ORLANDO – March 11, 2020 – United Arts of Central Florida announced the recipients of its February cycle of Mini-Grants and Diversity Grants. Six organizations were awarded Mini-Grants totaling $15,000 and four organizations were awarded Diversity Grants totaling $20,000.
Mini-Grants
United Arts reaches out to grassroots and multicultural organizations through this grant program. The program has three deadlines per year, a short application and a one-month turnaround from submission to grant decision. More than 70% of grantees receive their first grant from United Arts through this program, and 47% of funding goes to culturally diverse organizations.
This cycle’s grant recipients are:
Capoeira for Tomorrow – Awarded $2,500 for Capoeira Classes – At Risk / Low Income Youth. This program will take place five days a week throughout 2020, teaching children the elements of Capoeira movement, music and history. The grant will specifically fund children and teens whose families would not normally be able to afford the tuition.
Celebration Theatre Company, Inc. – Awarded $2,500 for The Wild Party. Celebration Theatre Company presents its third season of live musical theater, including The Wild Party, with book, music, and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, based on the poem by Joseph Moncure March. Productions occur May 28 – May 31, 2020.
DulceArt Works – Awarded $2,500 for The Theatre Institute of DulceArt. The Theatre Institute of DulceArt (TTI) is a company of teaching artists and performers dedicated to the educational enhancement and enrichment of theater arts inclusion in schools, museums and community centers. Through its community outreach approach – TTI provides students in underserved areas with the opportunity to thrive both on stage and in life. Classes and workshops occur at various locations, every Wednesday and third Saturday of the month from March 29, 2020 – February 27, 2021.
Howey Mansion Music Series Inc. – Awarded $2,500 for Mansion Music – Educational School Concerts. The Howey Mansion Music Series provides people of all cultures and backgrounds the opportunity to enjoy jazz and classical music through engaging presentations by highly skilled artists set in the restored historic 1920s Howey Mansion. All concerts include an educational component to gain an appreciation for classical and jazz music heritage. Scheduled season concerts: March 8, 2020 – Jazz on the Lawn with Renderglow; April 16, 2020 – Sovereign Brass in the Great Hall.
Swamp Sistas La La Foundation, Inc. – Awarded $2,500 for Swamp Sistas La La 2020. The Swamp Sistas La La 2020 season is comprised of performances by women artists in music, spoken word, comedy and visual art. Scheduled productions include: See, Hear & Say Event (March 15), Volunteer Jam for Second Harvest Food Bank on (May 6), and The Swamp Sistas La La at Orlando Fringe (May 16).
The Winter Park Playhouse – Awarded $2,500 for The Andrews Brothers Mainstage Musical. The Andrews Brothers is a musical comedy set in the 1940s, featuring a cast of professional actors, musicians and technicians. The production will run five weeks from March 12 – April 11, 2020.
United Arts is now accepting applications for the next cycle of Mini-Grants. The next application deadline is 5:00 p.m., May 1, 2020. The maximum grant award is $2,500 per organization per year. Organizations can learn more or apply at www.UnitedArts.cc/grants.
Diversity Grants
Diversity Grants incentivize cultural organizations to create programming that will appeal to a wide range of audiences, particularly racially and ethnically diverse communities in Central Florida. This grant program is funded by a $50,000 grant from Duke Energy, awarded to United Arts to continue diversity and inclusion initiatives.
This cycle’s grant recipients are:
Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens – awarded $5,000 for Puerto Rican Artists in Central Florida: Evolving Identities. The Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens will present “Puerto Rican Artists in Central Florida: Evolving Identities,” an exhibition of works by the Puerto Rican Artist Collective, Keepers of Heritage. It will run from May 5 to August 23, 2020, and will include a free family open-house day.
Friends of the Mennello Museum of American Art – awarded $5,000 for Construct: Our Orlando. Construct: Our Orlando highlights Central Florida’s diverse, emerging artists featuring Don Rimx (b. Puerto Rico) and collective Lemon Press – Anna Cruz (b. Philippines) and Adam Lavigne. This project contextualizes the artists’ work within global art discourse through critical thought as well as locally – within their communities, promoting contemporary voices reflective of our diverse population. Program runs May 29 – September 13, 2020.
Opera Orlando – awarded $5,000 for The Very Last Green Thing. Opera Orlando will present two performances of The Very Last Green Thing on May 2 and 3 at the Lake Eola Disney Amphitheater with a special preview presentation at Leu Gardens on Earth Day. The production will feature members of the Opera Orlando Youth Company and musicians from the UCF Orchestra. Opera Orlando will also partner with Leu Gardens on an Earth Day event in April to bus in 250 students from the ACE school in Parramore to tour the gardens and preview a performance of The Very Last Green Thing. Those students will then attend the full performance in May.
Timucua Arts Foundation – awarded $5,000 for Celebrating Asian Artistry at Timucua. Timucua Arts Foundation will feature five concerts by Asian and Asian-American artists as part of its classical and jazz programming in 2020. This project will help connect Orlando’s substantial, growing Asian-American population with the Timucua concert experience, highlighting jazz and classical performers from traditional to contemporary.
United Arts is now accepting applications for the next cycle of Diversity Grants. The next application deadline is 5:00 p.m., May 1, 2020. The maximum grant award is $5,000 per organization per year. Organizations can learn more or apply at www.UnitedArts.cc/grants.
About United Arts of Central Florida
United Arts is a collaboration of individuals, businesses, governments and school districts, foundations, arts and cultural organizations, and artists. Its mission is to enrich communities by investing in arts, science and history. United Arts serves residents and visitors in Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties through the more than 60 local arts, science and history organizations it supports. It does this by providing direct support through grants and contracts for services, collaborative fundraising, arts education opportunities, advocacy, and technical and administrative assistance. Since 1989, United Arts has invested more than $155 million in Central Florida’s arts and culture.
For more information, visit http://www.UnitedArts.cc or call 407.628.0333.
