CultureWorks marks milestone with over $1 million invested in community over past decade

As CultureWorks celebrates its Tenth Anniversary year, the organization is thrilled to announce the investment of $1 million in the arts and culture community in Richmond and the Tri-Cities region over the past decade.

These funds have strengthened and supported artists and arts and culture organizations, built infrastructure, increased access to arts and culture in underserved communities, and provided critical relief in response to COVID-19.

“Arts and culture are critical to our region’s health and success, so a decade of making this kind of impact is significant. These investments build a foundation for communities to thrive through successful, creative, innovative, artists, and arts and culture organizations. Our grants program touches many who would otherwise be too small or too new for other funding opportunities as well as those who are experienced but need a little help. Our goal is to be inclusive and broad-based. We’re thrilled that our reach and our impact continue to grow.” said President Scott Garka.

2020 CultureWorks Grants Program

CultureWorks Grants Program supports a wide variety of projects and experiences taking place between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021. The current round of grant awards totaled $67,150 and were made possible through the generosity of Altria Group, the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond, and other individual local arts supporters.

In light of the global pandemic, CultureWorks and a coalition of partners launched the COVID- 19 Arts & Culture Relief Fund in April 2020. The Relief Fund provided financial assistance to professional artists of all disciplines (visual, performing, and more) throughout the Richmond and Tri-Cities region who lost income from canceled paid creative opportunities during the Coronavirus pandemic.

To date, CultureWorks has awarded $500 grants to 164 individual professional artists in need, spanning 32 disciplines. Additionally, CultureWorks issued emergency operating support grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 for 21 arts and culture organizations in critical need as a result of the pandemic. In total, CultureWorks has provided $162,000 of funding for the Region through the Relief Fund to date.

“We must nurture arts and culture now, so that our great region can draw on these vital components during and after the current crisis, and continue to thrive,” a spokesperson said in a statement. You can click here to make a contribution.