Forsyth County ARPA Funding
About the Program
In March 2022, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners earmarked $4.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to be managed by Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County. In January 2023, Arts Council received a contract from Forsyth County Government and began making allocations to provide aid to the local arts and cultural sector, including arts and cultural organizations and artist small businesses. The funding supports recovery, new revitalization and expansion of community-based arts programming, arts workforce development programs, and technical assistance. Between January and September 2023, Arts Council’s Public Support and Community Engagement Committee reviewed hundreds of requests totaling more than was available through these once-in-a-lifetime ARPA funds. The below summarizes projects approved by Arts Council’s Public Support and Community Engagement Committee thus far. At this time, we are not accepting new requests for ARPA funding.
Committee members: Jake Wharton, Chair, Jim DeCristo, Kenneth Pettigrew, and Talitha Vickers. Arts Council staff oversight: Chase Law, Rebecca Bender, Shannon Stokes, and Cécile Boynton.
Forsyth County ARPA Awards/Allocations
Award Recipient | Project Description | Amount Awarded/Allocated | Populations Served |
|---|---|---|---|
1 LOVE FESTIVAL Winston-Salem | Support of the 1Love Festival, a two-day event that centers and celebrates African Diasporan history and culture through art, innovation and entrepreneurship. | $150,000 | 27101, 27107 |
A/perture Cinema | Downtown Winston-Salem Community Cinema for A/perture to show a variety of films throughout Winston-Salem that will be free to the public. | $50,000 | multiple Forsyth County zip codes |
Action4Equity | The Cost of Health in East Winston is spearheaded by artist Owens Daniels in collaboration with Action4Equity and aims to tackle food deserts in East Winston. | $75,000 | 27101, 27105 |
Activate Entertainment, LLC | Support the development, work and presentation of SOLSTICE combines circus, dance, theatre, and music into a captivating live performance. | $120,000 | 27101 (project location); multiple zipcodes served |
Adriana Granados | Support E-TourMe to capture virtual tours of the Main Gallery to expand community reach throughout Forsyth County and beyond. | $5,936 | 27101; mulitple |
Andrew H. Brown | Support to a local filmaker and his crew for Between the Rain, a feature collaboration with the Turkana-Ngaremara community in Northern Kenya. | $50,000 | 27101, 10011 |
Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County | Support of Celebrating 50 Years of Hip Hop, with a community dance program for local youth, and a free masterclass featuring artist, musician, producer 9th Wonder. | $25,000 | 27101, 27105 |
Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County | Amplify - an Arts Council program featuring local musicians and performance art talent. Supports a local curator and local up and coming artists. | $67,486 | 27101 |
Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County | Support a comprehensive Marketing Plan to help with awareness, recovery, and encourage attendance/participation across the arts and cultural sector. | $150,000 | 27101 |
Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County | Purchase of Submittable application database to assist with applications and ease of montly reporting, data collection, and uploading of materials from contractors. | $13,000 | 27101 |
Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County | Arts Council Administrative Oversight (If the full funds are not expected/projected to be used by Dec. 2024, they will be reallocated.) | $450,000 | 27101 |
Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County | The Lab - an Arts Council program centering interdisciplinary, experimental and inclusive art through monthly curated, artist centric events. | $62,754 | 27101 |
Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County | Artist Micro-contracts (please note: this has not been awarded. It's been set aside as a fund for artists and will be launched in the beginning of 2024.) | $50,000 | 27101 |
Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County | An Arts Council program with a focus on arts and education expansion to support teacher art supplies and school enrichment programs through microgrants. | $125,000 | Focus on Schools in Forsyth County area codes: 27101, 27105, 27127, 27107 |
Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County | Support community-based projects focused on arts and wellness in Forsyth County focused on the national "Arts For EveryBody" project. | $125,000 | 27101 |
Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County | Arts Council Marketing Fellowship | $25,000 | 27101 |
Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County | Remaining funds will be used to support professional development in our community or special projects that are in line with the approved ARPA buckets for support. | $33,898 | takes place in 27101; and serves multiple Forsyth County zip codes |
Arts District of Winston-Salem | Support of ADWS and their mission to connect with and amplify diverse voices and visions, bringing them together at the heart of our city through events like ArtCrush. | $40,000 | 27101 |
Authoring Action: Voices from the Dwelling | Authoring Action partners with The Dwelling congregation to develop an engagement that will amplify the voices of Winston-Salem’s homeless and housing insecure. | $90,000 | 27101 |
Bookmarks | Support of Book with Purpose, a program designed to bring people from different walks of life together in learning and discussion on the themes of identity, and belonging. | $42,500 | 27101, 27127, 27106, 27284 |
Cashavelly Morrison | Songbird Supper Club, a free monthly event to empower women's authentic expression, curated by Cashavelly Morrison at West Salem Public House. | $30,000 | 27101 |
Center for Creative Economy | Capacity building funds to support two paid programmatic interns over two years. | $125,000 | 27101 |
Charlene Hunt | NC Native American Cultures A to Z - A colorful picture book highlighting the cultural preservation of NC Native Americans through a contemporary lens. | $6,000 | Forsyth County and Tribal Communities. |
Chase Clark | “Chase at Wake” can be best described as a breakthrough podcast detailing the life of a student of color navigating life at Wake Forest University. | $4,000 | 27109, 27235 |
Cheryl Ann Lipstreu | Venuz Vendz will make vending a form of Art. Venuz Vendz is a custom created interactive arts sculpture vending machine that features healthy products. | $50,000 | 27101, 27103, 27104 |
Christina Parrish Art | Support of mural project at Glenn High School that will provide engagement with staff, students, parents, and community partners. | $16,000 | 27284 |
Coach Elevate Her | Support of Business Marketing Course for Creatives facilitated by Tamika Wells, founder of Coach Elevate Her. | $914 | 27101 |
Community Music School, University of North Carolina School of the Arts | Support of a satellite location for instruction in band instruments in the East Ward, near the convergence of East, North, Northeast, Northwest, and South wards. | $117,356 | 27101, 27105, 27103 |
Comunidad Mujer Valiosa (Rebeca Segbre Ministries) | Mujer Valiosa is a nonprofit organization focused on providing workshops and programming related to writing for healing and culture in English and Spanish. | $80,000 | 27101, 27127 |
Courtney Feliz | Samba in the Triad is a samba class series focused on beginner’s samba and samba technique. Focus on understanding the roots and essence of Brazilian samba. | $20,350 | 27101 |
Creative Center of North Carolina (CCNC) | Suppport of programmatic personnel and artistic fees for Project 411 space (formerly Canteen). | $80,000 | 27101 |
Dana Johnson | Support of a book with characters that inspire friendship and community as well as encouragement to overcome fears together. | $30,000 | 27105 |
Eliza Geer | Support of professional development for Eliza Geer, an active oboist and performer based in Winston-Salem, NC, studying at UNCSA. | $5,000 | 27101 |
Endia Beal | Support of Endia Beal's Artistic Introspective Workshop 2.0. Workshops offer an innovative, engaging, and relatable approach to DE&I training. | $30,000 | 27105, 27127 |
Experiment in Self-Reliance (ESR) | Inclusive Public Art Project. Funds to be utilized for a bronze pulic art feature that centers community engagement around ESR's history and the civil rights movement. | $125,000 | 27105 |
Forsyth County Library Artist In Residence | Forsyth County Library Artist In Residence supports six month residency for two artists. Artists will engage the community through creativ and interactive projects. | $30,000 | Library locations which are located throughout Forsyth County in the following zip codes: 27101 (2 locations), 27105, 27106, 27012, 27023, 27045, 27051, 27127 and 27284 |
Happy Hill Neighborhood Association | Support of The Happy Hill Block beginning with a summer arts youth program, the Art Anthology Series and an after school study support program. | $20,000 | 27127 |
Hispanic League | Support a new full-time marketing position and additional funds to support enhanced promotion of Fiesta! | $75,000 | 27105, 27103, 27101, 27127, 27104 |
Jack Lafferty | Support the production, filmmaker and crew of the short film O&0. | $75,000 | 27101, 27103, 27104, 27012, 27123 |
Jenna Sais Quoi Designs | Support of a workspace for apparel manufaturing and custom work entrepreneur to create jobs for locals and expand Jenna Sais Quoi's potential. | $33,000 | 27101, 27103, 27104, 27106, 27127 |
Judith A. Saxton | Support of Kool Kreativ Camp: Music, Mindfulness, Movement and Art for rising 3rd through rising 5th graders, introducing resilience and fundamental coping skills. | $30,000 | 27127, 27103, 27107, 27106, 27105, 27104 |
Kaleideum | Support of the Try It! Studio at Kaleideum, an innovative and vibrant space that fosters artistic exploration and cultural engagement in Forsyth County. | $25,000 | 27101 |
Krossroads Playhouse | Support for 2023 teen theatre summer camp in Kernersville, NC. | $6,655 | 27284, 27310, 27410, 27455 |
Leo Rucker and Wilfredo Felix | Support of community mural project at 12th and Cameron Avenue led by artists Leo Rucker and Wilfredo Felix while engaging the Winston-Salem Prep School community. | $45,000 | 27101, 27105 |
Little Theatre of Winston-Salem | Support of reimagined program to take locally written and adated plays into schools and community organizations free of charge. | $53,000 | 27101 |
Lyrics by the Lake Season 3 & 4 (2023 -2024) | Support of Lyrics by the Lake, a community-based cultural arts event utilizing many different art forms to cultivate a one-of-a-kind experience. | $60,000 | 27106 |
MUSE Winston-Salem | Support of “The Ones Who Stayed”: The Art of Jerry Hanes and Stories of Black Life in Winston-Salem and the Urban New South. | $112,500 | 27101, 27127, 27110, 27105 |
Montelle Lemon | Support of The Compound, a visionary community-based arts and technology center, serving as a comprehensive creative space accessible to individuals. | $50,000 | 27101 |
North Carolina Black Repertory Company | Capacity building funds to support development and marketing staff positions to assist with higher levels of awareness and participation from patrons and supporters. | $100,000 | 27101 |
Piedmont Craftsmen, Inc | Support to assist with audience engagement and discovery initiative that will allow for recovery of lost funding and discovering of new audiences. | $74,300 | 27101 |
Piedmont Jazz Alliance, LLC | Revitalization and Capacity Building for the Promotion of Jazz Performance. PJA seeks to improve the marketing and promotion of its 2023-2024 season of 9 acts. | $25,000 | 27105 |
Piedmont Opera | Support of Piedmont Opera 2.0, a strategic plan to inject opera into underserved communities throughout Forsyth County. | $65,000 | 27106, 27103, 27406, 27105, 27012, 10027, 27104, 27012, 27040, 27104, 27023 |
Piedmont Wind Symphony | Free-to-the-public concerts, June through September 2023, in partnership with Incendiary Brewing at the Coal Pit, Winston-Salem and Incendiary Brewing, Lewisville. | $60,000 | 27012, 27023, 27040 |
Rhino Leap | Support provided to showcase a PBS film special at A/perture with talkback sessions. | $3,500 | takes place in 27101; and serves multiple Forsyth County zip codes |
RiverRun International Film Festival | Support of a BIPOC Filmmaker Fellowship, curation of a BIPOC festival program, and expansion of Films With Class education program and year-round free screenings. | $90,000 | 27101 |
Royal Curtain Drama Guild, INC | Support of Theatrical Afterschool Program for Students (TAPS)/ Community Outreach Training in Theater Arts (COTTA). | $50,000 | 27101, 27105, 27127, 27107 |
SECCA Foundation | The SECCA Art Mobile (SAM) Project brings high-quality art instruction by local artists to WSFC schools, community centers, and event spaces. | $150,000 | 27106 |
Sawtooth School of Visual Art | Support of studios and classes at Sawtooth School for Visual Art's location at the Intergenerational Center for Arts and Wellness. | $75,000 | 27105 |
Senior Services, Inc. | Support of 3 Public Art Installations for Senior Services’ Intergenerational Center for Arts and Wellness. | $55,000 | 27105 |
Shared Radiance | Support for production of The Tempest in Winston Square Park for Winston-Salem residents to attend free of charge. | $775 | takes place in 27101; and serves multiple Forsyth County zip codes |
Suzy McCalley | Support of Black and White project which unites Suzana, a Brazilian American singer-songwriter, and Mombaça, a seasoned musician to create an album of original music. | $20,000 | 27101, 27105 |
The AFAS Group | Support of ARTivity UNLEASHED and ABOUND, An Innovative and Welcoming Artistic Haven for the Community. Funds will support repairs of the ARTivity Park. | $50,000 | 27101 |
The Art SHAC | Support of The Art SHAC, a place where people in Winston-Salem and surrounding areas can get affordable, gently used art materials. | $20,000 | 27101, 27103, 27105 |
The Art of Laughter | Support of The Art of Laughter: A Comedy + Art Showcase that puts community artists in the spotlight created and curated by Visions Event Center. | $11,197 | 27101 |
The DOSE Artist Collective | Support of new and emerging works that touch on subjects of queer life, BIPOC diaspora, and creative freedom. | $68,000 | 27101, 27127, 27249 |
The Dream School Summer Filmmaking and Drone Camp | Funds will allow the Dream School to provide an introduction to Smartphone Photography and Filmmaking and an introduction to Drone Piloting. | $14,804 | 27101, 27105, 27107 |
The Körner's Folly Foundation | Support provided to activate accessible community spaces and increase capacity at Körner’s Folly Visitors Center. | $40,000 | 27284, 27107, 27009, 27051 |
The Queer Fear Film Festival | Support provided for the Queer Fear Film Festival, a 3-day hybrid film festival (in-person and virtual) showcasing new independent short and feature genre films. | $10,000 | 27101 |
Tonya Sheffield | Arts Council contracted with Tonya Sheffield and The Dream School to film the exhibit Straw Into Gold and the community artist talk back session with Rosa Johnson. | $5,000 | 27101 |
Tre4 Center of Fine Arts | Support of recording studio, topline melody writing, and music production project as an opportunity for teen to learn the process of audio production and topline production. | $75,000 | 27127 |
Triad Cultural Arts | Provide Capacity Building Funds to implement the work of Triad Cultural Arts and the hiring of a new executive director to replace its founding director. | $146,575 | 27105 |
United Way of Forsyth County | Support the Bridging 52 street mural project by paying local artists to create the LIVE UNITED art piece on the 4th street bridge that crosses over HWY 52. | $10,000 | 27105 |
Winston-Salem Delta Fine Arts Center | Provide capacity building funds to support a Program and Operations Manager position to support the growth of the organization. | $75,000 | 27105 |
Winston-Salem Freedom Schools | Support of Expanding Arts Enrichment Opportunities in Winston-Salem Freedom Schools to bring high quality and meaningful opportunities in the arts. | $8,000 | 27101, 27105 |
Winston-Salem Symphony | Support the launch of a films-in-concert series to recover from the pandemic, and attract new and diverse audiences to the world of orchestral music. | $112,500 | 27101. Local attendees will be from the following Forsyth County zip codes: 27009, 27012, 27019, 27023, 27040, 27045, 27050, 27051, 27101, 27103, 27104, 27105, 27106, 27107, 27110, 27127, and 27284 |
Timeline
Application Deadline: As of June 2023, we are not accepting any new applications.
Please Note: All applications and required supporting documents must be submitted via the Submittable Grants Portal.
Review of Application: Applications will be reviewed by Arts Council Public Support and Community Engagement Committee on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. To be considered at the monthly review meeting, applications must be submitted by the 5th of the month.
Award Notification: By the end of each month the application was submitted.
Project Period: All projects must be completed by December 31, 2024
Reporting: Monthly reporting will be required as outlined in the Eligibility Documents below.
Eligibility Criteria
-
Must be an organization, business entity or individual artist that resides and/or produce most of their program and services in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County.
-
ARPA contract recipients must acknowledge the receipt of eligibility documents for the ARPA Fund Application, and agree to comply to all guidelines, procedure and policies of this contract award process
Evaluation
Arts Council staff will review all applications to ensure their eligibility. All eligible applications are evaluated by Arts Council Public Support and Community Engagement Committee on the 3rd Wednesday of every month.
Applications will be reviewed and evaluated based on the following guidelines:
-
BUDGET: Is the budget clear with detailed expenses? Does the project budget align with the project narrative?
-
SUSTAINABILITY: Is the sustainability plan for this project clear and feasible?
-
COMMUNITY IMPACT: Is it clear as to the constituency being served in this project? How does this align with Arts Council strategic visioning roadmap.
Note: At least 50% of the ARPA Funds must serve project initiatives in disproportionately impacted communities, and provide initiatives in areas that are at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty level. More information about the Federal Poverty level can be found in our resource drive below.
For ARPA Contract Recipients
Please note that part of ARPA compliance is that Contractors will give proper credit to Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County and Forsyth County Government with use of logos in all publicity, including on flyers or advertisements and will use the following tagline acknowledgement:
“The Project Name is a sponsored project of the Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County and funded through ARPA supported by the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners.”
You can share all project marketing and/or promotional information with our CMO and VP, Development, Katie Hall, khall@intothearts.org.
Requirements
Contact
General Questions:
Shannon Stokes
Vice President of Strategy and Community Impact
(336) 747-1416
To Schedule a Call with Grants Team:
Cécile Boynton
Community Grants and Services Manager
(336) 747-1412