The Arts Community Alliance gave away $30,000 to local arts nonprofits last year in response to the coronavirus pandemic, on top of the funding already budgeted.
This year, the organization known as TACA has $210,000 to give as “pop-up grants” that come with cash for artists that the recipient nonprofits choose themselves.
The funding comes from the March Family Foundation, which donated $180,000, and from the family of Rondi Hillstrom Davis, an independent costume designer and SMU assistant theater professor, who died in December. Her friends and family raised $30,000 for TACA in her memory.
The grants are given to arts organizations with annual operating budgets of $5 million or less. Last year’s recipients included Shakespeare Dallas in support of its podcast, “Shakespeare Decoded”.
TACA chooses pop-up grant recipients that demonstrate “quality short-term programming, exceptional creativity and innovation.”
This round of grants will each come with an “artist bonus” that it double the amount of the grant. So if the grant is $2,000, the organization will also receive $4,000 to “key” and “supporting” artists to their company.
“These are groups and individuals who are yearning to work, but due to the pandemic, they can’t practice their craft and make a living,” says Carol March, who serves on the TACA board of directors. “Many artists have lost jobs as well as the opportunity to perform, so we are making this gift to the pop-up grant program to support them and arts staff at this critical time.”
