Salt Lake City — The Salt Lake City Arts Council has granted ten local artists and twelve Salt Lake City nonprofit arts organizations over $225,000 as part of the $500,000 American Rescue Plan grant awarded to the Arts Council from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to aid the arts and cultural sector recovery from the COVID-19 Global Pandemic. In May 2021 the Arts Council’s Board of Director’s reviewed seventy grant applications and recommended funding to the selected artists and organizations.
 
Artist Career Empowerment Grant
Ten local artists were awarded $15,000 each to produce a large-scale art project in Salt Lake City. The projects range from an art exhibition on redefining Latinx art and artists, an opera about domestic violence portrayed by the many different individuals who experience violence in our community, an outdoor dance performance that explores local flora and fauna, and several more.
 
“This is the largest award the Salt Lake Arts Council has ever granted to individual artists,” says Taylor Knuth, Deputy Director of the Salt Lake City Arts Council. “We hope the support will provide stability and empower these artists in their careers.”
 
Racial Equity and Inclusion Grant for Arts Organizations
The Racial Equity and Inclusion Grant was awarded to twelve Salt Lake City nonprofit arts organizations that are leading the region in programming that promotes and shares the stories of historically marginalized communities. The projects supported by this grant place the voices of marginalized individuals at the forefront.
 
The Salt Lake City Arts Council grants funds to organizations and individual artists each year through the City Arts Grants Program. This year alone, approximately 130 grants have been awarded totaling approximately $609,000. There will be a second round of grants this fall for the remaining $225,000 of NEA funding. Interested applicants are encouraged to subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on current information regarding our City Arts Grants Program and all other programs.
 
For more information on the Salt Lake City Arts Council City Arts Grants Program, please contact Susan Campbell at [email protected] or visit https://saltlakearts.org/grants/.
 
The mission of the Salt Lake City Arts Council is to promote, present, and support artists and arts organizations in order to facilitate the development of the arts and expand awareness, access, and engagement.