Arts Council awards $54,000 to support initiatives for underrepresented communities

A new grant program sponsored by the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County is channeling funding to cultural agencies that promote diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion outreach, according to an Arts Council news release.

The goal is to support traditionally underserved communities in Cumberland County, the news release said.

The Inclusive Outreach Grant program was announced in July. Eight applicants requested a total of nearly $105,000 for the 2022-23 cycle. A committee chaired by Kenjuana McCray, dean of arts and humanities at Fayetteville Technical Community College, approved a total of $54,000 to four organizations, the release said.

Individual grants are for as much as $15,000.

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The grant winners this cycle are:

• Fayetteville State University Foundation: The award will support an inaugural International Music Festival, a three-day series of concerts by small instrumental ensembles across venues in Cumberland County. Musical styles will include classical chamber music, jazz, and folk by artists born in Colombia, Czech Republic, Mexico, Honduras, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, South Korea, and the United States.
• Fayetteville State University Department of Performing Arts: The grant will support the 2022-23 Performance Series and new marketing strategies that will include public performances, gallery exhibitions, and master classes featuring local residents, guest artists, and ensembles. The grassroots marketing strategies will promote the cultural arts at FSU.
• Fayetteville Justice for our Neighbors: The grant will support “Tour Around the World: Exploring Immigrant Experiences Through Art,” a showcase of the talents of Cumberland County's immigrant populations including musical, visual, and literary expressions.
• First Nations Tribal Youth Development: The grant will support the Cumberland County Social Powwow that raises cultural awareness of the community’s indigenous cultures through music, dance, storytelling, foods, arts and crafts, social and environmental awareness projects, and fellowship.

“It’s exciting to see these inspiring programs take flight under this new grant initiative,” says Michael Curtis Houck, director of grants and allocations for the Arts Council. “We look forward to seeing the outcomes of these inaugural outreach efforts and to what new programs come forth in the next Inclusive Outreach grant cycle.”

The Inclusive Outreach Grant will continue as part of the Arts Council’s annual Project Support Grant initiatives.

Funding is provided through the North Carolina Arts Council’s Grassroots American Rescue Plan Act allocation. Additional information about the grants is available at TheArtsCouncil.com/inclusive-outreach.