Cultural Council of Palm Beach County Awards Local Organizations $54,000 in Grants

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County has granted tens of thousands of dollars to local non-profit arts organizations as part of the SmARTBiz program sponsored by the Cultural Council and PNC Bank. The program's philosophy is really an equation: Good arts in a community = good quality of life = strong business development.

Eleven non-profit organizations received a total of over $54,000 in grants during the SmARTBiz Summit held at the Palm Beach County Convention Center on December 10. The third annual event provided informative business, financial and marketing sessions, as well as dynamic speakers, including billionaire philanthropist William Koch.

The day-long program, which attracted more than 200 attendees representing arts organization all over Palm Beach County, also helped guide non-profit organizations in how to improve the efficiency of their operations.

Cultural Council Director of Grants Jan Rodusky says "Each year SmARTBiz gives us an opportunity to bring together our local arts and business communities to learn from each other, and inspire them to do great things in Palm Beach County."

"The collaboration between SmARTBiz and the grant recipient organizations will present many opportunities for training that will lead to concrete connections between business and the arts at the partner institutions," says Craig Grant, PNC regional president for eastern Florida. "At PNC, we understand that a rich arts community is a significant driver of our economic success, but most importantly, children who learn about the arts early in life are more likely to remain involved and connected to the arts later on."

Grant recipients this year are from the Palm Beach Zoo, the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium, Center for Creative Education, Delray Beach Center for the Arts, Young Singers of the Palm Beaches, Delray Beach Chorale, Flagler Museum, Martin Luther King, Jr. Coordinating Committee, Mounts Botanical Garden, Palm Beach Opera and Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens.