Louisville, KY (May 21, 2026) – Fund for the Arts is proud to announce the latest recipients of the Community Event Mini-Grant as part of the Fund’s Arts in Neighborhoods initiative.
The Community Event Mini-Grants support arts organizations, businesses, neighborhood associations, individual artists, groups of artists, non-arts nonprofits, and community-based organizations with project expenses associated with presenting multigenerational, free community gatherings incorporating arts components. A community can be tied to a specific geographic location in Louisville and/or can be linked by a common interest or identity.
“It’s amazing and inspiring to see the events that local artists are pouring heart, soul, and time into for their communities. It’s an honor to be part of helping to make those events happen” said Fund for the Arts Interim President and CEO Brett Shepherd. “We are so grateful to LG&E & KU for believing in the Mini-Grant program and the importance of arts in every neighborhood.”
A grant review panel of nine external community members provided written qualitative and quantitative feedback on the applications and made recommendations on funding. Eleven events in seven Louisville Metro Council districts (1, 4, 5, 6, 10, 15, 21) have been awarded support for a total investment of $17,050. Seven of the eleven awarded are first-time Fund for the Arts grantees.
Interested in participating in a Grant Review Panel with Fund for the Arts? Click here to learn more.
“The funding provided by the Fund for the Arts helps our organization support local artists and youth from many of the nine West End neighborhoods,” says Gabriel Tilly, Treasurer of the Portland Festival, Inc. “It helps make our Best of the West stage possible, showcasing local DJs, bands, and performers from our own backyard.”
This round of the Mini-Grant application closed April 17, 2026. The Community Event Mini-Grant application is available on a rolling basis, with funds awarded 4 times throughout the calendar year. The next deadline for submission is July 3, 2026.
“This funding from FFTA is important because it supports The Louisville Review’s work to bring the best poetry and fiction from Kentucky and the country at large to a local audience,” says Flora K. Schildknecht, Editor and Executive Director of The Louisville Review. “We are proud to publish new work by Frank X Walker and the Affrilachian Poets, and this grant makes it possible for us to share a live performance of their poetry and a special issue of The Louisville Review that celebrates thirty-five years of the Affrilachian Poets and fifty years of The Louisville Review with our Louisville community.”
Details on the grant recipients and their events:
- Portland Festival 2026 will be a massive, two-day cultural laboratory creating a high-visibility platform for the diverse creative voices of Portland and the broader West End. It will feature the debut of the ‘Best of the West’ Stage, a student art contest, and the Portland Festival Parade.
- WHERE: 3329 Northwestern Parkway – Multiple city blocks in all directions
- WHEN: June 5 (5 – 11 pm) and June 6 (12 – 11 pm)
- Queer to Tell: Louisville and Pandora Productions will present Queer to Tell: There’s No Place Like Home, a storytelling event that celebrates the voices of six local people from the queer community sharing personal stories of their experience of “home,” hosted by Neill Robertson and Alfie Jones.
- WHERE: Henry Clay Theatre, 604 S Third St.
- WHEN: June 8, 7 pm
- The Route will present Creative Summer Pathways: A Month of Arts, a four-week, multidisciplinary arts initiative culminating in a free, public, multigenerational community showcase in Louisville that engages middle and high school youth in structured arts-based activities while creating a broader community event that celebrates youth creativity, cultural expression, and community connection.
- WHERE: 4801 Southside Dr.
- WHEN: Saturdays, June 8 – June 30, Final Showcase on July 11 from 11-2 PM
- Vashti Proctor will present the 3rd season of Hip Hop in the Park, creating a space for talented artists to perform, connect, and be seen. Hip Hop in the Park celebrates Hip Hop as culture, community, resistance, and joy, bringing people of all ages together through live performances, art, shared experiences, and community resources. The Black Leadership Action Coalition of Kentucky will host a free, onsite community BBQ. Follow @inthepark502 for details.
- WHERE: Alberta O. Jones Park, 744 S. 23rd St
- WHEN: June 20, July 25, and August 29 from 5 – 9 pm
- Kentucky Refugee Ministries, Catholic Charities, International Rescue Committee and the Tumbao Collective will present the 2026 World Refugee Day Celebration, highlighting the lives, traditions, and artistry of global cultures through a vibrant event that brings together refugees, immigrants, and the broader Louisville community. This event will feature locally based refugee and immigrant artists, interactive art-making, and international cuisine from immigrant- and refugee-owned restaurants
- West End Women’s Collaborative and the Chickasaw Neighborhood Federation will present the 8th of August Emancipation Day Celebration, a community arts and history event that will bring together neighbors from the Chickasaw neighborhood and the broader West End of Louisville. The event uplifts history, creativity, and family connection through quilting, music, drawing, watercolor, performance, dance, food and more.
- WHERE: ELAhouse, 3835 Hale Avenue in the Chickasaw Neighborhood
- WHEN: August 8, 5 – 8 pm
- Andrea Haskett and the University of Louisville Theatre Arts will present a performance of Emilie: La Marquise Du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight by Lauren Gunderson, which will invite community members to engage with a live immersive experience and learn about historical figure Émilie du Châtelet (1706-1749), a groundbreaking scientific mind somewhat left behind to history.
- WHERE: Thrust Theatre at UofL, 2314 S. Floyd St.
- WHEN: August 16, 6 pm
- The Smoketown Percussion Institute, Inc., The Bates Community Development Corporation, The Steam Exchange, Peace Education will present The 1st Annual Julian Sam Drums In The Streets, a festival celebrating Band Director Julian Sam’s legacy through community drum line performances from Historically Black Colleges and /universities, high schools, and community organizations. The Steam Exchange will provide training in t-shirt production. Peace Education will conduct training in violence reduction for program participants. Food and drinks will be available from food trucks and other vendors.
- WHERE: Lampton Street between Hancock Street and Clay Street
- WHEN: September 19, 2 – 5 pm
- La Casita Center, Inc. will present Aflora – 2026, a vibrant, community-centered cultural event that brings Latinx art, artists, and families together in a welcoming public space, featuring a Latinx Art Fair followed by the unveiling of the Aflora gallery exhibition.
- WHERE: TBD
- WHEN: September 19, Time TBA
- National Jug Band Jubilee Inc presents the National Jug Band Jubilee, a beloved, free, all-day festival celebrating Louisville’s role as the birthplace of jug band music, a uniquely American sound rooted in blues, ragtime, and early jazz. The event will feature 8 bands from around the country, Jug Band workshops, vending, kids activities, as well as food and drink. The Jubilee and the Louisville Folk school are also partnering to produce school shows around Jubilee weekend, getting Jug Bands into local elementary schools.
- WHERE: Brown-Forman Amphitheater Waterfront Park, 1301 River Road
- WHEN: October 3, 12 pm – 10 pm
- The Louisville Review, Frazier Kentucky History Museum, and Frank X Walker will present The 35th Anniversary of the Affrilachian Poets with Frank X Walker, celebrating this historic anniversary of the oldest continually running predominantly African American writing group in the country. The event program will consist of: a talk on the history of the Affrilachian Poets by founding member Frank X Walker, a poetry reading by members of the Affrilachian Poets Collective, and a reception with refreshments and a book signing. The first 100 registered guests will receive a complimentary copy of The Louisville Review Number 99, which celebrates 35 years of the Affrilachian Poets and 50 years of The Louisville Review. Additional support provided by the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage.
- WHERE: Frazier History Museum, 829 W Main St.
- WHEN: November 6, 6 – 7:30 pm with reception to follow. Doors open at 5:30 pm.
For further information on each upcoming event, please visit the websites and/or social media channels for the organizers.
The Community Event Mini-Grant is powered by the support of LG&E and KU Company.
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/.
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
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