Grants to Organizations News

At the 2017 Tieton Day of the Dead Festival, Aztec dancers performed traditional rituals. Photo courtesy of Tieton Arts & Humanities.

Grants to Organizations - Project Support Grants Level A - Applications now open!
Project Support - Level A provides funding to nonprofit arts organizations, arts groups, community service groups, non-profit organizations, tribal or local governments that seek to produce arts programming for public audiences. Arts organizations with annual operating budgets under $200,000 or organizations that are not arts specific (regardless of budget size) are eligible to apply for Level A funding. Funded projects must accessible to the public. The application deadline is March 12 th .  See the FY 2019 Guidelines and more .
 
Cooperative Partnership Program - Applications now open!
Through the Cooperative Partnership Program the Washington State Arts Commission establishes partnerships with statewide arts service organizations to advance the Commission's goals and priorities. Cooperative Partnership Program funding enables us to extend our reach by partnering with organizations that provide services that support artists and arts professionals across Washington State. The application deadline is April 2 nd . See the FY 2019 Guidelines and more .
 
New! Snap Grants! A pilot program for small community groups
Are you a small community group or organization with an annual operating budget of $25,000 or less? If so, check out ArtsWA's new Snap Grants. This pilot program invites applications from groups and organizations that are new to ArtsWA funding or not been funded by ArtsWA in the last three cycles; and are producing events that help us increase our specific and intentional efforts around equity and social justice.

Final Reports for FY2018 Project Support Level Grants
Grants to Organizations Final Report Forms for all FY18 Project Support Level Grants and the Cooperative Partnership Program are now available. ArtsWA is transitioning to a new online application system. During this transition period your final report data will be collected via an excel sheet that is available as a download HERE . We encourage you to allow sufficient time to complete the form before the July 31, 2018 Final Report submission deadline.  


Poetry Out Loud Regional Champs head to Washington State Final

Congratulations to Washington's thirteen regional Poetry Out Loud champions. Over 18,000 students from over 60 high schools participated in this year's Poetry Out Loud recitation competition. The top-scoring students from each of the school-wide competitions advanced to one of seven regional competitions held across the state. Thirteen regional champions have earned a place at the Poetry Out Loud State Final on March 10. They'll compete for a chance to travel to the National Poetry Out Loud competition in Washington D.C. this spring.
 
The thirteen regional champions are: Addi Garner, Anacortes High School, Anacortes; Ashley Higdon, Ellensburg High School, Ellensburg; John Jones, Rainier High School, Rainier; Isaac Lu, Cedar Tree School, Ridgefield; Rianna Marshall, Kamiakin High School, Kennewick; Alaya Mays, Camas High School, Camas; Travis McDaneld, Tacoma School of the Arts, Tacoma; Brittany Miller, River Ridge High School, Lacey; Reily Morrison-Nelson, Okanogan High School, Okanogan; Grace Orallo, Wenatchee High School, Wenatchee; Kennedy Shamblin, Stanwood High School, Stanwood; Janelle Thirtyacre, Eatonville High School, Eatonville; and Mackenzie Woodworth, Liberty Bell High School, Winthrop.
 
The Poetry Out Loud State Final will be held on Saturday, March 10, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, Theatre on the Square in Tacoma. The event is free and open to the public. 
 
Poetry Out Loud is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, with additional local funding from the Servco Foundation. It is coordinated in the state by the Washington State Arts Commission.
 

February 7, 2018 - Arts & Heritage Day at the State Capitol. Washington State Poet Laureate 
C laudia Castro Luna read a poem to open the State Senate session. Arts & Heritage Day is an annual event that brings cultural leaders from all over the state to Olympia to meet with lawmakers about arts and heritage legislative priorities.

ArtsWA Statement on proposed elimination of the NEA

On February 12, the Trump administration delivered its budget request to Congress for Fiscal Year 2019. As expected, the administration proposes eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute for Museum Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

While we are, of course, deeply disappointed that the administration has chosen to once again propose the elimination of our national partner, we understand that this is just the first step in the FY 2019 appropriations process. Furthermore, we are grateful that members of Congress from both parties strongly rejected the President's call for termination last year and look to a bipartisan effort to once again fully fund the NEA. 

At the federal level, our colleagues at the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), and also at Americans for the Arts (AFTA) will work on our behalf with members of congress in the weeks and months ahead to ensure that the NEA and the invaluable programs it supports--including the federal-state partnership that ArtsWA is part of, and so relies on, continue to thrive.

Please join us on March 8 for ArtsWA's Washington Certified Creative Districts overview webinar

Date: Thursday, March 8, 2018
Time: 10:00 am PST

Have you heard about the new Washington State Certified Creative Districts program and would like to learn more? Do you have arts and cultural activities in your community, but aren't sure how to capitalize on them? Do you want to create more vibrancy in your community, or foster small business growth and entrepreneurship? Certified Creative District designation can help you do all that.

Join Annette Roth, Creative Districts Program Manager at ArtsWA, as she explains the program and how communities around the state can use the Creative Districts designation to increase vibrancy, enhance their arts and culture, and grow jobs, investment, and business in their community. Participants will view a live presentation, and have an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the session.

Feel free to pass this along to anyone in your community that you think might be interested.  We're looking forward to you joining us!

Animals of the Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Dog
is one of a series of twelve stained glass artworks by Cappy Thompson located in the main hall of Foothills Elementary in Buckley, WA. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Happy Lunar New Year! It's the Year of the Dog

In celebration of the Year of the Dog and the Chinese Lunar New Year (February 16, 2018) we present a selection of artworks in the State Art Collection that feature dogs. The Dog is the symbol of loyalty and honesty in the Chinese zodiac. 

See the Year of the Dog Exhibition, our latest online exhibition.
The Washington State Arts Commission is committed to values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and creative expression. We believe in diverse forms of artistic expression, and we believe in access to arts and arts education for all individuals in our state. The arts can and should play a role in addressing inequities, modeling inclusion, and teaching empathy.
For more information contact:
Glenda Carino | W. 360.586.8093 | C: 360.259.7862 | g [email protected]
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