Arts and Culture Program

The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (AAACF) is launching a grant program designed to bolster arts and culture nonprofits within Washtenaw County, with a dedicated focus on racial equity. This initiative directly aligns with AAACF's broader mission to activate the artistic and cultural identity of all residents and ensure universal access to arts and culture. The program seeks to invest in both new and existing community-based projects that serve diverse communities through arts and culture, while intentionally addressing racial equity. The primary beneficiaries of this program are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities within Washtenaw County, as well as arts programs and organizations with BIPOC leadership. The program also targets marginalized communities for vocational training in the arts. The impact goals are to strengthen arts and culture infrastructure, promote racial equity within the arts sector, and foster greater community engagement and access to artistic and cultural experiences for all residents. The program's priorities and focuses include supporting community-driven art programs that engage and collaborate with BIPOC communities, fostering BIPOC leadership in arts organizations, advancing equity in arts education, empowering organizations with digital capacity to reach BIPOC communities, and providing vocational training in the arts for marginalized communities. These focus areas are strategically chosen to address systemic inequities and build a more inclusive and vibrant arts and culture landscape in Washtenaw County. Expected outcomes include an increase in the number and capacity of arts and culture organizations serving BIPOC communities, enhanced representation and leadership of BIPOC individuals within the arts, improved access to high-quality arts education, and greater digital reach for organizations engaging diverse audiences. While specific measurable results are not explicitly detailed beyond the types of projects supported, the emphasis on community engagement and racial equity suggests a commitment to qualitative and quantitative assessments of community impact and equitable access. This grant program exemplifies AAACF's strategic priority of investing in initiatives that promote racial equity and enhance community well-being through cultural enrichment. The foundation's theory of change appears to be that by strategically funding arts and culture projects that center racial equity and empower marginalized communities, they can foster a more inclusive, vibrant, and accessible cultural environment for all residents of Washtenaw County. With available grant dollars of $120,000 and individual grant requests up to $15,000, AAACF is committing significant resources to achieve these transformative goals within the county.