Chicago Cultural Alliance
Process for Becoming a Partner Institution

Partner Institutions include large organizations with a cultural interest, such as but not limited to museums, universities, libraries, public schools, and governmental agencies.

Prospective Partner Institutions may approach the Alliance indicating how they might work with Core Members, for example by collaborating on a project or activity or by sharing resources and expertise. Proposed memberships will be submitted to and discussed by the Membership Committee. After committee review, the membership will be forwarded with a recommendation to the board. Partner Institutions must receive a majority board approval.

Board decisions will be based upon the following criteria:

• Will the prospective member help the Alliance advance its mission?
• Does the proposed Partner Institution bring resources to the Alliance? Describe these resources.
• If a new project is proposed, is it in line with the priority areas that have been agreed upon during the Alliance’s annual strategic planning board meeting?
• If a new project is proposed, does the Partner Institution have funding or resources to support the project? Do these resources include covering the necessary outlay of time and resources by the Alliance and Core Member organizations to execute the project or implement the program?
• If a new project is proposed, does it require raising funds? If so, the Alliance Program Committee must be involved from an early stage of the planning. Moreover, the Alliance Fundraising Committee must review and endorse the proposal before it is submitted to funders. This review will ensure that the proposal and its outcomes, whether intended or not, are in line with the values of the Alliance.

Membership Process

1. A prospective member downloads the following documents from the Alliance website: Application form, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) form appropriate to the type of membership sought (for informational purposes--not for signature at this time), and the Annual Membership Dues Worksheet.
2. The prospective member contacts Rosa Cabrera, chair of the Membership Committee, to arrange a meeting (see contact information below).
3. The Membership Committee then meets with the prospective member.
4. At or following that meeting, the prospective member submits
   --the Annual Membership Dues Worksheet and
   --the Application for Membership, including a brief narrative indicating how they might work with Core Members, for example by collaborating on a project or activity or by sharing resources and expertise.
5. The Membership Committee evaluates the application and makes a recommendation to the Board of Directors, which meets the first Friday of every month. A majority vote of the Board is required for approval.
6. Following Board approval, the CCA Treasurer sends the successful applicant a Memorandum of Understanding (for signature) and a membership dues invoice.
7. The prospective member returns the signed MoU with a check to the Alliance treasurer.

Application for Membership (pdf)
Download Memorandum of Understanding (pdf)
Download Membership Dues Worksheet (pdf)

Membership Contact:
Rosa Cabrera, Membership Committee chair
Center for Cultural Understanding and Change, The Field Museum
rcabrera@fieldmuseum.org