The Rochester Area Community Foundation is awarding nearly $300,000 to 61 nonprofit arts organizations. The funding comes from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), and each nonprofit or public organization is getting a one time-grant of up to $5,000 to support arts projects.
The funding is distributed by the Rochester Area Community Foundation Initiatives, which is an arm of the Foundation.
Annette Jimenez Gleason is the Community Foundation’s senior program officer for vitality, and she said that most of the funding will be used to support programs for underserved communities throughout the region.
“We took on the challenge to increase outreach to create more equitable access to state arts dollars, because of the importance that arts and culture play in our lives and in our communities,” Gleason said.
Elizabeth Long is executive director of Finger Lakes Opera and is also on a NYSCA advisory committee that consists of local arts community members. She said this funding is crucial for arts organizations that don’t always access to outside funding.
“I know how hard it can be to get your foot in the funder’s door. And the fact that the Community Foundation’s sought and secured these funds from the New York State Council on the Arts to use as a re-grant process shows the Community Foundation’s commitment to the community,” said Long.
The funds are being used to support programs for underserved communities in Monroe, Livingston, Ontario, Genesee, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne and Yates counties.
The total amount of state funding is $430,000, and the remaining dollars will support an in-depth study of areas outside of New York City to look at the arts communities in several metro areas including Rochester.
The study will be used to understand trends, inform arts funding and promote the importance of the arts to community vitality and success.
See this press release for a full list of organizations that received funding.
