The Orange County Arts Commission (OCAC) has announced the recipients of the Restart the Arts grants program. Twenty-three arts groups received grants, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and approved by the Board of County Commissioners in June:
- Ackland Art Museum – $10,000
- Art Therapy Institute of NC – $5,000
- Attic 506 – $1,000
- The ArtsCenter – $10,000
- Basement Art Space – $1,000
- Bull City Performing Arts Conservatory – $2,500
- Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle – $6,000
- Chelsea Art Theater, Inc. – $6,500
- DooR to DooR of UNC Health – $2,500
- FRANK Gallery – $5,000
- Grow Your World – $2,500
- Hidden Voices – $2,500
- Hillsborough Arts Council – $5,000
- Hillsborough Gallery of Arts – $5,000
- Kidzu Children’s Museum – $5,000
- Living Arts Collective – $2,500
- Music Maker Foundation – $10,000
- Musical Empowerment – $5,000
- North Carolina Arts in Action – $6,000
- OdysseyStage – $1,000
- The Process Series at UNC-Chapel Hill – $1,000
- Sisters’ Voices – $2,500
- Voices Chapel Hill – $2,500
As one of the most hard-hit industries of the COVID-19 pandemic, the funding will help restore the local arts sector to its pre-pandemic impact, employing approximately 4,000 creative industry workers and contributing $131M to the local economy each year*.
“We are thankful to our federal and local government for recognizing the need for these dollars and making them available to the arts industry. When our arts economy is healthy, it positively impacts our neighboring small businesses, our quality of life, and our entire community overall,” states arts commission director Katie Murray.
The grants were available to nonprofit organizations who spend 25% or more on arts programming as well as unincorporated artist groups who were operating as of March 1, 2020. A panel of OCAC board members reviewed applications and allocated grants based on eligibility, budget size, and economic impact on the local community.
*Americans for the Arts’ Arts & Economic Prosperity Survey 5, 2016
