|
MONTPELIER, VT—The digital programming space—super-charged by the pandemic—is here to stay as audiences have grown used to being entertained, informed and enlightened via the screen. But arts and cultural organizations have varying levels of readiness to deliver this content.
The Vermont Arts Council has launched a new grant program to address the digital divide, thanks to $1.15 million in funding approved by the Vermont legislature last year to help build the virtual capacity of Vermont cultural organizations.
The Council is now accepting applications for its new Digital Capacity Grant Program, which aims to support Vermont’s arts and culture organizations as they navigate the transition to digital by providing skills, equipment, and expertise to serve their audiences and community.
Two types of grants are available: organization grants and collaborative grants.
Organization grant awards from $5,000 to $30,000 are available to support the creation, distribution, and marketing of digital content for public audiences. A broad range of activities is supported, such as enhancing an organization’s website, establishing a social media marketing strategy, purchasing equipment for digital content, paying for streaming platforms, training staff, and more.
A limited number of larger collaborative grants will be funded. These multi-year grants for $60,000 to $150,000 will support collaborative efforts designed to increase the digital capacity of a cultural community in a particular region or focused on a particular area or type of cultural organizations, for example, a group of museums partnering on a virtual exhibition initiative.
The grant program is open to Vermont-based 501 (c)(3) cultural organizations whose missions center arts and culture, including museums, historical societies, arts centers, and nonprofit theaters and galleries.
The application deadline is April 20, 2022.
In addition to the grant program, the Council is offering a variety of free workshops on topics including inclusive and accessible digital programming, production and editing, website analytics and e-commerce, and social media marketing in partnership with Inclusive Arts Vermont, the Media Factory and the Vermont Small Business Center. The Council has also invested funds in nonprofits that provide services and support to artists across the state to deliver digital training addressing the specific needs of artists in their networks.
“Online engagement by Vermont’s museums, theaters and art centers was a lifeline for so many through the pandemic. These funds are an investment to ensure that our state’s vital cultural organizations can continue to build audiences and increase their impact,” said Vermont Arts Council Deputy Director Amy Cunningham.
Information about the Arts Council’s digital capacity programming can be found at https://www.vermontartscouncil.org/programs/digital-capacity
About the Vermont Arts Council
The Vermont Arts Council envisions a Vermont where all people have access to the arts and creativity in their lives, education, and communities. Engagement with the arts transforms individuals, connects us more deeply to each other, energizes the economy, and sustains the vibrant cultural landscape that makes Vermont a great place to live. Since 1965, the Council has been the state's primary provider of funding, advocacy, and information for the arts in Vermont. Learn more at vermontartscouncil.org
###
| 
