Photo courtesy of Asheville Music School

ArtsAVL Announces 2025–26 Grassroots Arts Grants for 49 Local Arts Nonprofits

Local, state, and federal funding helps arts nonprofits continue serving Buncombe County residents.

November 7, 2025 | ArtsAVL is proud to announce 49 recipients of the 2025–26 Grassroots Arts Program (GAP) grant, which provides vital programmatic and operating support for nonprofit arts organizations throughout Buncombe County. This year’s recipients represent the full spectrum of creative expression—dance, music, theatre, fiber arts, literature, festivals, and more.

For more than 45 years, ArtsAVL has administered the North Carolina Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Program locally, helping ensure that residents across North Carolina have access to high-quality arts experiences. The Buncombe County program is supported by funding from the North Carolina Arts Council, Buncombe County Government, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

“These are small but powerful grants,” said Katie Cornell, Executive Director of ArtsAVL. “Thanks to local, state, and federal funding, the Grassroots Arts Program helps sustain the arts nonprofits that make Buncombe County such a special place to live. Even as our community continues to recover from Hurricane Helene, these organizations are offering the creativity, learning, and connection that help our community thrive. Investments like these also help revitalize our local economy, and we invite others to join us in supporting the incredible organizations contributing to our community’s renewal.”

Funds may be used for program expenses—including professional artist fees, marketing, publicity, music, and equipment rental—or for operating costs such as salaries, office supplies, rent, and utilities.

Among this year’s awardees is Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective, which will use its grant to support the Fourth Annual 369 Monologue and Short Play Festival.

“Different Strokes! is proud to be the recipient of the 2026 Grassroots Arts Program award,” said Stephanie Hickling Beckman, Managing Artistic Director. “This funding contributes meaningfully to the Asheville arts community by introducing a substantial and diverse body of new dramatic work—45 plays and monologues over three years.”

Asheville Music School will also benefit, using its grant to provide financial-need-based scholarships for music lessons and instruments.

“With music and arts programs being cut in our public schools, we feel that our school is more and more important every year,” said Ryan Reardon, Executive Director. “ArtsAVL helps us continue the work that we do.”

For many, the funding also supports ongoing recovery and rebuilding after Hurricane Helene.

“The award comes at a pivotal time as Local Cloth continues to rebuild and strengthen operations following the loss of our studio during Hurricane Helene,” shared Mary Euler and Peggy Newell, Co-Chairs of Local Cloth’s Board of Directors. “This investment helps sustain our mission to grow and support the fiber arts—from fiber to finished product—while fostering connection, creativity, and collaboration across Western North Carolina.”

For more information about ArtsAVL’s grant programs visit artsavl.org/grants.