Hermitage Artist Retreat Receives $300,000 in National and Regional Grants for Artist Programs

The Hermitage Artist Retreat has been awarded a series of grants totaling over $300,000 that will support a variety of programs and initiatives, including residencies for Hermitage Fellows, arts education support, and program accessibility. Grants were awarded by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Amphion Foundation, Bishop Parker Foundation, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, The Exchange, Frank E. Duckwall Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Koski Family Foundation, McNally Foundation, Poetry Foundation, Southface Sarasota's GoodUse Grant, and the Tourist Development Cultural/Arts Program.

The Welles Murphey Fund at Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF) renewed its support for the Hermitage with a $50,000 Empowering Arts Grant in support of the organization's mission: to inspire and foster the most influential and culturally consequential art and artists of our time. The Hermitage became one of Gulf Coast's “Arts Appreciation” grantees in 2021, and that program was recently rebranded as “Empowering Arts,” supporting some of the leading arts and cultural institutions in the region. GCCF has additionally supported the Hermitage through other special programs and with hurricane relief efforts in recent years.

The Hermitage was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to once again serve as the Lead Community Sponsor for the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Weekend. This will be the ninth year of CFSC's support of this annual celebration, which is presented in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation; this year's events are scheduled for April 10-13, 2026, with additional details to be announced. The popular Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner will be held on Sunday, April 12 starting at 6pm at Michael's On East.

For the upcoming season, Sarasota County approved the Tourist Development Cultural/Arts Program (TDC/A) funding, resulting in a grant award in the amount of $64,036 for the Hermitage to facilitate artist residencies and programming that supports tourism to Sarasota County. Hermitage Fellows, alumni, and curators are some of the leading artists and thinkers in their respective fields from all over the world. These world-renowned creators share their artistic talents and insight into their creative process through free community programs held on the Hermitage campus, as well as at partner arts, cultural, and educational institutions throughout the region. These impactful and educational programs offer a wide variety of free events to tourists and residents alike, all throughout Sarasota County.

The Koski Family Foundation renewed their support of the Hermitage with a $50,000 grant to support the Hermitage's commitment to arts education, in addition to the continued support of the Hermitage's Sarasota Cross Arts Collaborative initiative. This generous grant allows the Hermitage to foster the development and growth of teaching artists while providing local schools the benefit of these extraordinary artists' insight and instruction. The Cross Arts Collaborative was designed to give performers who call local arts institutions their creative home a chance to expand their artistic practice from ‘performer' to ‘creator.' Recipients receive two weeks of uninterrupted time at the Hermitage Artist Retreat to develop a new project and present a free public program for the greater Sarasota community. The Cross Arts Collaborative recipients from 2025 will share a public program of their work December 3 at Nathan Benderson Park as part of the “Hermitage Sunsets @ Benderson Park” series.

The Terrence McNally Foundation has renewed its support for the McNally Fellowship at the Hermitage. This grant, awarded for the second time in 2025, celebrates the residency of an early-career playwright. Additional community program support comes from The Exchange, which awarded an Elizabeth Lindsay Arts in Education grant to support the Hermitage's education initiatives, introducing some of the world's leading artists to Sarasota County schools. Earlier this year, a grant from the Poetry Foundation supported general programming and recovery, while the Bishop Parker Foundation offered generous support in recognition of the Hermitage's programming and impact in Manatee County. Grants from the Amphion Foundation and Aaron Copland Fund for Music provide support for the organization's commitment to music initiatives. The GoodUse Grant from Southface Sarasota supports energy efficiency in operations, while the Frank E. Duckwall Foundation's grant supports the Hermitage with a focus on rebuilding accessibility equipment after the hurricanes.

The Hermitage is widely recognized for its international artist residency program and its rapidly expanding community programming, introducing Gulf Coast audiences to some of the world's leading artists across all disciplines. “As our programs and collaborations continue to evolve and expand, we are excited to see the impact on audiences throughout our region and beyond,” says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “We are deeply appreciative for these generous grants from both new and longtime supporters, all of which will provide invaluable support and resources to the diverse and accomplished Hermitage artists who are making a meaningful impact in our community and with audiences around the world.”