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Home My WebLink AboutAgenda 11-06-2025; 4-a - Orange County Arts Commission 2025-26 Annual Grant Recipients 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: November 6, 2025 Action Agenda Item No. 4-a SUBJECT: Orange County Arts Commission 2025-26 Annual Grant Recipients DEPARTMENT: County Manager— Arts Commission ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: 2025-26 Grant Awards Spreadsheet Katie Murray, Arts Commission Director, 919-245-2335 PURPOSE: To acknowledge local artists and organizations receiving 2025-26 Orange County Arts Grants. BACKGROUND: Orange County Annual Grants Cycle The Orange County Arts Commission (OCAC) administers two (2) primary grant programs each year. The Grassroots Arts Program utilizes state funding to provide support for nonprofit organizations and schools conducting arts programming. The Artist Project Grant utilizes county funding for artist-led community projects. Statistics regarding this year's grant cycle are noted in the chart below. FUNDING SOURCES NC Arts Council Funding: Grassroots Arts Program $ 49,525 Orange County Funding: Artist Support Grants $ 28,800 Orange County Funding: Outside Agencies $ 29,711 TOTAL AVAILABLE FUNDING $108,036 Total dollar amount requests $139,112.50 Total grants awarded 31, or 91% of eligible applications Total applications received 37, 34 eligible Total first-time applicants 9, or 24% of applicants The OCAC grant review and awards process: 1. The grant application process is open for one month. Two virtual training sessions occurred, and the OCAC director was available for one-on-one meetings. 2. After the due date, OCAC staff conducted an initial compliance and eligibility review. Applications found noncompliant or outside of the grant requirements are considered 2 disqualified. Eligible organizations were given a compliance score (1-10) based on prior year adherence to grant requirements such as logo usage and reporting. New applicants automatically receive a "10" Compliance Score. 3. Qualified applications are forwarded to members of each review panel for initial review and scoring. Grant panels in the visual, performing, and literary arts are composed of OCAC Board Members with relevant experience and guest artists from the community. Guest panelists are compensated for their time. 4. Non-governmental Grassroots Arts Program (GAP) applicants were also evaluated by a Financial Review Panel who examined submitted financial documents to determine financial solvency and stability. 5. Each panel met virtually to evaluate the assigned applications. Feedback, first strengths and then challenges, was offered by panelists and recorded by OCAC staff. After discussion, each panelist submitted a score through the online platform for each of the categories below. After all scores were submitted, the Arts Commission Director recorded the final score per applicant. 6. The scoring rubric for this year's grant program was as follows: GRASSROOTS ARTS PROGRAM - ORGANIZATIONS Artistic Merit — 30% Community Impact— 25% Program Management — 15% Financial Review— 10% NC Arts Council Priority of Funding — 10% Compliance score — 10% GRASSROOTS ARTS PROGRAM - SCHOOLS Artistic Merit — 40% Integration in curriculum/enrichment— 40% Free and Reduced Lunch Percentage — 20% ARTIST PROJECT GRANTS (APG) Artistic Merit — 40% Community Impact— 30% Program Management — 20% Compliance score — 10% 7. Funding decisions were made at the August 2025 Advisory Board meeting. For the GAP program, the Advisory Board prioritized high scoring program requests, programs hiring multicultural artists, and schools. For APG, the Advisory Board approved full funding for applicants with scores above 80 and 75% of funding request for applicants will scores 74- 79. 8. All applicants were notified of the panel's decisions. All declined GAP applicants received panel feedback (approved GAP and APG applicants could receive feedback upon request). FINANCIAL IMPACT: A total of$108,036 was awarded through twelve (12) artist grants, thirteen (13) organizational grants, and five (5) schools during the 2025-26 grants cycle. With this, $15,000 is allocated towards the Title 1 Artist-in-Residence Program, a partnership of the OCAC, the ArtsCenter, and Orange County Public Schools. Grassroots grants were funded by $49,525 in funding from the North Carolina Arts Council. An additional $29,711, or 2.7%, of the FY 2025-26 Outside Agencies budget was allocated to arts organizations through the Grassroots program to ensure arts agencies were applying for funding through a program specific to the arts following the best practices set forth by the North Carolina 3 Arts Council. Artist Project Grants are funded by Orange County Occupancy Tax in the amount of $28,800. ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PLAN: This item supports: • GOAL 2: HEALTHY COMMUNITY OBJECTIVE 7. Invest in services and programs that improve the health and quality of life of the community (e.g., recreation and public open spaces, arts, etc.) • GOAL 6: DIVERSE AND VIBRANT ECONOMY OBJECTIVE 1. Provide family-oriented and inclusive programming or other cultural events for residents and visitors. OBJECTIVE 4. Provide resources to small, creative, and agro-businesses that add character and quality of life to our community to attract employers, employees, and visitors. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board acknowledge the local recipients of these awards. ARTISTS Titte Request Grant Aaron Comoletti clothing and gameing $ 3,000.00 $ Looking Back Through the Trees:An Infrared Barbara Tyroler Exploration of Chapel Hill and Carrboro First $ 3,000.00 $ 2,250.00 Integrated Public School Community Carson Whitmore A Really Big Picnic $ 2,570.00 $ 1,927.00 Workplace mural to support occupational G.R.Amaya-Baron wellness among primarily low-wage and $ 3,000.00 $ - physical labourers. Story Connection:free live storytelling classes Julia F.Green $ 3,000.00 $ 2,250.00 and performances Marie Rossettie(LEVEL) LEVEL 2025-2026 Local Artists-in-Residence $ 3,000.00 $ 3,000.00 Lindsay Leach Sparks Eno Flute Ensemble $ 2,000.00 $ 2,000.00 Audio Soundscape to exploring the impact of Madeleine Popkin $ 3,000.00 $ 2,251.00 underwater sound pollution Marcela Slade Funds to offer FREE painting workshops at my $ 3,000.00 $ 3,000.00 studio Mer Haggerty Collage Stop x Collage Night at Peel Gallery $ 2,600.00 $ 2,600.00 Community-centered performance and open Morrow Dowdle $ 3,000.00 $ 3,000.00 mic series at the Eno Arts Mill Gallery Funding request for honoraria for performing Nerys Wendon Levy artists at the 26th Mildred Council Annual $ 2,000.00 $ 2,000.00 Community Dinner at Mc Dougle Schools Cafeteria on April 26th 2026 Feeling at Home:A workshop series and Steph Hoover exhibit highlighting housing justice $ 3,000.00 $ 3,000.00 organizations "Twelve Faces of Courage:Art,Stories and Yuliia Sytnyk Workshops to showcase Women and the $ 3,000.00 $ 1,522.00 Ukrainian Refugee Experience" ORGANIZATIONS After the Rain FlushFest:World Music for a Better World $ 5,000.00 $ - Boomerang Youth, Inc. Escape Artists:High-Quality Arts Education $ 2,500.00 $ 1,875.00 for SEL Growth in Marginalized Youth Calico Makers Market Performing Arts Calico Makers Inc $ 5,000.00 $ 3,750.00 Program Cosmic Rays Foundation 2026 Cosmic Rays Film Festival: Filmmaker $ 5,000.00 $ 4,500.00 Honoraria and Operations Support Chelsea Art Theater Inc General Operating Support $ 5,000.00 $ 4,500.00 Cultural Performances at Hillsborough's Last Hillsborough Arts Council Fridays&the Art Walk, Live on the Lawn $ 5,000.00 $ 4,500.00 Performance Series 5 Fairview Youth in Action Mosaic Project at Fairview Community Center $ 3,000.00 $ 3,000.00 Franklin Street Arts Collective Operational request for FRANK Gallery $ 5,000.00 $ 4,500.00 2025/26 Musical Empowerments Music Mentorship Musical Empowerment $ 5,000.00 $ 4,500.00 and Instruments Lending Programs Orange Community Players Seussical $ 5,000.00 $ 3,750.00 Prism Design Lab Exploring Architecture Workshops in Public $ 5,000.00 $ 4,500.00 Schools in Orange County The Arts Center Bad Art Club:Free for All $ 5,000.00 $ 3,750.00 The ArtsCenter OCPS Title 1 Artist in Residence Program $ 15,000.00 $ 15,000.00 VoicesChapelHill Support for Accompanist Costs $ 5,000.00 $ 3,750.00 Women's Voices Chorus Women's Voices Chorus $ 5,000.00 $ 3,750.00 SCHOOLS Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation Creative Art Programs at Phoenix Academy $ 3,500.00 $ 3,150.00 High School Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation Poet Laureate Program for CHCCS High $ 3,500.00 $ 2,625.00 Schools Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation African Drum Workshops at Three CHCCS $ 3,500.00 $ 2,625.00 Elementary Schools Ephesus Elementary School Parent Teacher Association Diversity in Art Forms:Dance,Sound,and $ 2,000.00 $ - Storytelling for Every Student Estes Hills PTA Estes Hills Elementary Cultural Enrichment $ 2,075.00 $ 1,561.00 Program 2025-26 McDougle Elementary PTA Cultural Arts Programming for 2025-2026 $ 4,867.50 $ 3,650.00 TOTAL $ 139,112.50 $ 108,036.00