A larger than expected amount of money is up for grabs to support arts programming in the Central New York region. CNY Arts is looking to distribute $510,000 in grants to local artists and organizations.
CNY Arts Executive Director Stephen Butler said the organization usually only has about $200,000 to distribute, but this year there's a 150% surplus.
“The portal is open for anyone that’s interested,either as a non-for-profit arts, heritage or culture agency — also individual artists, and also artists who teach in the schools and community centers," Butler said.
Butler said a lack of money can make or break the desires by individual artists or organizations to offer instruction and programming that keeps the arts strong.
A previous recipient of a CNY Arts grant, the Syracuse nonprofit FORCE, or Focusing Our Resources for Community Enlightenment, Inc., put its funding toward producing an outdoor community talent showcase last year. Executive Director Brenda Muhammad said the project would not have happened without the $4,000 grant from CNY Arts.
"It allowed community members to have a chance to be seen. Their hopes and dreams — whether they’re a poet, a comedian, a singer, a dancer — they had a chance to be seen in a loving environment where there’s no boos. It’s not a contest. We’re all winners," Muhammad said.
The grants are distributed by CNY Arts and the source of funding is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts. The deadline to apply is Dec. 16. The board will select finalists by mid-January.
