FUND FOR THE ARTS ANNOUNCES 2025-2026 SUSTAINING IMPACT GRANT RECIPIENTS
LOUISVILLE, KY (September 25, 2025) – Today, Fund for the Arts announced recipients of its 2025-2026 Sustaining Impact Grants (SIG). A total direct investment of $2 million has been committed to 26 local arts institutions.
The Sustaining Impact Grant is the cornerstone of Fund for the Arts’ work, investing unrestricted operating dollars in local arts nonprofits, offering support needed to fulfill their missions and bring art to our community. This general operating support is granted to arts organizations whose programming advances the Fund for the Arts’ Vision, Mission, and Values.
The pool of funding is made up of donations from grants, foundations, corporations, and individual donors, where the majority of the funds come from employees spanning every industry, from across the region, giving small gifts via payroll deduction on a monthly or bi-weekly basis.
“We know that, now more than ever, those unrestricted operating funds are the hardest to raise, and the most crucial for an organization’s health and development,” said Fund for the Arts President and CEO Andre Kimo Stone Guess. “When an arts organization receives a Sustaining Impact Grant, it goes to all the least-shiny, but vital elements of every institution: staff members, artists, programs, and facilities. These grants help support the nitty gritty, so that these organizations can spend more time making great art in our city.”
Grant funding is determined by the organization’s operations budget and the SIG review panel, who evaluate and score the organizations’ applications and conduct interviews with their leadership and governance representatives. This funding recommendation is then presented by the Fund for the Arts leadership team to the Board of Directors for review and approval.
The review panel for the Sustaining Impact Grant included the Fund for the Arts Community Investment & Support and Finance, Board Committees and representatives from United Arts Funds and Local Arts Agencies outside of the region. The panel is facilitated by the Fund for the Arts Community Investment & Support staff.
“The current funding landscape for arts organizations is incredibly challenging, and operational grants like the Sustaining Impact Grant are few and far between,” said VP, Community Investment and Support Sarah Lindgren. “Arts nonprofits need this type of support, and it is made possible through the generosity of our community and thousands of donors who value the arts.”
This year’s SIG grantee organizations represent a wide variety of arts disciplines, including Dance, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literary Arts, Museums, Music, Opera, Presenting & Multidisciplinary Arts, Theater, and Visual Arts.
“The Sustaining Impact Grant is at the core of what we have always done, and we are grateful for how the program has evolved alongside the city and our arts community,” said Fund for the Arts President and CEO Andre Kimo Stone Guess. “It is and always has been an investment in the entire arts ecosystem, from the full spectrum of Fund for the Arts donors.”
Congratulations to the following Sustaining Impact Grant recipients:
| Organization Name | Grant Amount |
| Actors Theatre of Louisville | $194,564 |
| Amped | $70,827 |
| Arts Alliance of Southern Indiana | $16,551 |
| FaithWORKS | $14,479 |
| IDEAS xLab | $57,148 |
| Kentucky Opera | $150,692 |
| Kentucky Shakespeare | $119,913 |
| KMAC Contemporary Art Museum | $121,030 |
| Little Loomhouse | $14,362 |
| Looking for Lilith Theatre Company | $18,568 |
| Louisville Academy of Music | $63,255 |
| Louisville Ballet | $231,427 |
| Louisville Chorus, Inc. | $4,949 |
| Louisville Folk School | $25,711 |
| Louisville Orchestra | $261,483 |
| Louisville Story Program Inc. | $47,480 |
| Louisville Visual Art | $94,731 |
| Louisville Youth Choir | $9,998 |
| Louisville Youth Orchestra | $40,374 |
| Pandora Productions | $23,560 |
| Portland Museum | $33,722 |
| Queer Kentucky | $43,548 |
| JB Speed Art Museum | $219,854 |
| StageOne Family Theatre | $69,573 |
| Steam Exchange | $25,185 |
| Young Authors Greenhouse | $27,019 |
| Total Investment | $2 Million |
About Fund for the Arts
Fund for the Arts is a regional nonprofit with the mission to contribute to the overall health and well-being of our community by generating resources for, investing in, and supporting our local arts, artists, and arts organizations. The Fund envisions a healthy and vibrant community where everyone embraces the art that exists in our lives every day, everyone contributes to the well-being of our arts community, and it is understood that everyone belongs to the arts community. The organization facilitates the largest arts grant program in Kentucky and it conducts one of the two oldest united arts campaigns in the country. For more information, visit www.fundforthearts.org
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