Fund for the Arts Announces Recipients of the Second Installment of the Community Event Mini-Grant
Louisville, KY (May 2, 2023) – Fund for the Arts is proud to announce the 11 recipients of the Community Event Mini-Grants. These mini-grants are designed to make supportive grant awards throughout the year to organizations and artists presenting multi-disciplinary, multigenerational, free gatherings with arts included. The program is a part of the Fund’s larger Arts in Neighborhoods initiative. The rolling application window is open throughout the year.
This second round of the mini-grant application closed mid-March 2023. A team of community members evaluated and provided feedback on applications and gave recommendations on which events to move forward in the process. 11 events in 6 Louisville Metro Council districts (4, 5, 6, 8, 15, 17) have been awarded funding support.
This new funding opportunity was designed not only to support artists and organizations with existing, effective events, but to make both the application and reporting processes more accessible to better foster connections with new applicants. In response to these changes, 6 of those 11 artists and organizations receiving funding are first-time grantees with Fund for the Arts.
One of those first-time recipients is Trip J Entertainment, who will be working alongside AMPED to produce the Safe Summer Community Kick Off Concert this June. “This grant will aid in providing artists with the platform to inspire change and promote solutions to problems facing our city like violence and illegal drug use,” said Trip J Artistic Director Jeriel Evans.
“I am so grateful to Fund for the Arts for the grant,” said local filmmaker Mike Elsherif, an award-winning Palestinian American filmmaker based in Louisville. “It will allow me to share and connect my work with the entire community.”
Details on the grant recipients and their events:
- Bwoga Elementary Library (BEL) with SaSa Samosa Kitchen: Taste of Uganda: Dinner, Drums & Dance on July 14, 2023 at New Life Church Gym
- Chapel of St. Philip, Inc. with Esmilda’s Dance Crew and Caminantes: Healing Movement with BioDance will take place in the Fall of 2023 at the Chapel of St. Philip in Old Louisville and includes a walk to Central Park
- Mary Jefferson with Louisville Organizational Arts Group (LOAG), LHOME, and Faith Works Studios: Play Arts Within Reach Collab event on July 29, 2023 at The Russell Theatre
- Mexico Lindo with St Thomas Episcopal Church: Performance as part of the Kentucky Derby Festival Pegasus Parade on April 30, 2023
- Filmmaker Mike Elsherif with Clovehitch Productions: “Road to the Key” screening session and Q&A in the Fall of 2023
- Printed Zine with Portland Museum: Paperview Zinefest on June 24, 2023 at the Portland Museum. Vendor registration open at printedzine.com/fest.
- Queer Kentucky with Milewide Beer Company: Second Issue Release Party + Pride Celebration on June 2, 2023 at MileWide Brewing Company
- Roots 101 African American Museum with Russell A Place of Promise: Our Home: 2023 Homecoming Weekend Festival from September 28 – October 1, 2023 at 18th and Muhammad Ali Boulevard and throughout the Russell Neighborhood
- Sarabande Books with Louisville Visual Arts: The Poetry Carnival and celebration of Once a City Said: A Louisville Poets Anthology on July 8, 2023 at Sarabande Books’ headquarters in Smoketown
- The Trager Family JCC with Louisville Board of Rabbi and Cantors: 2nd Annual Israeli Street Fair on June 4, 2023 at Trager Family Jewish Community Center (JCC)
- Trip J. Entertainment with AMPED: Safe Summer Community Kick Off Concert on June 10, 2023 at Shelby Park
“The first round of Community Event Mini-Grants supported some incredible free programs across the city,” said Sarah Lindgren, Vice President, Community Investment and Support at Fund for the Arts. “We were thrilled to receive even more applications for the second round and could not be more excited about the range of offerings we are helping to support. Clearly, this initiative is serving a need in the community, and we take pride in helping bring these events to life all year long!”
For further information about grants and funding opportunities or partnerships with Fund for the Arts, visit fundforthearts.org/funding/ or sign up for Arts Scoop email newsletter at fundforthearts.org/arts-scoop/.”
IN THE NEWS:
“Applications are open for a new ‘mini grant’ program for cultural events in Greater Louisville neighborhoods” | Stephanie Wolfe for Louisville Public Media; January 5, 2023
“11 neighborhood events in Louisville get cash through mini-grants” | Breya Jones for Louisville Public Media; May 2, 2023
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 Greater Louisville and it conducts one of the two oldest united arts campaigns in the country. For more information, visit www.fundforthearts.org
