Harford County Cultural Arts Board Commits to Invest in Local Creative Community
Harford County Cultural Arts Advisory Board is now accepting applications for several grant programs, including Community Arts Development Grants, Arts in Education Grants, and Independent Artist Mini Grants. These three grants are available to Harford’s nonprofits, units of government, colleges, schools, and independent artists that produce or present the arts in Harford County. Grants are available to artists working in many different mediums, including folk & traditional, literary, media, performing, and visual arts. Interested parties can access grant applications through Grants Workspace, an online system. Each grant has its own portal, accessed through Harford County Cultural Arts Board’s website. Links, grant guidelines, and contact information are online at www.CulturalArtsBoard.org.
Harford County Cultural Arts Board’s keystone program is the Community Arts Development Grant. This program provides (1) General Operating support to local arts nonprofit organizations and (2) Arts Programming support to nonprofits whose primary purpose is other than producing or presenting the arts. Colleges, universities, units of government, and religious organizations may also apply for Arts Programming support. The deadline to apply for a Community Arts Development Grant for the fiscal year beginning July 1 is Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Schools and others serving Harford’s underserved populations of any age may apply for Arts in Education Grants to support on-site artists-in-residence, visiting performers, or tickets and transportation costs for visits to museums and arts performances. This year, the matching requirement for Arts in Education Grants has been waived, and grants can support 100% of eligible costs for programs scheduled through June 30. Applications for Arts in Education Grants are reviewed on a month-to-month basis.
For the first time ever, Harford County Cultural Arts Board has created an Independent Artist Mini Grant Fund for individual artists living in Harford County. These grants are designed to aid economic recovery in the arts community and stimulate investment in creative practice. Applications will be accepted within a narrow window of time, and reviewed by members of the Cultural Arts Board promptly, with the goal of expediting grants up to $500 to applicants. The deadline to apply for a Mini Grant is Wednesday, April 27, 2022.
Last year, Harford County Cultural Arts Board invested more than $223,000 in Harford County’s creative community. Included in its financial support of the arts, the Board directed $37,000 of Covid-19 Emergency Relief to independent artists and $75,000 of Covid-19 Supplemental Grants to local arts organizations that had endured extended shutdowns and cancellations throughout the pandemic. To learn more about services and programs of Harford County Cultural Arts Board, visit www.CulturalArtsBoard.org. To obtain publications in an alternate format, contact Harford County Cultural Arts Board at 410‐273‐5601 ext. 6509 or email [email protected].
About Harford County Cultural Arts Advisory Board
As the official county arts agency, Harford County Cultural Arts Advisory Board is the primary local resource for arts organizations, independent artists, and the audiences of Harford County, Maryland. The government-appointed board provides grant opportunities, advocacy and administrative support; sponsors workshops, events, and promotional opportunities; and encourages and invests in the advancement of the arts for the community. Since December 2015, Harford County Cultural Arts Board has operated under the auspices of Harford County Public Library. Activities are made possible by a County Arts Development grant from Maryland State Arts Council, a Maryland State agency under the authority of the Department of Commerce, Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts. Harford County Cultural Arts Board was founded in 1973, and for close to fifty years has worked to “Preserve, Enhance, and Promote the Culture of Harford County, Maryland.”
