Established in 1996 at Columbia College Chicago, the Chicago Center for Arts Policy was co-founded by the MacArthur Foundation and the College as an outgrowth of the college Democratic Vistas lecture series, with funding from MacArthur to establish this Center. Its work focused on research, discussion, and analysis to explore and facilitate opportunities for artists, cultural workers, arts organizations, communities, and the public to have a greater voice in the arts policy-making process.

Through public programming, case studies, applied research, and analysis, the Center mission had been to foster greater understanding of the role of the arts in society, broaden public participation in the creation of democratic arts policies, and encourage investment in and support for the arts. The Center ceased operation at the college in 2012.