On December 4, 2020, the Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA) announced that Alabama Communities of Excellence (ACE) and organizations in ACE communities were among the recipients of 158 grants awarded to organizations across the state.
ACE is excited to receive a $2,000 grant for the “Community Seeds: Greening Your Community”workshop. This workshop is a joint project with ACE, Main Street Alabama, Your Town Alabama and DesignALabama. Community Seeds is an initiative to explore, educate, and help create sustainability using Alabama’s abundant natural resources.
ACE congratulates the following ACE community organizations that also received ASCA funding:
- City of Headland received a $5,200 grant to go toward painting a historic mural.
- Coastal Alabama Community College in Monroeville received a $7,000 grant for the Monroeville Literary Festival.
- Eastern Shore Art Association, Inc. in Fairhope received two grants:
- $7,500 to support the 49th Annual Outdoor Art Show.
- $7,500 to support salaries for marketing/website staff.
- Eufaula Heritage Association received a $4,900 grant for music for the 56th Eufaula Pilgrimage.
ACE also applauds Estelle Watson of ACE community Demopolis for being awarded a Folk Arts Apprenticeship grant for basket weaving.
ASCA awarded $881,010 in grants to 136 grantees across Alabama. Organizations providing public programs in arts education, folk arts, community arts, literary arts, dance, music, theatre, and visual art forms received support through this competitive process. Support for arts programming is critical for a vibrant creative community, which results in a thriving economy, a workforce ready for innovation, and a high quality of life for all residents.
Council Chairman Jim Harrison III stated, “Sustaining Alabama’s arts organizations during this incredibly difficult period shows the commitment of the Council to building a thriving art and culture field. Our people are hurting, with significantly reduced audiences and revenues. These grants keep the arts in Alabama on track to be an essential part of every community.”