ArtsMatch Offers Local Arts Projects Opportunity To Double Their Fundraising

Fund for the Arts is offering 15 local arts projects the unique and unparalleled opportunity to double their fundraising through its ArtsMatch crowdfunding program. The program, which kicked off Thursday, March 29, and runs until May 31, 2018, provides the opportunity for cultural groups to increase project fundraising through the ArtsMatch platform, wherein the selected groups can reach new audiences and received dollar-for-dollar matching funds for the amount they raise. Community members are invited to explore www.fundforthearts.org/artsmatch and choose projects to support.

This is the fourth ArtsMatch cycle. Projects were chosen by a Fund for the Arts selection committee, based on how they align with this cycle's thematic funding priorities. Each cycle of ArtsMatch has central funding priorities, which are selected by the community sponsors for that particular cycle. LG&E and KU Energy LLC will support projects that drive Imagine Greater Louisville 2020, a plan that was created from the community's vision for arts and culture in Louisville. The Jennifer Lawrence Arts Fund at Fund for the Arts will support youth and family engagement projects.

"The ArtsMatch program and generosity of our sponsors allows us to empower and enable crucial arts-based projects making an impact on the Greater Louisville community," said Christen Boone, president and CEO of Fund for the Arts. "This fundraising platform is a singular opportunity for projects to double their fundraising and for donors to support projects they care about and make a difference in Louisville in a personal way."

"The arts are vital to strengthening Kentucky's culture and identity, and championing the arts is essential to furthering our region's success," said Paul W. Thompson, chairman, CEO and president of LG&E and KU. "LG&E and KU are proud to support ArtsMatch's unique, innovative fundraising platform and help provide these dynamic arts projects the backing they need to continue improving our community."

"From Acting Against to Cancer to YouthBuild, there are so many incredible organizations that support youth and families in our region," said Meredith Lawrence, Director of the Jennifer Lawrence Arts Fund. "We're proud to support arts projects that will bring creativity and compassion into the lives of children and their families."

Unlike public crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and GoFundMe, programs selected as part of ArtsMatch receive dollar-for-dollar matching funds up to $10,000 from the program sponsors. In total, $85,000 is available in matching funds.

To make a donation to this cycle of ArtsMatch, please visit www.fundforthearts.org/ArtsMatch.

The following arts projects were selected by a committee of artist, community and neighborhood representatives:

Projects supported by LG&E and KU Energy LLC

• Louisville Youth Orchestra and Louisville Ballet: Dance Passion! - offering educational performances about distinct ethnic dance styles to at-risk schools.
• Josephine Sculpture Park: Youth Education Program - providing children with unique, engaging and transformative arts experiences through field trips, hands-on workshops and an experiential Fall Arts Festival.
• Arts Commission of Danville/Boyle County: Building a Community of Artist Entrepreneurs - creating teams of mentor artists and apprentices to teach working artists about the business development side of their craft.
• Brenda Richardson: Art Behind Bars - offering weekly arts programming for incarcerated women at Knox County Detention Center.
• Allegro Dance Project: Come FoUrth - making the art of dance more accessible and inclusive through free dance classes for all races, ages and income levels.
• Louisville Grows: Louisville Grows Film Series - connecting community members with documentaries and films focused on environmental sustainability, personal health and social justice.
• 1200 LLC: Athiri's Power to the Peaceful - a three-phase project aiming to utilize the arts to reduce and prevent violent crimes in the community.
• LouiEvolve: LouiEvolve Artist Cooperative - supporting and increasing the accessibility of local hip-hop arts and culture through events, artist development and roundtables and online arts promotion.

Projects supported by Jennifer Lawrence Arts Fund at Fund for the Arts

• YouthBuild: Steam Exchange: Design, Technology and Entrepreneurship - offering a vital access point for youth to learn technology fluency and experience academic success in STEM, with computers, software and internet access.
• Young Authors Greenhouse: Portland After-School Writing Center - establishing a center to encourage free learning, imagination and creativity.
• Commonwealth Theatre Center: CTC + Americana: A Conservatory Satellite - engaging 200 refugee and immigrant youth in in-depth Conservatory theatre programming.
• StageOne Family Theatre: Middle School Theatre - creating sustainable musical theatre programs for children in the community.
• Louisville Children's Film Festival: Faces/Places: Assessing Access in Year 1 - expanding arts access for youth and their families by increasing the number of venues and screenings.
• Pandora Productions: PlayDates with Pandora - celebrating excellent work on LGBTQ themes of playwrights living in the Louisville Metro region.
• Acting Against Cancer: The Overhaul and Improvement of Acting Against Cancer's Kids Programs - serving children with cancer through high-quality instruction in acting, singing and dancing as well as promoting physical and mental health.

For more information about ArtsMatch, contact Kat Abner by phone at (502) 582-0127 or via email at kabner@fundforthearts.org.

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