FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 16, 2021
Local Arts Organizations Receive Welcome Boost Through Grassroots Arts Grants
Chatham Arts Council Proudly Awards Grants to Seven Groups to Carry the Arts into Every Corner of Chatham County
Pittsboro, NC—Running an arts organization can be challenging in the best of times, but during a global pandemic, finding funding can be extremely tough. The Chatham Arts Council, in partnership with the North Carolina Arts Council, is thrilled to provide a financial boost by awarding annual Grassroots Arts Grants to seven deserving organizations. The grant will be put to good use, immediately, helping each organization fulfill its mission in Chatham County.
This year, seven organizations will be awarded a portion of the more than $11,000 in total funding available, aimed to provide operational support and help with the hiring of local artists to implement arts programming. Recipients of the 2021 Grassroots Arts Grants are: Chatham Artists Guild, Chatham County Partnership for Children, Community Remembrance Coalition-Chatham, Jordan-Matthews Arts Foundation, Pittsboro Elementary with NC Arts in Action, Shakori Hills Community Arts Center, and StreetSigns Center for Literature and Performance. The Chatham Arts Council (CAC) serves as the Designated County Partner to the North Carolina Arts Council in awarding the funds to local organizations. Since 2000, CAC has awarded more than $205,000 to a diverse group of nonprofits.
“We are beginning the public discussion of the theme of the truth, justice, and reconciliation mural this month,” explained Mary Nettles, President of the Community Remembrance Coalition-Chatham, one of the grant recipients. “Funding from the Chatham Arts Council [to pay our mural artist] will help make a significant step forward and will also demonstrate the growing strength of the white and Black communities working together for the common good of Chatham County and Pittsboro.”
Grassroots Arts 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. 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 Halloween carnival and bilingual children’s literacy festival, to musical events and a community mural — and more!
“This year’s Grassroots Arts Grants recipients are an exemplary representation of the variety of quality arts experiences in Chatham County,” explained Martin Frost, CAC Board member. “We are pleased to award these grants, and to provide key support to organizations whose projects aim to enrich the Chatham community through the arts.”
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 NC Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more about granting opportunities at the CAC, visit 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 thirty-ninth 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 North Carolina 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: Andrea Akin, Marketing/Public Relations Leader of the Chatham Arts Council, andrea@chathamartscouncil.org or 917.544.0608.
NOTE: Feel free to publish partially or in its entirety, with or without a byline. The article was written by April Starling, Link Communications.
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