For immediate release:
Tory Parker
Director of Marketing and Communications | Fund for the Arts
Tparker@fundforthearts.org
Louisville, KY (August 23, 2024) – Fund for the Arts is proud to announce the 10 latest recipients of the Community Event Mini-Grants. These Mini-Grants are designed to make supportive grant awards throughout the year to organizations and artists working alongside a community partner to present multi-disciplinary, multigenerational, free gatherings with arts included. The program is a part of the Fund’s Arts in Neighborhoods initiative.
This round of the Mini-Grant application closed July 19, 2024. The Community Event Mini-Grant application is available on a rolling basis, with funds awarded 4 times throughout a calendar year.
A panel of community members evaluated and provided feedback on applications and gave recommendations on which events to move forward in the process. 10 events in 5 Louisville Metro Council districts (4, 6, 11, 14, 17) have been awarded funding support.
Dominique Cooper applied on behalf of All Together Now, (Dominique Haley aka “dom haley” (he/him), Markelle Harris-Calbert aka “em.j” (she/her), and Gerry Cooper aka “Coop LeModerne” (he/him)). Their event will feature DJs, poetry, and vendors of all kinds on October 19 in the Shelby Park Neighborhood at 600 E Oak Street. Cooper says he is “super excited to put this grant to good use and have an event for folks of all ages, in the community! Thank you so much Fund for the Arts!”
This funding opportunity is designed to support individuals, groups, and organizations with existing, short-term, one-time innovative, creative, community events, and to make both the application and reporting processes more accessible in hopes of fostering connections with new applicants.
Luanne Maguire with the Garvin Gate Association is grateful to have support in bringing a historic event to the community. “Totally planned and executed for over 25 years by the Garvin Gate Association neighbors, The Garvin Gate Blues Festival strives to have a diverse artistic representation and aims to create a platform where different styles and voices are celebrated,” said Maguire. “This festival and the support for it allows The Garvin Gate Association to give back to our historic neighborhood.”
Details on the grant recipients and their events:
- Sarabande Books presents A Poetry Carnival: A carnival-themed event featuring 2 Sarabande poets, community poets, poetry buskers, and an hour-long zine-making workshop facilitated by a local, beloved drag queen. September 14, 1 – 4 pm at 735 Lampton Street.
- Kentucky Educational Television (KET) presents Be My Neighbor Day, which aims to bring communities together and teach children the importance of being a caring neighbor. September 29, 12 – 3 pm at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park (3000 Freys Hill Road).
- The Food Literacy Project presents Healing Week: An event created by young adults but open to all, offering a multitude of options for healing and engagement. Art Therapy Day will be Day 3. October 2 – 4, 4 – 7 pm at the Food Literacy Project Farm on Paradise Lane, Louisville, KY 40258.
- Zoom Group, Inc. Presents the ZG Art Carnival, hosted at ZG | StudioWorkZ. This event, featuring carnival games, food vendors, and an art fair, featuring the work of artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is free and open to all. October 4, 5 – 8 pm at 4545 Taylorsville Road.
- Garvin Gate Association presents the Garvin Gate Blues Festival, Louisville’s largest, free neighborhood street music festival. October 12, 1 – 10 pm in Old Louisville’s Central Park.
- MaybeItsFate presents Community Art Connection, which is the grand opening event of MaybeItsFate, a pioneering member-owned cooperative public art exhibition space, dedicated to fostering creativity and dialogue. October 12, 5 – 9 pm at 1425 Story Avenue.
- Youngblood Harmonizing Arts presents Take Care – A Day of Healing Arts, which brings together yoga, tai chi, Jin Shin Jyustu, plus musical, visual, and culinary arts. Date TBD, 10 am – 4 pm, 1718 Jefferson Street.
- Louisville Book Festival is a 2-day celebration of literacy and reading, featuring 100+ authors and presenters, hands on activities for youth attendees, and storybook characters come to life engaging with the public. October 18 & 19, 10 am – 5 pm at the Kentucky International Convention Center.
- All Together Now (with dom haley, em.j, and Coop LeModerne) will feature DJs, dance, and vendors of various art forms, from visual art, literature, music, and more. Different cuisines will be available for purchase. October 19 (times TBA), at 600 E Oak Street.
- Ensembles and the City of Charlestown Parks and Rec Department present Charlestown Jazz in the Park, a fun family-friendly outdoor jazz concert featuring both the Jamey Aebersold and the Charlestown Community Jazz Ensemble. October 20, 3 – 5 pm at Greenway Park, Charlestown, Indiana.
For further information on each upcoming event, please visit the websites and/or social media channels for the organizers. 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/.
The Community Event Mini-Grant is powered by the support of LG&E and KU Company.
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
“Free arts events in Louisville get a budget boost from mini-grant program” | Breya Jones for Louisville Public Media; April 5, 2024
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
