The Bayless Family Foundation will begin accepting applications for the second round of Stepping Stone Grants on September 2, which provide significant funding to Chicago's smaller non-profit theatres.

Launched in 2017 by Rick Bayless, the well-known Chicago restaurateur and host of the long-running PBS series Mexico: One Plate at a Time, the Stepping Stone Grants award $150,000 to three promising theatre companies who demonstrate a vision for institutional and artistic growth.

The Albany Park Theatre Project, Porchlight Music Theatre, and Steep Theatre were the inaugural recipients of the grants, which are administered over the course of three years.

“We selected a diverse group of theatres, each of which were facing one big barrier that they needed to get over,” Bayless said of the inaugural recipients. "In many cases, the grants are going to help them reach a broader audience, and to be able to really showcase their craft in a way that we feel like they deserve.”

The application cut off date is October 11. To apply, visit BaylessFoundation.org/apply.