Chatham Arts Council Awards Grassroots Arts Grants to Seven Chatham Nonprofits
Pittsboro, NC – Throughout Chatham County, organizations are using the arts to make good things happen in this community. Organizations that make that arts possible are vital, and they can have a difficult time finding funding, especially in this post-pandemic economy. That’s why the Chatham Arts Council (CAC) is thrilled to once again partner with the North Carolina Arts Council to bring the Grassroots Arts Grant to Chatham.
“We’ve been partnering with the NC Arts Council for more than 20 years,” explained Cheryl Chamblee, CAC Artistic Director. “In that time, we’ve awarded in excess of $200,000 to nonprofits in Chatham, who then use that money to fund artists and carry art into every corner of this county. We want to make sure that every single person living here has access to quality arts experiences.”
This season, more than $15,000 in funding is being made available to help nonprofit organizations hire local artists in service of their missions–and to provide operational support to arts orgs. That’s an increase of over $4,000 from last season. Seven Chatham county organizations have been selected to receive the Grassroots Arts Grant: The Chatham County Partnership for Children, Chatham Artists Guild, Chatham Trades, Community Organizing for Racial Equality (CORE), JM Arts Foundation, Pittsboro Elementary, and StreetSigns.
Grassroots Arts Grants range from $500 to $2,500, and they are typically used for program expenses (i.e., artists’ fees, space rental) or operating expenses for arts organizations. This year’s review panel focused on the artistic quality of the proposed project, community impact, fair payment to artists, and outreach to diverse and/or underserved communities, among other elements. Grant recipients will be using the funds for various upcoming projects– from a Juneteenth celebration of Black artists and a bilingual children’s literacy festival, to arts projects for disabled citizens, a studio tour, dance education for elementary school children, and more! Grant dollars will impact arts offerings for residents in eastern and western Chatham County.
Grassroots Grants are made possible with the generous support of the NC Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Program, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support comes from individual contributions to the Chatham Arts Council’s general operating fund.
For more information about CAC grant opportunities, visit our website at www.chathamartscouncil.org/grant-programs/.
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 fortieth year as a nonprofit arts agency, Chatham Arts Council’s flagship programs include Meet This Artist, Go See This, artist grants, and Arts for Resilient Kids – serving more than 4,500 children this year. Chatham Arts Council is proud to partner with the North Carolina Arts Council, Durham Arts Council, Orange County Arts Commission, United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County, 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 long standing 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: Andrea Akin, Marketing/Public Relations Leader of the Chatham Arts Council, andrea@chathamartscouncil.org or 919-548-5762
