Arts commission announces annual grants
The Idaho Commission on the Arts recently announced its Fiscal Year 2021 annual grants, totaling $544,000 to 77 organizations and schools, including groups in Bonner County. Organizations and schools receiving grants will match their awards with locally generated funds.
“We are grateful to Governor Little and our Idaho Legislators for their civic commitment and support of the Commission/s statewide programs," Executive Director Michael Faison said. "These grants open access for Idahoans to their artistic heritage and innovations in every region of our state. They engage Idaho youth in arts learning, in schools and in communities —especially important in these unusual times.”
Idaho’s arts and cultural sector adds $2 billion in value to the state’s economy, comprises 2.8% of the state GDP, and supports 20,000 jobs, over 3,000 of these directly, Idaho Commission on the Arts’ Chair Steve Allred said.
"In the coming year and under challenging circumstances, the creative programs delivered by Idaho’s ever-adaptive arts organizations will reach into every region of the state," he said. "They represent Idaho’s rich and resilient cultural legacy and our shared economic optimism.”
Arts Education Project grants provide funding for activities that unite effective practices in education and the arts, and involve schools, artists, and community organizations. They support teaching and learning opportunities for pre-K through grade 12. Among those receiving the grants in the community are the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, which received a $5,016 grant; Pend Oreille Arts Council, which received a $7,088 grant
Entry Track grants and Public Programs in the Arts grants provide stable, ongoing support for the arts programs delivered by Idaho’s professional arts organizations. Funding for these programs strengthens our state culturally and economically, while providing Idahoans with the invaluable experiences of performances, gallery exhibits, special events, and workshops in all artistic disciplines. Successful applicants demonstrated exceptional artistic merit, clearly defined management, and the public value of their work.
No groups in the community received an Entry Track grant. Receiving Public Programs in the Arts grants were
Creations for Sandpoint, Arts Alliance, Inc., which received a $5,056 grant; The Festival at Sandpoint, Inc., which received a grant for $11,069; Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, Inc. which received a $4,494 grant; and the Panida Theater Committee, Inc., which received a $4,974 grant.