Pilot program targets $50K ops grants to culturally-driven orgs, businesses in the arts

Small arts programs across the region could receive a $50,000 grant from a new pilot program that aims to provide vital sustainability funding for arts-centric businesses and organizations that often fall through the cracks.

Applications for the Cultural Sustainability grants are open through 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10. The program plans to give general operating support grants to 22 arts and cultural organizations rooted in communities of color with annual operating expenses under $500,000.

Grants are expected to be awarded in April.

Click here to apply or to learn more about the application requirements.

“Cultural Sustainability seeks to address a critical gap in traditional grant programs by offering operational support funding to small arts organizations — an area often overlooked,” said Carris Adams, director of organizational services for the Kansas City-based Mid-America Arts Alliance, which is offering the grants alongside its fellow U.S. Regional Arts Organizations (USRAOs) in partnership with The Wallace Foundation.

“These funds can be applied to significant expenses such as salaries, programming costs, and facility upkeep, which are among the largest challenges these organizations face,” she continued.

Organizers at the Mid-America Arts Alliance are seeking to uplift culturally driven, small arts nonprofits and enterprises in the arts alliance’s six-state region of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and the Native Nations that share this geography.

Over the 15-month pilot program, the arts alliance will offer online, monthly workshops on topics focusing on long-term visioning and sustainability planning. Grantees will also be invited to join peer networking sessions and regular check-ins with arts alliance staff.

“Programs like Cultural Sustainability are important as they support small but mighty organizations that navigate the unpredictable funding landscape with resilience time after time again,” said Adams. “Our hope is that Cultural Sustainability can be a learning opportunity for all parties involved to better understand the needs of these organizations and foster stronger, more collaborative relationships between nonprofits and the funding community.”

The Cultural Sustainability grants opportunity is part of The Wallace Foundation’s Advancing Well-Being in the Arts initiative, which funds arts organizations rooted in communities of color to advance their well-being, enhance understanding of their contributions to community. Through this work, Wallace hopes to help to build a more equitable and sustainable arts ecosystem.