The Michael & Karyn Lutz Center for After School Matters

After School Matters is grateful for the exceptional generosity of the Michael and Karyn Lutz Family Foundation. Their commitment to transforming the lives of young people, along with their families and communities, is inspirational.

Thanks to their tremendous gift, The Michael and Karyn Lutz Center for After School Matters has become what it is today: a world-class facility that shows our teens they matter. The building was specifically and intentionally designed for our teens, and serves as a model for bringing teen-focused programming into more city neighborhoods, particularly on the West and South Sides, that deserve more resources and opportunities.

The Lutz Center for After School Matters is an investment in the future of the community, and the future of our city. It is a place that our teens deserve.

First Floor

Here at the Lutz Center we have a Chef’s Kitchen for some of the culinary programs at After School Matters. The first floor Alex and Lyhn Green “The Eating Spot” for tasting the finished product, as well as a Tech Lab, Dance Studio, and three Resource Centers. For the voice programs, this floor hosts the Vocal Rehearsal Room, and two Recording Booths to teach teens how to capture their hard work.

Second Floor

The second floor will host our apparel design programs in the new Fashion and Design Studio, with an Art Studio and Community Showcase Space on the same floor. We also have the Michael and Debbie Sear Tinkering Space, where teens will learn how to use technologies to produce actual prototypes of products that they design.

Third Floor

This floor is dedicated almost exclusively to Tech Labs to enhance our teens’ computer skills. One Innovation Lab enriches the educational experience by providing teens with the opportunity to work collaboratively in simulated real-world environments, and another Innovation Lab focuses on incorporating 21st-century skills in program activities.

Fourth Floor

The Large Art Studio and 3D Art/Sculpture Studio spaces on the top floor provide a collaborative environment for our teens to create and discover their potential by working with various mediums. This floor also includes a Creative Commons area.

We are pleased to offer a variety of legacy opportunities within the Center in recognition of significant commitments to the future leaders of Chicago—our teens.

Gifts of $500 and above will be recognized on our donor wall and may be used to name the program areas and spaces within the building.

You may take advantage of these opportunities through an outright gift or a pledge over a period of time.

In-kind gifts as well as gifts of any amount are also appreciated and will help provide the resources that our teens deserve.

A gift to the Center is an investment in more than bricks and mortar — it is an investment in the voices, minds, and hearts of our young people. For more information, please contact Beth Bentley, Director of Major Gifts at 312.529.3986 or beth.bentley@afterschoolmatters.org