Art Center Sarasota Receives Over $99,000 in Grants to Support Youth Programs and Exhibition Initiatives

Art Center Sarasota has announced the receipt of multiple grants totaling over $99,333. These generous contributions will help expand the center’s exhibitions programming and youth education initiatives, providing critical support for its ongoing mission to foster creativity and arts engagement in the Sarasota community.

The awarded grants include:

• Gulf Coast Community Foundation: $10,000 to support exhibitions programming, enhancing the variety and scope of visual art displays at the center. For the 2024-2025 season, ACS presents 22 solo and group exhibitions.
• Community Foundation of Sarasota, Leslie & Margaret Weller Fund:  $10,000 to support Art Center Sarasota’s youth programs, fostering the next generation of artists through diverse, year-round educational opportunities.
• The Exchange: $10,000 to fund Youth Saturdays, a program that offers free art classes for children, ensuring access to arts education for all.
• Tourist Development Cultural/Arts (TDCA): $49,333 for exhibitions programming, aiding in the presentation of innovative, thought-provoking shows that draw local and visiting audiences. ACS exhibited the works of 582 artists in the 2023-2024 season.  
• Klaus Family Foundation: $10,000 to further support youth programming, emphasizing arts education for Sarasota’s younger residents.
• Roberta Leventhal Sudakoff Foundation: $10,000 to support Art Center Sarasota’s youth programs, fostering the next generation of artists through diverse, year-round educational opportunities.

"We are deeply grateful for the ongoing support from these esteemed granting organizations, each of which plays a vital role in Sarasota County’s rich arts and cultural community," said Ramsey Frangie, ACS’s board president. "Their commitment to fostering creativity and cultural engagement is evident through their generous contributions, which enable us to expand our exhibitions, artist initiatives and youth programs. Their support not only strengthens Art Center Sarasota but also enriches the entire region’s vibrant arts landscape."

"Gulf Coast Community Foundation is proud to continue to support Art Center Sarasota and their mission to bring together creatives and the broader public to increase understanding of the human condition, support wellbeing, and build community connection through the universal language of art,” said Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s President | CEO Phillip Lanham. “Art Center Sarasota is a gem in our region, free and open to the public, which aligns with Gulf Coast’s vision of thriving communities with opportunities for all. 

Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. For information, visit www.artsarasota.org or call 941-365-2032.