ArtsFairfax, the nonprofit designated as Fairfax County’s local arts agency, announced grants for local arts organizations and free learning experiences for county residents. The organization is partly funded by Fairfax County, Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as corporations, foundations and individuals.
Pandemic Recovery Grants
With the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, ArtsFairfax has been working to fund arts organizations. The objective is to support organizations to build resilience and look to the future with programming, planning and reimagining work. Grants are limited to small and medium organizations with budgets under $500,000.
ArtsFairfax will distribute $170,000 in Pandemic Recovery Grants to both established and emerging arts and culture groups impacted by COVID-19. Applications are now open until January 20, 2023, andArtsFairfax will offer weekly office hours through the deadline, for prospective grantees to ask questions and receive application support.
Funding will be prioritized but not limited to the following criteria:
· Organizations that have not received county recovery funds previously;
· BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) organizations as determined by mission, leadership and community served; and
· Organizations that serve arts participants and audiences in economically disadvantaged areas of the county.
“We’re looking for organizations that might be dedicated to a single cultural tradition or perhaps come from an area of the county with greater needs,” said Linda S. Sullivan, ArtsFairfax president and CEO. “By supporting these overlooked arts groups, we strengthen the diversity of Fairfax arts and culture in our community.”
For more information, visit ArtsFairfax.org/PandemicRecovery
Artist Residency Program Expands
New locations in Fairfax County have been announced for ArtsFairfax’s Artist Residency Program. The residency program will place professional performing and visual artists at a Fairfax County park, library, school, community center and an affordable housing community. The objective is to bring free interactive opportunities to neighborhoods underserved in the arts. This program was recently launched at the John Marshall Library in Fairfax County.
The residency experience trains Fairfax County professional artists in community engagement, creative aging and creative youth development, including best practices in anti-racism, anti-ageism and anti-ableism. Training also connects artist peers in the program to strengthen their collective knowledge.
“Arts and humanities go hand-in-hand to spark the imagination and nurture creativity. We were thrilled to launch ArtsFairfax Artist Residencies at the John Marshall Library to inspire and engage the community with visual art,” said the Deputy Library Director of Fairfax County Public Library Kevin Osborne.The ArtsFairfax Artist Residency is supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Dimick Foundation, and Transurban, among others. See the arts disciplines at each of the five Fairfax County locations for the program, and to learn about the artists, visit ArtsFairfax.org/ArtistResidency.