Arts Council

Founded in 1973, the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County (North Carolina) nurtures, advocates, and celebrates the arts in the Cumberland County metro region.  As a link between artists, arts and cultural organizations and the community, the Arts Council administers programs in partnership with a variety of local agencies to stimulate community development through the arts. 

As a service to the 300,000 citizens of Cumberland County, the Arts Council:

• Funds the arts throughout the County
• Helps arts organizations operate better
• Works to educate our children
• Manages the Arts Center facility and activities
• Serves as a key resource in making Cumberland County a good place to live, work and visit.
   

Funding the arts throughout the County. 
The Arts Council increases access to the arts for local residents by coordinating arts funding requests to local, state and federal governments, as well as by conducting an annual campaign to raise money from businesses, foundations and individuals. To enable residents and visitors to enjoy a variety of cultural activities, non-profit agencies in Cumberland County -- including 60 Arts Council member organizations -- are encouraged to apply to the Council for arts support. 

With a budget of $1,234,654 in 2005-2006, the Arts Council will provide more than $500,000 in direct funding to area artists, arts and cultural agencies, and schools. Volunteer community grants panelists representing Cumberland County’s diverse population award grants annually in the categories of Operating Support, Project Support and Major Project, as well as for Arts Education and the Regional Artists Program. 

Helping arts organizations operate better. 
In addition to providing Operating Support grants to established arts institutions, the Arts Council reviews these organizations' business practices, artistic standards and service to the community through monthly disbursement requests and annual application and reporting documentation. 

The Arts Council maintains a professional staff and offers management/technical assistance in marketing, fund raising, finance, board development, arts-in-education, audience development, planning, advocacy and budgeting.  To strengthen the effectiveness of local arts agencies, the Council offers member agencies access to office equipment, technology training, and resource materials, and manages an Internship Training Program to cultivate excellence in future arts administrators. 

Working to educate our children. 
Linking the schools with the arts, the Arts Council provides extensive in-school arts programming that partners artists and cultural resource personnel with educators and students. Since introducing the strings and poetry programs in the 1970s, the Arts Council has been a strong advocate for arts education initiatives in the schools. The Arts Council's Arts In Education program reaches over 30,000 students and is composed of the Artists In Schools program.

Managing the Arts Council facility and activities. 
The Arts Council is housed in a facility that was originally built as a federal post office (c. 1910) and is an elegant National Register historic building in the midst of Olde Fayetteville. Teams of artists contracted throughout the year manage Arts Council programs that include performances, readings, and visual art exhibitions. The facility is home to a variety of local cultural agencies, and the public spaces are utilized by a number of community organizations for meetings, classes, workshops and special events.

Serving as a key resource in making Cumberland County a good place to live, work, and visit.  
As a provider of arts services, the Arts Council acts as a magnet for individual artists and agencies linking artists with arts opportunities.  The Board of Trustees designates annual initiatives designed to promote arts advocacy and networking in the community. The Arts Council administers a number of  programs and special events throughout the year, including the annual arts festival – International Folk Festival – the great holiday tradition of A Dickens Holiday and our monthly Fourth Friday events.