FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2021
Chatham Arts Council Opens Applications for Grassroots Arts Grants
Up to $10,000 Available for Local Arts Organizations!
Pittsboro, NC—The Chatham Arts Council is excitedly accepting applications for its annual Grassroots Arts Grants, a program aimed to help organizations do amazing work through the arts. Since 2000, the Chatham Arts Council (CAC) has awarded more than $200,000 to nonprofits, who in turn, use the money to fund artists and carry the arts into every corner of the county. The applications are now available online.
“Over the past year, investing in artists and arts organizations has been more critical than ever,” said Cheryl Chamblee, Executive Director of the CAC. “Through grants like this one, we can support community arts organizations that are working to deliver meaningful arts programs throughout this great county.”
The CAC serves as the Designated County Partner to the North Carolina Arts Council in awarding the funds to local organizations. The program was established to ensure that every citizen in North Carolina has access to quality arts experiences. Cash grants range from $500 to $2,500, and are typically used for program expenses (i.e., artists’ fees, space rental) or operating expenses for arts organizations. Areas of particular interest for the CAC are local artist fees/fair payment to artists and outreach to diverse or underserved communities.
Organizations applying must:
- Have been in operation for at least one year as a 501(c)(3);
- Have an arts mission, or a program that uses the arts to help accomplish the organization’s mission;
- Be based in Chatham County, or carry out the project in Chatham County.
The CAC is offering a Zoom meeting with applicants who may have questions about the process on Monday, May 17 at 6 p.m. Interested persons should RSVP to Jenni Detwiler via Jenni@ChathamArtsCouncil.org. The deadline for applications and supporting materials is Friday, June 11 at 11:59 p.m., 2021.
“If this last year has taught us anything, it’s that arts are essential to our well-being,” expressed CAC Board President, Taylor Hobbs. “Artists and access to the arts create community, provide an uplifting atmosphere, and touch our hearts in the most meaningful of ways. We encourage all qualified organizations to apply.”
Grassroots Arts Grants are made possible by individual contributions to the Chatham Arts Council’s general operating fund and through the generous assistance of the Grassroots Arts Program of the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Past recipients have included organizations such as Abundance NC, Bynum Front Porch, Chatham Artists Guild, Chatham County Partnership for Children, Hispanic Liaison of North Carolina, Jordan-Matthews Arts Foundation, Main Street Pittsboro, NC Arts in Action, NC Arts Incubator, Shakori Hills Community Arts Center, Smelt Art Gallery, Sprott Center for Youth (Moncure), StreetSigns, and more.
For more information on the Grassroots Arts Grants, or to apply, visit www.ChathamArtsCouncil.org/grassroots-arts-grants/.
ABOUT THE CHATHAM ARTS COUNCIL
The Chatham Arts Council nurtures creative thinkers in Chatham County. We do this in two ways: we invest in artists and we educate kids through the arts. In its thirty-seventh year as a nonprofit arts agency, Chatham Arts Council’s flagship programs include Meet This Artist, Go See This, artist grants, and the Chatham Artists-in-Schools Initiative – serving more than 3,500 children this year. Chatham Arts Council is proud to partner with the NC Arts Council, the Durham Arts Council, Chatham County Schools, and numerous Chatham arts organizations, human resource nonprofits, and local businesses. For more information, visit www.ChathamArtsCouncil.org.
ABOUT THE NORTH CAROLINA ARTS COUNCIL
The North Carolina Arts Council builds on our state’s longstanding love of the arts, leading the way to a more vibrant future. The Arts Council is an economic catalyst, fueling a thriving nonprofit creative sector that generates $2.12 billion in annual direct economic activity. The Arts Council also sustains diverse arts expression and traditions while investing in innovative approaches to art-making. The North Carolina Arts Council has proven to be a champion for youth by cultivating tomorrow’s creative citizens through arts education. For more information, visit www.NCArts.org.
CONTACT: April Starling, Marketing/Public Relations Leader of the Chatham Arts Council, april@ChathamArtsCouncil.org or 917.544.0608.