Texas Commission on the Arts Announces Over $7 Million in Grants across Texas, Designates Seven New Cultural Districts

AUSTIN, Texas – September 7, 2016 – The Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) has approved funding of 974 grants in its first funding round for fiscal year 2017. The grants total over $7 million and will go to nonprofits and units of government in 120 cities. These grants include all of the Arts Create program grants, the Arts Respond Cultural District project grants, the first of two funding rounds for the Arts Respond Project program, the quarterly Arts Respond Performance Support program, and the quarterly Commission Initiatives and Designated Funding category.

“We are pleased to be able to provide support for so many quality arts activities across the state,” said Gary Gibbs, executive director of TCA. “The substantial work that our grantees are doing not only advances the arts in Texas, but provides valuable art experiences to Texans in rural communities, schools, hospitals, social service settings, and more.” For the full list of grants organized by city, please visit http://www.arts.texas.gov/cities17/cities/.

TCA Commissioners also approved the designation of seven new cultural districts. Cultural districts are special zones that harness the power of cultural resources to stimulate economic development and community revitalization. These districts can become focal points for generating business, attracting tourists, stimulating cultural development and fostering civic pride. The new cultural districts are the Amarillo Cultural District, the Arlington Cultural Arts District, the Downtown Plano Cultural District, the Rockport Cultural Arts District,  the Salado Art and Cultural District, the Texarkana Arts and Historical District and the Waco Downtown Cultural District. These designations bring the total number of cultural districts in Texas to 35.

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Arts Create grants

• Provide year-round operational support to Texas arts organizations with budgets over $50,000
• Also provide funding to be subgranted on a local level by local arts organizations with a proven track record of grant making
• For fiscal year 2017, 397 Arts Create grants totaling $3.3 million are allocated to 382 organizations in 73 Texas cities.

Arts Respond Cultural District Project grants

• Provide support to projects that use the arts to diversify local economies, generate revenue, and attract visitors and investment through significant cultural tourism project
• Are available to arts organizations and government entities verified as based in TCA-designated cultural districts

• For fiscal year 2017, 17 applicants from 12 different cultural districts in 8 Texas cities will receive funding totaling $2.7 million.

Arts Respond Project grants

• Fund arts-based projects that address one of the priority areas of economic development; education; health and human services; natural resources and agriculture; or public safety and criminal justice
• 413 grants are approved to receive a total of $730,658 in this program
• Applications came from 305 arts organizations in 61 cities.

Arts Respond Performance Support grants

• Provide partial support to help applicants host an artist from the Texas Touring Roster in their community
• 144 grants will go to 99 organizations and units of government in 65 Texas cities
• These grants total $178,641.

Commission Initiatives and Designated Funding grants

• Include a grant to support hosting a national arts conference in Austin, and funding received from the National Endowment for the Arts to conduct two regional convenings with the Texas arts field, and to conduct the Poetry Out Loud high school competition in Texas
• The program will provide three grants totaling $31,000 to two applicants in one city.

About The Texas Commission on the Arts

The mission of the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) is to advance our state economically and culturally by investing in a creative Texas. TCA supports a diverse and innovative arts community in Texas, throughout the nation and internationally by providing resources to enhance economic development, arts education, cultural tourism and artist sustainability initiatives. For more information on TCA and its programs, please visitwww.arts.texas.gov.