On July 6, 2016, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, an agency of the State of Arizona, announced 239 grants to Arizona nonprofit arts organizations, local arts agencies, schools and community organizations.
In total, the competitive grant review process for fiscal year 2017 (July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017) resulted in an aggregate investment of $2,266,000, and represents a more than 100% increase to total funding awarded during last year’s first grantmaking cycle.
The increased investment in arts organizations, festivals and community-based programs was made possible through a one-time $1.5 million allocation in the state’s fiscal year 2017 budget to the Arizona Commission on the Arts. This additional funding, derived from interest accrued on the State’s Rainy-Day Fund, will bolster further grantmaking throughout the coming fiscal year as well as programs and services that contribute to the growth and stabilization of Arizona’s arts sector, enhance student learning, nurture artists’ creative and professional development, and preserve the rich traditions of Arizona communities.
“Even with the unprecedented funding challenges Arizona has faced in recent years, leaders in the House and Senate, on both sides of the aisle, fought for our communities, persistently making the case that a vibrant arts sector is a key ingredient of a healthy and improving economy,” said Mark Feldman, Chairman of the Arizona Commission on the Arts. “Representative Kate Brophy McGee, Senator Bob Worsley, Senator Steve Pierce and Senator Steve Farley were particularly steadfast advocates, working with elected officials at all levels to ensure that arts funding was included in the final legislative budget presented to the governor. We are grateful to leaders in the State Legislature and to Governor Ducey for making this additional investment a reality.”
Grants were awarded in four categories:
Community Investment Grants provide operating support to nonprofit arts organizations, local arts agencies and tribal cultural organizations whose mission is to produce, present, teach or serve the arts.
Festival Grants support organizations in their efforts to provide quality arts and cultural programming through community festival activities.
Arts Learning Collaboration Grants enhance the work of arts educators, classroom teachers and school-based arts programs through collaborative projects.
Lifelong Arts Engagement Grants enhance the work of community and social service organizations/ governmental entities through partnership projects with professional teaching artists and/or arts organizations.
In accordance with the Arts Commission’s strategic plan and governing statutes, schools and nonprofit arts organizations are awarded grants based on such factors as community investment, quality of programming, fiscal ingenuity and responsible stewardship of public funds.
Grant applications are reviewed within rigorous panel processes which are open to applicants as well as the broader public. Review panels are led by Governor-appointed Commissioners and are composed of diverse community leaders, volunteer experts, educators and arts practitioners from rural, urban and suburban areas throughout Arizona.
Grant funding is provided by the State of Arizona and funding awarded annually to the Arts Commission by the National Endowment for the Arts.
“From Yuma to Teec Nos Pos, from Kingman to Bisbee, the Arts Commission utilizes its grant programs to provide essential investment in communities across Arizona,” said Robert Booker, Executive Director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts. “As part of this grantmaking effort, the State of Arizona is an indispensable partner to Arizona’s arts sector in pursuit of a shared mission: to imagine an Arizona where everyone can participate in and experience the arts.”
One of 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies across the United States, the Arizona Commission on the Arts is a 49-year-old agency of the State of Arizona and a leading force in the creative and professional development of Arizona’s arts sector. Through robust programs, research initiatives and strategic grantmaking, the Arts Commission catalyzes arts-based partnerships that strengthen Arizona communities through the arts.
For more information about the grants, services and programs of the Arizona Commission on the Arts, visit www.azarts.gov.
