Greater Hartford Arts Council Receives $500,000 Grant from Hartford Foundation

Greater Hartford is home to a diverse array of arts, cultural, and heritage organizations that enrich the lives of area residents and make our communities more vibrant places to live. Unfortunately, the current fiscal climate in the region and the entire state finds many of these valuable organizations struggling to find stable sources of funding. To help ensure that our region continues to have a healthy arts and cultural sector, the Greater Hartford Arts Council (Arts Council) has been awarded a one-year, $500,000 grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

“The funding we receive from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is essential to help the Arts Council continue to support innovative arts programming that keeps our community vibrant, provide funding for events in the City of Hartford that celebrate our cultural diversity and, ultimately, sustain a healthy arts and cultural sector in our region,” said Cathy Malloy, CEO of the Greater Hartford Arts Council. “We greatly appreciate the Hartford Foundation’s ongoing partnership and support.”

The Greater Hartford Arts Council provides grants, programs and services to more than 150 arts and cultural organizations in the region. The Hartford Foundation funding will enable the Arts Council to maintain its community investment and program staff to administer granting programs and deliver organizational support services for arts organizations. The outcome for the community is a healthy arts and cultural sector that makes significant contributions to creating a vibrant community and act as an economic driver.

This year, 60 percent of Hartford Foundation funds will be re-granted through two of the Arts Council’s grant programs – Hartford Events and Ignition grants. Hartford Events grants support arts and cultural activities throughout the city, and celebrate Hartford’s rich cultural diversity through festivals, concerts, and parades. Ignition grants target capacity-building for arts and heritage organizations by supporting projects that enhance the organizations’ ability to raise funds, improve outreach, and build audiences. The remaining 40 percent of funds will support the Arts Council’s infrastructure, which supports several key staff positions that are critical to developing granting programs which are responsive to the needs of the arts and cultural community by providing resources to help sustain local non-profit organizations and for connecting the public to the arts.

"Greater Hartford’s arts and cultural organizations are critical to the region, both from the perspective of quality of life and as a major economic driver, and are crucial to creating more vibrant communities for all residents," said Judy Rozie-Battle, senior vice president for community investments at the Hartford Foundation. "The Hartford Foundation’s continued support of the Greater Hartford Arts Council recognizes its ongoing efforts to respond to the needs of the arts community and find creative solutions at a time when securing funding for arts and cultural programs is more challenging than ever.”

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding communities. In 2015, the Foundation celebrated 90 years of grantmaking in the Greater Hartford region, made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families, and organizations. It has awarded grants of more than $630 million since its founding in 1925. For more information about the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.

The Sonia Plumb Dance Company was a recipient of a Greater Hartford Arts Council Ignition grant.