ArtsKC Announces Ovation Grants for Organizations &Second Cycle of Rocket Relief for Area Artists
Aug 20, 2020
Kansas City Region (August 19, 2020) - ArtsKC - Regional Arts Council announces that 22 established arts organizations will receive mission support funding totaling $66,000 in our FY20 Ovation Grants season. The outbreak of COVID-19 has devastated our region’s arts community. According to a survey from Americans for the Arts, the nonprofit arts and culture sector of our region alone has lost $16,828,625. These 22 organizations employ over 1,200 local residents, proving their economic and workforce worth. It is the mission of ArtsKC’s grantmaking program to help ensure the survival of our area’s vibrant arts community through the generosity of our grantmaking supporters and private partnerships. The following organizations are recipients:
American Jazz Museum
Coterie Theatre
Folly Theater
Friends of Chamber Music
Harriman-Jewell Series
Heart of America Shakespeare Festival
Heartland Men’s Chorus
Kansas City Art Institute
Kansas City Ballet
Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey
Kansas City Repertory Theatre
Kansas City Symphony
Kansas City Young Audiences
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
Lyric Opera of Kansas City
Mesner Puppet Theater
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art
Johnson County Community College-Carlsen Center
Starlight Theatre
UMKC Conservatory of Music & Dance
Unicorn Theatre
“Kansas City arts organizations are essential to the quality of life and collective wellbeing of our regional community. ArtsKC Ovation Grants are only part of the financial support that is needed to sustain the arts sector for the benefit of generations to come.” - Dana Knapp, President & CEO, ArtsKC.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the Folly Theater, the extraordinary artists who perform on her stage, and the patrons who are inspired and uplifted by those arts experiences. Thus far, over 75 performances and events booked at the Folly have been canceled or postponed, accounting for over 50% of our annual income. Funding like our ArtsKC Ovation Grant is critical to helping the Folly Theater weather the COVID storm and prepare to thrill our audiences once again in 2021.” - Brian Williams, Folly Theater.
Rocket Relief
As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to impact local economies and individuals in the Kansas City region, local arts organizations Charlotte Street Foundation, Spencer Museum of Art, and ArtsKC Regional Arts Council have announced open applications for Rocket Relief emergency grants. Another cycle of Rocket Relief grants is now available for individual artists who find themselves needing financial assistance as they navigate their way through the Coronavirus pandemic. Artists who apply have a chance to be selected through a weighted lottery system that could provide them with a $1,000 unrestricted cash grant. Artists living within an 80-mile radius of Kansas City, Mo. can learn how to apply now for Rocket Relief on Charlotte Street’s website.
The Rocket Relief program will continue to provide emergency support to individual artists in the Kansas City regional bi-state (or Missouri/Kansas bi-state) region within 80 miles of Kansas City. The grant is intended to help artists whose income has been impacted by the Coronavirus Pandemic and who need assistance with basic expenses such as food, housing, medical costs, and child care. This fund is open to all self-identifying visual, multi-disciplinary, and performing artists in the Rocket Relief Region. Grant amounts are available as flat stipends of $1,000. During the first cycle of Rocket Relief grants, ArtsKC was proud to provide $26,000 in direct relief for local artists. Learn more about ArtsKC’s Rocket Relief grants.
About the ArtsKC – Regional Arts Council
ArtsKC is a regional nonprofit arts council that promotes, supports and advocates for the arts across a five-county region. We promote the arts for their individual, community and economic benefits. And, we create initiatives that drive audience engagement in the arts. We provide arts organizations, artists & arts programs with professional support & investment, including grants that we award annually. We serve as the voice of the arts regionally by building relationships with government officials & advocating for the development of public funding, all in support of the arts as an economic & social driver. Please visit www.ArtsKC.org for more information and visit www.artskcgo.com, a local arts and cultural events calendar brought to you by ArtsKC.
Grants Contact:
Heather Beffa
Program Manager, Grants
HBeffa@ArtsKC.org