Sixty-one Midwestern arts and culture organizations received new COVID-19 relief grants today from Arts Midwest through Phase 2 of the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund.
The Resilience Fund’s goal is to invest in historically under-resourced arts and culture organizations across the United States as they work to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with these priorities, thirty-two of the funded organizations are based in rural areas, twenty-five are led by and serving people of color, and five are led by and serving Native and Indigenous communities.
The sixty-one selected organizations will each receive between $10,000 – $50,000 as a one-time investment. Recipients may direct United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund grants to their most pressing needs and opportunities, from response activities to investments that build resiliency and sustainability.
The United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund began in June 2020, when each of America’s six Regional Arts Organizations, a national collective of place-based nonprofit arts service organizations, received allocations of a $10 million emergency grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Arts Midwest invested its initial $1.5 million share from the Mellon Foundation into thirty mid-to-large-size organizations across the region. This investment was then matched by an anonymous donor, with Phase 2 supporting additional smaller organizations with annual budgets between $50,000 – $249,999.
To ensure that rural communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color were integral voices in the funding process, Arts Midwest shaped an equity-focused trust-based philanthropic model. Decision-making on how to allocate all Resilience Fund grants has been guided by rural culture makers and arts leaders of color from across the Midwest as well as representatives from Arts Midwest’s nine partner State Arts Agencies.
In total, over eight hundred Midwestern organizations have been nominated by community members to receive money through the Resilience Fund. All nominated organizations will have access to free capacity-building resources and webinars put on by Arts Midwest in the coming months.
Torrie Allen, President and CEO, Arts Midwest“As the pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the nation, smaller arts and culture organizations are deeply hurting. We are grateful to the Mellon Foundation and our anonymous funder for investing in the creative core of the Midwest. We are hopeful that these funds will help organizations across our region weather the storm so that they can keep serving their communities for years to come.”
United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund Awards: Phase 2
| Organization | City | State | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArtHaus | Decorah | IA | $15,000 |
| Station 1 | Des Moines | IA | $20,000 |
| Tai Village | Des Moines | IA | $10,000 |
| Public Space One | Iowa City | IA | $20,000 |
| Red Cedar Chamber Music | Marion | IA | $25,000 |
| Marshall County Arts & Culture Alliance | Marshalltown | IA | $20,000 |
| George Daily Community Auditorium | Oskaloosa | IA | $35,000 |
| Wieting Theatre and Opera House | Toledo | IA | $20,000 |
| Youth Art Team | Waterloo | IA | $30,000 |
| Public Media Institute | Chicago | IL | $40,000 |
| Artists ReEnvisioning Tomorrow | Peoria | IL | $40,000 |
| Urbana Champaign Independent Media Center | Urbana | IL | $30,000 |
| Shawnee Theatre of Greene County | Bloomfield | IN | $30,000 |
| Beachfront Dance School | Gary | IN | $15,000 |
| Freetown Village | Indianapolis | IN | $25,000 |
| Iibada Dance Company | Indianapolis | IN | $25,000 |
| Indiana Performing Arts Theatre | Indianapolis | IN | $20,000 |
| N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Arts | Detroit | MI | $35,000 |
| El Ballet Foklorico Esudiantil | Flint | MI | $20,000 |
| Shop Floor Theatre Company | Flint | MI | $20,000 |
| GRAAMA (Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives) | Grand Rapids | MI | $15,000 |
| Downtown Art Place | Ironwood | MI | $10,000 |
| Black Arts & Cultural Center | Kalamazoo | MI | $30,000 |
| Riverfolk Music and Arts Organization | Manchester | MI | $10,000 |
| Voices Without Borders | Petoskey | MI | $15,000 |
| Arts for All of Northern Michigan | Traverse City | MI | $25,000 |
| Manidoo Ogitigaan | Bemidji | MN | $25,000 |
| Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop | Minneapolis | MN | $40,000 |
| Rosy Simas Danse | Minneapolis | MN | $25,000 |
| Threads Dance Project | Minneapolis | MN | $25,000 |
| Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT) | St. Paul | MN | $30,000 |
| Indigenous Roots Cultural Art Center | St. Paul | MN | $50,000 |
| Brownbody | Vadnais Heights | MN | $30,000 |
| Turtle Mountain Indian Historical Society | Belcourt | ND | $15,000 |
| Ukrainian Cultural Institute | Dickinson | ND | $15,000 |
| African Arts Arena | Grand Forks | ND | $10,000 |
| Northern Valley Youth Orchestras | Grand Forks | ND | $15,000 |
| Minot Area Council on the Arts | Minot | ND | $25,000 |
| Nelson County Arts Council | Pekin | ND | $15,000 |
| Long X Arts Foundation | Watford City | ND | $15,000 |
| Passion Works | Athens | OH | $50,000 |
| Black Swamp Arts Festival | Bowling Green | OH | $35,000 |
| Majestic Theatre | Chillicothe | OH | $15,000 |
| Maroon Arts Group | Columbus | OH | $15,000 |
| Ohio Regional Music Arts and Cultural Outreach | Homerville | OH | $20,000 |
| ArtSpace Lima | Lima | OH | $40,000 |
| Paper Circle | Nelsonville | OH | $10,000 |
| Piqua Arts Council | Piqua | OH | $25,000 |
| The Youngstown Playhouse | Youngstown | OH | $50,000 |
| Aberdeen Area Arts Council | Aberdeen | SD | $25,000 |
| Crystal Theatre Cultural Association | Flandreau | SD | $10,000 |
| Chautauqua Craftsmen & Artisans of the Black Hills | Hot Springs | SD | $10,000 |
| Pierre Players Community Theatre | Pierre | SD | $10,000 |
| He Sapa Wacipi Na Oshkate (Black Hills Pow Wow Association) | Rapid City | SD | $35,000 |
| Racing Magpie | Rapid City | SD | $35,000 |
| Harmony South Dakota | Sioux Falls | SD | $30,000 |
| Sisseton Arts Council | Sisseton | SD | $10,000 |
| Ko-Thi Dance Company | Milwaukee | WI | $30,000 |
| Walker’s Point Center for the Arts | Milwaukee | WI | $50,000 |
| Woodland Indian Art | Oneida | WI | $10,000 |
| ArtStart | Rhinelander | WI | $50,000 |
| TOTAL | $1,500,000 |