ArtsAVL Announces Grassroots Arts Program Grant Awardees

Forty-three art programs and nonprofit organizations receive grants up to $7500

December 12, 2023 | ArtsAVL celebrates 43 recipients of the Grassroots Arts Program grant. The grant provides programmatic and operating support for nonprofit arts organizations in Buncombe County. Recipients include organizations working in fields as diverse as dance, puppetry, choral and symphonic music, children’s theatre, mask making, arts for healing, community radio, and more. Grants ranged from $1,500-7,500 depending on the size of the organization.

ArtsAVL has been administering GAP funds to area arts organizations for over 40 years. This support is made possible by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and Buncombe County Government. Funds can be used for program expenses, including professional artists’ fees, marketing and publicity, music, and equipment rental, or operating expenses, including salaries, office supplies, rent, utilities, and small capital projects.

North Carolina Stage Company will use grant funds to support production of six plays. “We are so very grateful to be among the groups awarded support,” shares Michelle Carello, Associate Artistic Director. “It’s more meaningful and important than we can express. The work that ArtsAVL does is truly appreciated.”

Umoja Health, Wellness and Justice Collective will create two “mixtapes” – one video and audio, and one documentary video, about its program “Hope 4 the Future: Transforming Lives through Hip-Hop and Healing.” “We greatly appreciate the support of ArtsAVL and the Grassroots Arts Program,” says Founder and Executive Director Michael Hayes. “We look forward to continuing our efforts to empower our community to heal through the arts.”

Applicants were considered on application completeness, feasibility, organizational stability, accessibility, arts and culture alignment, capacity building, multicultural impact, and geographic impact. Multicultural programs and organizations located outside of the City of Asheville received special consideration.

2023-24 GAP recipients: