The Arts Council of Greater Morgantown (ACGM) and Your Community Foundation of North Central West Virginia Inc. (YCF) handed out 2023 Organizational Arts Grants Tuesday evening at the Metropolitan Theater on High Street.
Awards totaling $142,320 were distributed to nine local arts and cultural organizations in Monongalia County. This collaborative effort is made possible through funding from the City of Morgantown, the Monongalia County Commission and the YCF Douglas H. Tanner Memorial Fund for the Arts.
The following organizations received grants:
- Monongahela River Trails Conservancy
- Monongalia Arts Center
- Morgantown Art Association
- Morgantown Dance
- Morgantown Theatre Company
- Spark! Imagination and Science Center
- Summit Chamber Music Series
- West Virginia Botanic Garden
- West Virginia Public Theatre
“Thanks to local nonprofits like the ones being honored today, we have a vibrant arts and cultural community,” said Lisa Giuliani, grant program chair. “Each year we receive many worthy grant requests, but resources are limited. Community members and businesses are invited to join us by making a tax-deductible gift to support more opportunities for the arts in Monongalia County.”
This year, additional funding was provided by donations from Liz and Harry Finklea, as well as the Miles McKennan Foreman Youth Art Fund at YCF.
The mission of the Organizational Arts Grant program is to broaden base support for the arts, promote excellence in the arts and ensure that the community has a variety of arts programs.
The grant structure and criteria were developed by a committee of volunteers, with representation from individual artists and arts organizations.
Since 2018, when the City of Morgantown and the Monongalia County Commission began collaborating on the Organizational Arts Grant program, over $1 million in grant funding has been awarded to local nonprofits working to promote the arts in Monongalia County.
The 2024 grant application will be available in April, online at ycfwv.org.
The mission of the Arts Council of Greater Morgantown’s is to advance the arts and enhance the community by encouraging investment in imagination, infrastructure and invention.
YCF’s mission is to promote philanthropy and build endowment funds to benefit communities.
