[Fayetteville, North Carolina] - The Arts Council of Fayetteville|Cumberland County (ACFCC) is pleased to announce they have been selected to receive an American Rescue Plan (ARP) grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to help the arts and cultural sector recover from the pandemic.
The ACFCC is receiving $150,000 and will use this funding to distribute grants in their community to eligible recipients to save jobs and to fund operations and facilities, health and safety supplies, and marketing and promotional efforts to encourage attendance and participation. In total, the NEA will award grants totaling $20,200,000 to 66 local arts agencies nationwide for subgranting.
“The NEA’s significant investment in local arts agencies, including the ACFCC, is a key element in helping the arts and culture sector recover and reopen, while ensuring that that American Rescue Plan funding is distributed equitably,” said Ann Eilers, NEA’s Acting Chair. “These grants recognize the vital role of local arts agencies and will allow them to help rebuild local economies and contribute to the well-being of our communities.”
Bob Pinson, Interim President and CEO of the Arts Council says, “I am both thrilled and honored that the National Endowment of the Arts is recognizing the work of the Arts Council of Fayetteville|Cumberland County in our community by entrusting us to responsibly manage these public dollars. Our goal is to equitably distribute every penny of these funds. We will be increasing our marketing efforts to reach deep into the community and serve all in our region with emphasis on underserved cultural arts organizations and artists.”
Using ARP funds from the NEA, the ACFCC will expand its annual Project Support Grant and Artist Support Grant programs during the 2022-2023 fiscal year beginning in July 2022. Project Support grants are made available through a competitive application and review process each Spring for 501(c) nonprofit organizations to increase opportunities and access to cultural arts programming in Cumberland County. Artist Support Grants fund professional and artistic development for emerging and established artists in Cumberland, Hoke, Robeson, Sampson, and Scotland Counties to improve their business operations and capacity to bring their work to new audiences. Artist Support Grant applications are typically due in the Fall with projects beginning in December.
This is the second of three installments of the NEA’s American Rescue Plan funding. Last April, the NEA announced that 40 percent of its $135 million in ARP funding would be allocated to 62 state, jurisdictional, and regional arts organizations for regranting through their respective programs. The third installment of APR funding to arts organizations to support their own operations will be announced in early 2022.
For more information on the NEA’s American Rescue Plan grants, including the full list of local arts agencies funded in this announcement, visit www.arts.gov/COVID-19/the-american-rescue-plan.
Marketing & Public Relations:
Christy McNeil
Director of Marketing
ABOUT THE ARTS COUNCIL OF FAYETTEVILLE|CUMBERLAND COUNTY
The Arts Council of Fayetteville|Cumberland County (ACFCC)is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization based in Fayetteville, NC that supports individual creativity, cultural preservation, economic development, and lifelong learning through the ARTS.
Founded in 1973, the ACFCC has served as a link between artists, arts and cultural organizations, and the greater community by administering programs in partnership with a variety of local agencies to stimulate economic growth, reinforce child education through the arts, and enhance the cultural identity of the arts and entertainment district.
In the year 2020-21, the ACFCC distributed $1.1 million in grant funds and allocations to Cumberland County arts and culture non-profit organizations, artists, and municipalities. Grants, programs, and services of the ACFCC are funded in part by contributions from community partners, and through grants from the City of Fayetteville, Cumberland County, and the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources.
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