Three-year program provides sustainability for arts organizations led by and serving people of color
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Greater Columbus Arts Council (Arts Council) announced today the three recipients of the 2021 Thrive grant awards—Thiossane Institute, Two Scoops National Performing Arts Center and Urban Strings Columbus.
Designed in 2019 and launched in 2020, the program intends to address disparities in inequitable funding for arts and cultural organizations led by and serving people of color. The program acknowledges that organizations of color historically have experienced barriers to capital and resources.
“We are proud of this three-year engagement program and the work of our inaugural class of Thrive recipients,” said Tom Katzenmeyer, president and CEO of the Arts Council. “We welcome this new cohort of organizations to their first year of the program. Our hope is that providing unrestricted funding and access to resources will help them build capacity in essential nonprofit areas and continue their growth.”
Each of the three funded organizations works to increase access to the arts for the community and provide living wages for artists.
Thiossane Institute has a mission to preserve and present traditional West African dance, music and culture by providing authentic performances and detailed instruction; to perpetuate its significance to future generations; and to create a lifestyle of physical and mental wellness. thiossaneinst.org
Two Scoops National Performing Arts Center is a training and performing arts group that utilizes performances and multimedia-enriched programming to entertain and heighten awareness of social issues. twoscoopsnpac.com
Urban Strings Columbus recruits and supports underserved minority youth to play string instruments. It is organized in two tiers allowing students to experience string performance from intermediate and advanced levels. Urban Strings Columbus has performed for audiences all across the country. urbanstringscolumbus.org
Thrive provides an unrestricted $10,000 grant in years one and two, an opportunity to work on a capacity-building effort with a consultant (paid for by the Arts Council, up to $5,000) in year two, and the chance to mentor an incoming Thrive organization and receive a $5,000 stipend for their time in year three.
The 2020 cohort – All People Arts, Maroon Arts Group and State of the Arts Productions – have also been approved for full support of their three-year involvement.
Mission of the Greater Columbus Arts Council: To support and advance the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus. www.gcac.org
The Greater Columbus Arts Council receives major financial support from the City of Columbus, Franklin County Commissioners and the Ohio Arts Council.
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CONTACT: Jami Goldstein
(614) 221-8492
jgoldstein@gcac.org
