Louisville, KY (November 21, 2024) – Fund for the Arts is proud to announce the 6 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 October 17, 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. 6 events in 4 Louisville Metro Council districts (4, 6, 7, 8) have been awarded funding support.
“The Louisville Civic Orchestra is thrilled to be a recipient of a Fund for the Arts Community Event Mini-Grant in support of our Signature 2 concert “Ravishing Russian Romantics” in February of 2025,” said Jonathan Wysong, Executive Director of the Louisville Civic Orchestra. “This concert cycle will feature soloist and UofL Assistant Professor of Piano Dr. Anna Petrova on Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, a truly virtuosic and all out fun piece for musicians and listeners. We’re so grateful that this grant allows us to partner with soloists like Dr. Petrova while continuing to offer our concerts to the community without admission costs.”
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.
“We are honored to receive the Fund for the Arts Community Event Mini-Grant, enabling us to partner with Roots 101 African American Museum to present The ETHER Art Gallery, illustrations by local artist, Bryce Oquaye. This initiative celebrates the intersection of art, health, and culture, fostering community connection and multigenerational engagement through creative expression.” – Dr. Abeni El-Amin, President of Project Ricochet and Creative Director for The Urban Art Collective.
Details on the grant recipients and their events:
- Project Ricochet presents The ETHER Art Gallery, celebrating intersection of art, health, and culture through an innovative display of public health-inspired illustrations at the Roots 101 African-American Museum from October 1, 2024 – May 10, 2025.
- Adah School of Art presents ArtistGiving Holiday Celebration, a community-oriented Thanksgiving dinner and gathering that aims to bring together artists, families, and neighbors from Old Louisville and surrounding areas at Stella’s Venue (1348 River Road) on December 1, 2024, 6 – 8 pm.
- Ambo Dance Theatre is hosting a student matinee field trip experience for a performance of The Graham Cracker: A Nutcracker Parody for the Dance students from Lincoln Performing Arts School, Noe Middle School, and Grace James Academy of Excellence at Actors Theatre of Louisville on December 6, 2024, 11 am – 1 pm.
- Louisville Public Media and Amped Music Academy present Youth Open Mic Night, a safe space for young, up-and-coming musicians, poets, storytellers, and spoken word artists to network, workshop new material, and express themselves on January 24, 2025, 4 – 6:30 pm.
- Louisville Civic Orchestra presents Signature 2: Ravishing Russian Romantics, a concert containing lush sounds from the Romantic era of music by famous Russian composers at Bellarmine University on February 19, 2025 at 7 pm and at Springdale Presbyterian Church on February 22, 2025 at 3 pm.
- Kiara Brewer-Carroll presents Raise Your V.O.I.C.E. (vocalizing one’s inner creativity and esteem), with arts playing a key role in healing, at University of Louisville, Red Barn, April 2025.
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
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