The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, a nonprofit that funnels millions of dollars to area charities each year, will announce a new grant program Tuesday that seeks to build relationships between Washington communities and local artists.
The Creative Communities Fund, part of a national initiative to strengthen the connection between artists and their communities in nine major cities, will award $100,000 in grants to up to 10 local artists this fall. Each grantee, chosen from a pool of about 60 preselected nominees, will work with a local nonprofit to create an engaging community art project.
For example, a playwright may partner with a local theater and an area youth organization to write and produce a play, said Silvana Straw, a senior program officer at the Community Foundation.
“One of the goals of the fund is to encourage local nonprofits to increase their support for artists,” she said. “It’s a natural partnership, because artists are a crucial part of community life and they work in diverse settings.”
Though this is the organization’s first fund to specifically finance individual artists, the Community Foundation is one of the area’s biggest providers of arts funding, donating between $5 million and $9 million each year to local organizations. The Community Foundation gave $83 million in grants to local charities regionwide last year through its 580 funds.
The Creative Communities Fund is just one part of the umbrella Creative Communities Initiative. In addition to the grants, 25 of the nominated artists will be tapped for a professional development training program.
“Just like other sectors of the work force, in order to be successful artists, they need support services, financial services, professional development and they need affordable places to work,” Straw said. “By funding these partnerships — an artist and a nonprofit — we can fulfill that goal to actively engage the community.”
Behind the story
What is a community foundation?
» A community foundation is essentially a repository for charitable funds. Individuals, philanthropists and foundations can put money into a fund to be distributed to other nonprofit organizations. Acommunity foundation’s expertise within the nonprofit sector allows donors to ensure their funds will be used effectively.
» The Community Foundation of the National Capital Region was founded in 1973. The organization has more than $340 million in assets.
