The grantmaking program expanded this year through the Delores Barr Weaver Black Arts Organization Fund | JACKSONVILLE, FL – December 11, 2024 – More than $100,000 in grants have been made to local arts organizations, supporting organizational capacity and program development across the Northeast Florida region.
Nine nonprofits have been selected for $10,000 grants over 18 months through the Art Ventures Initiative, now in its 34th year. The grantmaking program expanded this year thanks to a new funding source, the Delores Barr Weaver Black Arts Organization Fund.
“I’d like to congratulate this year’s grantees of the Art Ventures Initiative,” said Amy Palmer, Program Director at The Community Foundation. “We had a record number of applications, and each of these projects stood out for their potential to strengthen the organizations and thereby increase the innovative programming that will enrich the lives of residents from St. Johns to Nassau.”
Four of the nine grants are funded through the Art Ventures Endowment, the J. Shepard, Jr. & Mary Ann Bryan Arts Endowment, and the Anne and Sallyn Pajcic Art Ventures Endowment. They are:
- Bold City Opera – To support the strategic and fundraising plans that will enable this emerging Duval County-based organization to grow its capacity and ensure its long-term sustainability.
- Friday Musicale – To support a new strategic framework for Duval County’s oldest arts organization.
- The Island Theater – To expand the technical theater mentorship program of this Clay County-based organization in order to attract, train, and retain new participants.
- Searching for Identity – To support facilitation for the writers’ workshop for Second Generation Holocaust Survivors in the Jacksonville area and expand the reach of this St. Johns County-based organization through more community outreach and educational programming.
In addition, five grants have been awarded through the Delores Barr Weaver Black Arts Organization fund. The inaugural grantees are:
- African American Cultural Arts Council – To support a comprehensive strategic plan for this Putnam County-based organization.
- Don’t Miss A Beat – To help this Duval County-based organization acquire audiovisual and stage production gear to enrich the professional-quality production environment for students.
- Gullah/Geechee Cultural Community Trust – To support a cultural outreach project that documents the history and heritage of the Gullah/Geechee people through this Nassau County-based organization.
- Norman Studios Silent Film Museum – To support a world premiere of a musical setting of a James Weldon Johnson poem, raising awareness and support for this Duval County-based organization.
- Ritz Chamber Players – To support this Duval County-based organization’s 25th anniversary campaign to fortify its operations as it celebrates this milestone in 2027.
In addition to these Art Ventures grants, three other arts organizations recently received grants through other funding sources at The Community Foundation:
- The First Coast Wind Symphony received a $5,000 grant to support a new music and mental health conference presented through cross-sector collaboration at Jacksonville University.
- The Limelight Theatre in St. Augustine received a $5,000 grant to support the production of an originally commissioned play about St. Augustine’s civil rights history.
- The Nassau Council of Arts and Culture received a $10,000 grant to support its operations and strategic growth as Nassau County’s newly designated local arts agency.
About Art Ventures
Art Ventures began in 1990 as a commitment to invest in local individual artists as well as small arts organizations — and has granted more than $1.6 million to more than 260 artists and 150 small arts organizations. Funding for 2024 Art Ventures Small Arts Organizations comes from the Art Ventures Endowment; the J. Shepard, Jr. & Mary Ann Bryan Arts Endowment; the Anne and Sallyn Pajcic Art Ventures Endowment; and the Delores Barr Weaver Black Arts Organization Fund.
About The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida
The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida (www.jaxcf.org), Florida’s oldest and one of its largest community foundations, works to stimulate philanthropy to build a better community. The Foundation helps donors invest their philanthropic gifts wisely, helps nonprofits serve the region effectively, and helps people come together to make the community a better place. Now in its 60th year, the Foundation manages more than $650 million in assets as of 12/31/2023 and has made more than $750 million in grants since inception.
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Contact: Stephanie Garry Garfunkel
VP, Strategic Communications
904-224-7208| sgarfunkel@jaxcf.org
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