Community Arts Grants Fund Programs Throughout Scottsdale

From after-school programs to in-school plays, Scottsdale residents of all ages experience dozens of cultural events each year thanks to funding through the Community Arts Grant Program.

Funded by the city of Scottsdale and administered by the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts, the program has provided more than $1.9 million in project-specific or general operating expenses for Valley arts organizations that serve diverse community interests. This year, $151,000 in grants were distributed to 22 different organizations.

The program is designed to foster long-term growth in Scottsdale’s arts and culture organizations. Among the organizations receiving grants this year were Scottsdale Artists’ School and the Tempe-based Childsplay Theatre, which offers programming in Scottsdale schools.

As a Scottsdale-based organization, Scottsdale Artists’ School, now in its 41st year, is eligible for Community Arts Grants to cover general operating expenses.

“We do a lot within the community,” said Trudy Hays, executive director of Scottsdale Artists’ School. “We feel it’s very important that people have the opportunity to experience art, and it doesn’t matter what level you are.”

The school offers classes and workshops for everyone from beginning child artists to established professionals. Hays said the goal is to have something for artists of all skill levels and ages. Merit- and need-based scholarships are available to help meet this goal.

Free family fun days and both in-school and after-school programs are among the offerings for young artists, while art history lectures, open studio sessions with models and intensive multi-day workshops with instructors from around the world are available for more mature or more established artists. The school even has collaborative programming with some of Scottsdale’s sister cities, including Alamos, Sonora, Mexico, and Uasin Gishu, Kenya.

As an organization providing programming in Scottsdale, the Tempe-based Childsplay Theatre was also among this year’s grant recipients. But rather than general operating expenses, the Community Arts Grant for Childsplay was earmarked for the theater’s production of “Maddi’s Fridge,” by Anne Negri and based on the book by Louis Brandt. Grant funds will go toward eight performances of the play designated for Scottsdale elementary schools in December and February.

Steve Martin, managing director of Childsplay Theatre, said the organization tries to bring plays into schools that have themes important to the young audiences. Though “Maddi’s Fridge” has child-appropriate humor, it also speaks to the deeper subject matter of food insecurity.

“Teachers trust us to tackle subjects like food insecurity,” Martin said. “If we’re going to present authentic works on our stage, we have to make sure we’re presenting plays that resonate with these young people.”

But productions like “Maddi’s Fridge” are not inexpensive. Martin said up to 300 children might attend each performance, but Childsplay only charges the schools $2 per child, even though it costs the theater about $40 per student to produce it. Without the support of funding sources like the Community Arts Grants, Martin said it would be difficult to maintain the professional quality of these in-school productions.

Grant recipients are chosen by the Scottdale Arts Board of Trustees after recommendations for funding are submitted by an all-volunteer committee of 12 arts, community and business leaders, which reviews all the applications.

Applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts or cultural organizations that provide programs or activities within Scottsdale or for Scottsdale residents. They also must have a three-year history of programming prior to the application deadline.

“For the past three decades, Scottsdale Arts has — on behalf of the city of Scottsdale — distributed these grant funds to highly deserving arts organizations in support of their work in Scottsdale,” said Dr. Gerd Wuestemann, president and CEO of Scottsdale Arts. “While requests for funding always outpace available resources, we were thrilled to be able to significantly increase our funding portion to combine with city dollars, resulting in meaningful increases to support these outstanding organizations and the work they share with our community.”

For more information about the Community Arts Grant program, visit ScottsdaleArts.org/community-arts-grant-program.

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