, documentary film projects, social justice organizations, and interfaith efforts in the US and Israel.

Leary is currently a Lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Master of Arts Administration and Policy program, where she teaches graduate courses in Arts Philanthropy and non-profit management. They have a master's degree in fine arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a master's degree in performance studies from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and a bachelor's degree from Smith College. They currently serve on the Board of Trustees of The Legacy Project and previously served on the Board of Directors of Links Hall, ACRE (Artist's Cooperative Residency and Exhibitions), BeyondMedia Education, and the Fire This Time Fund. Leary resides in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago with their wife, daughter, and three cats.