Opportunity Fund Awards $264,000 to Arts and Culture Projects, Helps Fill Gaps in Existing Funding Structures

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Nov. 17, 2022) — The City of Charlotte’s Arts and Culture Advisory Board on Tuesday awarded more than $264,000 in grants to 16 projects by local artists and groups. The awards come from a portion of the
Infusion Fund known as the
Opportunity Fund, which supports local arts and culture projects, programs and initiatives that may fall outside existing grant cycles or structures in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area or that need supplemental support.

Opportunity Fund grants have been available on a rolling basis through an open call and awarded monthly. The November round of awards brings the total amount of these grants awarded in the current fiscal year 2023 (July 2022 to June 2023) to more than $600,000.

“The Opportunity Fund is innovative, not only for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area, but in the nation,” said Priya Sircar, the city’s arts and culture officer. “Local artists and organizations are developing and carrying out projects all the time — not just during established grant cycles. We are so pleased to use this unique tool to meet their needs in a timely manner so their good work can benefit our community.”

November Recipients of Opportunity Fund Grants

Access to Move by Dance Artist Alliance CLT

Arko & the Moon Immersive Exhibit by Arko and Luvly Moon

BOOM Echoes: Engage by BOOM Charlotte

• A series of engagements, workshops and classes, culminating in two festival-style events, that feature local artists and amplify the stories and voices of immigrants and refugees in east Charlotte.

• Grant amount: $25,000.

BreatheINK Youth Poetry Slam Initiative

• Initiative to establish poetry clubs and poetry curricula in six Charlotte-Mecklenburg high schools in the 2022-2023 school year.

• Grant amount: $5,000 for project planning.

Collaboration by Charlotte Art League and Charlotte Lab School’s Co Lab

Community Impact Film Series Pilot Program by the Charlotte Film Society and the Independent Picture House

• Inaugural film screening for the series, showing “My Ascension,” a documentary about a 16-year-old’s suicide attempt and her subsequent mission of suicide prevention.

• Grant amount: $9,000.

Craft Workshops by Craft & Trade Academy

• Week-long craft workshops for local and international artists to engage high school students in high-quality trades and the connection between creativity, artisanry and technical skills.
  

• Grant amount: $12,500.

Detention Center Poetry and Art Program by Guerilla Poets

Durag Fest by Dammit Wesley and Lica Michelle

• Juneteenth festival celebrating the creativity, ingenuity and diversity of Black communities through art, fashion, food and music.

• Grant amount: $20,000.

Healing Through Art by the Social Justice Center

• Community events to bring healing to local artists and marginalized people through yoga and meditation, music, visual arts and spoken word.

• Grant amount: $5,000 for project planning.

Historic West End Partnership and Concert Performance by the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra

Music Everywhere CLT by Charlotte Center City Partners Community Trust

• A new music conference to establish Charlotte as a regional hub for music and to inspire Charlotteans to value music as an essential element of the city’s identity.

• Grant amount: $10,000 now, and another $30,000 if matching funds are also raised.

Queen Charlotte Chorus

Recording Inclusivity Initiative by WDAV Classical Public Radio

The “Afterschool” Audio Engineering Masterclass by Nigel Malone of Colorful Noise

• Free introductory classes that teach people audio mixing and mastering, and music production, and to give aspiring engineers access to professional expertise and equipment.

• Grant amount: $15,000.

The Arts Empowerment Project by Promoting Peace + Justice and Encounters Life Skills Seminar

• Programs to help children who have experienced or been impacted by violence or trauma find their voices, learn social and emotional skills, and heal through art.

• Grant amount: $25,000.

A Strong Response to New Funding Opportunities

Advisory board members initially allocated roughly $400,000 for the Opportunity Fund in the current fiscal year. When the open call launched in early September, it met a strong response. The city and the advisory board received 82 grant requests in September and October. Most were deemed eligible and qualifying applicants were invited to submit full proposals for further evaluation.

The board awarded Opportunity Fund grants in
September and
October, leaving about $64,000 to award in November.

The board’s vote on Tuesday awarded the remaining funds as well as another $200,000 to projects that were evaluated and recommended for funding by a smaller working group of the board. The full board felt comfortable with the additional awards because more than $350,000 would still be available in the Infusion Fund for the current fiscal year.

The board is now assessing the Opportunity Fund’s progress to date and fine-tuning the grant request process to prepare for potential new funding opportunities in the remainder of fiscal year 2023.

About the Infusion Fund

The Infusion Fund is a partnership of the city, Foundation For The Carolinas and private donors to support arts and culture through June 2024.

Visit the city’s
arts and culture web pages to find the full list of past recipients of the Opportunity Fund and the larger Infusion Fund.