Vermont Business Magazine Cultural institutions in 16 Vermont communities will receive funding for needed improvements through the Vermont Arts Council’s Cultural Facilities Grant program. The FY2020 grants will support Vermont nonprofit organizations and municipalities in facilitating better access, enhanced infrastructure, or increased capacity within existing structures. The Bradford Public Library, for example, will receive funding for the installation of a physically accessible lift, and Stone Valley Arts in Poultney has garnered support for electrical upgrades. Grants were awarded to sixteen organizations totaling $224,556.
“The Cultural Facilities grant program is a critical investment in the long-term health and sustainability of arts and culture in Vermont,” noted Vermont Arts Council Executive Director Karen Mittelman. “Over the past five years, seventy percent of the funding from this program has supported cultural facilities in Vermont’s most rural communities, protecting libraries, theaters, museums, and town halls that serve our most economically disadvantaged residents.”
The Cultural Facilities Grant program is administered by the Arts Council in conjunction with the Vermont Historical Society and the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. The program is funded through an annual appropriation in the Vermont state capital budget.
Since 2001, the Arts Council has awarded two hundred and ninety-four grants totaling $3,217,431 to one hundred and eighty-nine organizations and municipalities. These funds have enabled cultural institutions to make urgently needed improvements to their buildings, upgrade equipment, and expand accessibility to patrons with disabilities. Vermont’s cultural facilities are community anchors, helping both residents and visitors to make important social connections and sparking economic investment.
The Cultural Facilities Grant program is also providing a boost to Vermont businesses. Since 2014, seventy-seven percent of Cultural Facilities Grant funds have been paid to local vendors, contributing $2.7 million into the local economy.
“We need public investment in our cultural infrastructure, just as much as we need to build roads and bridges,” added Mittelman. “When the state invests in the places where communities gather, it enhances the quality of life for residents, contributes to local economic growth, and supports the distinctive sense of place that makes Vermont towns great places to live and work. We’re grateful to all of our state legislators, and to Governor Scott for their strong commitment to this program.”
Bradford Public Library, Bradford
$28,200 to support the installation of a physically accessible lift
Burlington City Arts, Burlington
$28,200 to support sound and electrical upgrades in Contois Auditorium
Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall, Northfield Falls
$26,126 to support air quality upgrades to the lower level renovation of the Capital City Grange Hall
Helen Day Art Center, Stowe
$18,864 to support new gallery infrastructure and technology
Heritage Winooski Mill Museum, Winooski
$3,121 to support renovations to a media display and window shades in the gallery
Isle La Motte Historical Society, Isle La Motte
$1,200 to support electrical upgrades in the Duba Blacksmith Shop
Jeudevine Memorial Library, Hardwick
$24,000 to support the installation of a physically accessible elevator
Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier
$10,791 to support the installation of air conditioning in the Hayes Room and on the second floor of the library
Kimball Public Library, Randolph
$15,668 to support upgrades to the library's physically accessible restroom
Lamoille County Players, Hyde Park
$25,200 to support electrical upgrades in the Hyde Park Opera House
Paramount Center, Rutland
$24,992 to support lighting upgrades
Park-McCullough Association, North Bennington
$3,973 to support electrical wiring upgrades in the historic museum
Phantom Theater, Warren
$3,760 to support installation of LED lights in the theater
Rockingham Free Public Library, Bellows Falls
$2,753 to support the purchase and installation of a hanging rail system for art exhibits
Stone Valley Arts, Poultney
$4,606 to support electrical upgrades
Westminster West Public Library, Putney
$3,102 to support electrical upgrades and the purchase of a projector system
About the Vermont Arts Council
The Vermont Arts Council envisions a Vermont where all people have access to the arts and creativity in their lives, education, and communities. Engagement with the arts transforms individuals, connects us more deeply to each other, energizes the economy, and sustains the vibrant cultural landscape that makes Vermont a great place to live. Since 1965, the Council has been the state's primary provider of funding, advocacy, and information for the arts in Vermont.
Source: Vermont Arts Council Announces Cultural Facilities Grant Awards Montpelier – www.vermontartscouncil.org. 8.6.2019