After School Matters, a Chicago-based teen programming organization founded by Maggie Daley, is undertaking a $14 million renovation of a new facility on the Near North Side. The 36,000-square-foot building, purchased for $12.2 million in April, is located at 1065 N. Orleans St., near the former Cabrini-Green public housing development. Scheduled for completion in late 2025, the renovated facility will offer programming to 1,500 teens.
The building, which already includes a commercial kitchen and a gymnasium (a first for After School Matters), will be further enhanced with a black box theater, art studios, STEM labs, a skilled trades lab, outdoor urban gardening spaces, and collaborative communal areas. Chief Financial Officer Brendan DuBois explained that the addition of the gym is intended to attract more young boys to the organization’s sports programs and hopefully inspire them to explore other offerings. He emphasized the organization’s significant investment in the building, highlighting it as a demonstration of commitment from the organization, board, and donors.
Currently, After School Matters serves up to 19,000 students across its fall, spring, and summer programming sessions, offering courses in sports, cooking, art, and more. CEO Mary Ellen Caron stated in a press release that the need for safe and supportive spaces for teens to learn and grow is greater than ever. The design of the new facility will be shaped by input from After School Matters staff, the board, and most importantly, the teens themselves. This collaborative approach extends to program development, with the organization actively seeking teen feedback to inform the addition of new courses, such as artificial intelligence programming.
The organization is actively fundraising to meet the $14 million renovation cost, bringing the total investment in the new building (including the purchase price) to approximately $27 million. While the building will employ 12 to 15 staff members, it remains undetermined whether these positions will be filled by new hires or current employees.