August 4, 2021
HANFORD MULTICULTURAL THEATER COMPANY
AWARDED TWO GRANTS
HANFORD/SACRAMENTO - Today the California Arts Council announced 441 grant awards totaling $13,046,887 in project and operational support for nonprofit organizations throughout the state of California.
HMTC has been award two grants: “General Operations Relief Grant”, and an “Impact Grant” to work with the Indigenous people in a playwright program to culminate in an “Indigenous Voices Play Festival” in 2022.
Organizations were awarded grants across five different program areas prioritizing small organizations with a focus toward nurturing and healing our communities through the arts; keeping the doors of our arts and cultural institutions open; protecting jobs in the creative field; and preserving our cultural heritage, our stories, and our culture bearers. Successful applications aligned closely with the agency’s vision of a California where all people flourish with universal access to and participation in the arts.
“The California Arts Council is proud to support the work of each of these organizations within their communities, and to recognize the resilience and dedication of every applicant during this unprecedented time,” said California Arts Council Executive Director Anne Bown-Crawford. “We look forward to the opportunity to bring even more support to the field in 2022, with two grant cycles and much more funding available, thanks to the Legislature’s boosted investment and belief in arts and culture as a means for positive social change.”
The California Arts Council’s grant programs are administered through a multistep, public process. Following an open call for applications, submissions are adjudicated by peer review panels made up of experts from the arts and cultural fields and representative of California’s diverse geography; racial, ethnic, and gender identities; perspectives and knowledge. Based on panel recommendations and availability of funds, the Council voted on grant awards at a virtual public meeting on July 20.
Awards are listed below by individual program.
Arts & Cultural Organizations General Operating Relief: Supporting arts and cultural organizations who have experienced economic hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Number of Grants Awarded: 271 Total Investment: $7,430,057
Impact Projects: Supporting collaborative projects that center artists and artistic practice in responding to issues currently faced by California’s communities.
Number of Grants Awarded: 91 Total Investment: $1,566,865
2020-21 Impact Projects Awards (PDF) Art is essential! HMTC is proud to be recognized for enriching the community. “I was in disbelief when I saw the email awarding HMTC the Impact Grant. Within a minute a second email came through and I saw it was a grant for Operations. The managing director of our company heard me screaming. I was shedding happy tears. This is definitely reassurance HMTC is valuable,” says Silvia Gonzalez Scherer, executive artistic director.
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