Arts Organizations Share $288,000 from Arts Council

The Arts Council of Hillsborough County announced it has awarded grants totaling $288,575 to 21 Hillsborough County nonprofit cultural organizations. The grants are awarded for a one-year period as general operating support or funding for specific projects as part of the Council's Cultural Development Grant program.

Organizations receiving grants through the Arts Council program include:

· Bits 'n Pieces Puppet Theatre - $13,714 for General Operating Support

· Florida Museum of Photographic Arts - $13,329 for General Operating Support

· Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County - $9,108 for Tampa-Hillsborough County Storytelling Festival

· Gasparilla Festival of the Arts - $10,000 for 2016 Annual Festival of the Arts

· Hillsborough Community College Foundation with Ybor Campus Gallery - $9,033 for General Operating Support

· Jobsite Theater - $13,854 for General Operating Support

· Moving Current - $9,183 for General Operating Support

· Philippine Cultural Foundation - $18,014 for General Operating Support

· Powerstories Theatre - $9,375 for the PowerPlay Series

· Stageworks - 13,886 for General Operating Support

· Tampa Bay Arts & Education Network - $13,863 the Filmmaker Spotlight Series

· Tampa Bay Heralds of Harmony - $9,025 for General Operating Support

· Tampa Film Institute (Gasparilla Film Festival) - $8,725 for 2016 Annual Gasparilla International Film Festival

· Tampa Metropolitan Youth Orchestra - $15,000 for General Operating Support

· Tampa Museum of Art - $22,563 for the Jaume Plensa: Human Landscape exhibition

· Tampa Oratorio Singers - $8,583 for General Operating Support

· Tampa Theatre - $22,607 for the Classic Film Series

· Tempus Projects - $10,000 for General Operating Support

· USF Contemporary Art Museum - $25,000 for the Contemporary Art from Brazil exhibition

· UT Plant Museum & Scarfone/Hartley Gallery - $20,000 for Live at Tampa Bay Hotel and Studio-f

· Ybor City Museum Society - $13,713 for General Operating Support

The Council awards the grants each year through a competitive process. A panel of arts professionals evaluates the applications and judged merit in four areas: overall quality, cultural excellence, public impact and outreach, and financial/ administrative. The Council has awarded more than $11 million to nonprofit arts groups since 1991.

The Arts Council's Cultural Development Grant program is funded by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. For more information about the grants, visit the Arts Council's website, TampaArts.com.