On Monday, February 7, 2022, the Arizona Commission on the Arts announced the recipients of its latest round of grants in support of arts learning programs throughout the state. Grants of up to $10,000 were awarded to 15 programs serving populations across the aging spectrum, for a grand total of $144,244.
Recipients include arts classes for veterans; a series of experiential art activities integrating art, science, and humanities for learners of all ages in Prescott; and a program that will commission young indigenous artists to paint murals depicting folktales of the Pascua Yaqui and Tohono O’odham tribes.
This round of funding completes the agency’s Fiscal Year 2022 funding cycle for arts learning programs. The first round of funding was announced in October 2021 and comprised 25 grants totaling $233,317.
Additional information on these and other grants awarded by the Arizona Commission on the Arts can be found at https://azarts.gov/news/fiscal-year-2022-grantees/.
Youth Arts Engagement Grants
Youth Arts Engagement (YAE) Grants support programs focused on young people ages 24 and under that occur outside of traditional school hours, and which provide creative expression in safe and nurturing environments, are rooted in youth voices, narratives, and perspectives, and utilize the assets of the community being served.
In alignment with the Arts Commission’s values regarding arts learning for young people, YAE grants prioritize youth voice, asset-based approaches, and arts programming that serves the whole person.
Grantees
- DREAM School Afterschool Family Program (DREAM School, Tucson)
- Commissioning Native American Youth to Paint Local Stories (Santa Cruz Valley Heritage Alliance, Tucson)
- Youth Ensemble Theatre Inc. (Y.E.T.i) (Childsplay, Inc., Tempe)
- Sharing is Caring (Monsoon Youth Education Project, Globe)
- Comprehensive Music Program for Underserved Youth (SOUNDS Academy, Phoenix)
- Expressing Ourselves: A Collaborative Community Mural Project (Skye’s the Limit Foundation, Phoenix)
- Resilience-building Arts Programs for Children and Teens (Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona, Phoenix)
- Nrithya Niyoga: Empowerment Through Dance (Silambam Phoenix, Phoenix)
- Camp Imagination 2022 (Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts, Wickenburg)
Lifelong Arts Engagement Grants
Lifelong Arts Engagement Grants support projects that foster meaningful arts learning experiences in community settings for adult learners of any age. Projects can include, but are not limited to, using creative expression to improve quality of life for older adults (Creative Aging), intergenerational projects, and/or providing sequential hands-on learning in, through, or about the arts for adult learners.
While the ultimate beneficiaries of this grant are defined as “adult learners,” intergenerational programming is also eligible for support.
Grantees
- Creating My Story – Visual Journaling through the Glass Arts (Sonoran Glass School, Tucson)
- Weaving Language, Tradition and Spirituality through Poetry II (Cook Native American Ministries Foundation, Tempe)
- From Audubon to Zoom: Observations Transformed (Natural History Institute, Prescott)
- Exploring Music with CAFE Flutes (Central Arizona Flute Ensemble, Chandler)
- Veterans Art Outreach Program (Arizona Art Alliance, Phoenix)
- Story of My Life in Words and Art (City of Phoenix Human Services Department, Phoenix)
Review Process
Applications were reviewed by panels of professional teaching artists and arts learning specialists. After reviewing and scoring applications individually, the panelists convened online for a public meeting on December 17, 2021 (LAE) and January 15, 2022 (YAE), to discuss applications and make recommendations for funding.
On January 20, 2022, the Arts Commission’s Governor-appointed board of commissioners convened to review and approve the panel’s recommendations for funding.
Fiscal Year 2023 Grants Now Available
The Arizona Commission on the Arts is now accepting applications for Fiscal Year 2023 funding. In addition to Lifelong Arts Engagement and Youth Arts Engagement Grants, the agency also offers general operating support for nonprofit arts organizations through it Creative Capacity Grant program, as well as Festival Grants in support of arts festivals. Additional information and application guidelines can be found at https://azarts.gov/grants/.
