ArtsFund Distributes $2.1 Million In Grants And Passes $100 Million Granting Milestone

63 arts and cultural nonprofits in King and Pierce counties will receive operating support grants totaling $2,112,900 thanks to ArtsFund's generous annual campaign donors. With this allocation, ArtsFund surpasses a $100 million granting milestone - since its founding in 1969, ArtsFund has awarded $102,254,229 to over 650 arts and cultural nonprofits.

ArtsFund, a Seattle-based nonprofit and the nation's fifth largest united arts fund, supports the arts through leadership, advocacy, and grant making in order to build a healthy, equitable, and creative Washington. Annual grantmaking, powered by corporate and individual donations, has been central to the organization's mission since its inception. ArtsFund's annual allocations grants are distributed as general operating support enabling grant recipients to invest the funds where needed most to advance their missions.

Revenues from ArtsFund's 51st fundraising drive, which ends on June 30, 2022, support the 2022 grant allocations as well as additional programs and services reaching nearly 150 cultural organizations throughout the Central Puget Sound region.

ArtsFund President & CEO Michael Greer stated, "Our 2022 allocations awards represent a milestone in our grantmaking efforts with over $100 million granted and the addition of five, key new grantees. These achievements speak to the impact of our history and the promise of our future. We are proud to support this vital community and do our part to improve the quality of life for all through the arts."

Spotlights on the five groups new to the allocations pool this year are below:

▪ Deaf Spotlight supports, engages, and showcases artists and audiences in cinema, theatre, art, and design inspired by Deaf Culture and the expressive power of Sign Languages through the arts. ▪ LANGSTON is a community-conceived and designed non-profit arts organization with a mission to strengthen and advance the community through Black arts and culture.

▪ Path with Art fosters the restoration of individuals, groups, and society from the effects of trauma through arts engagement and community-building.

▪ Red Eagle Soaring exists to empower Native/First Nations/Indigenous youth in Seattle and King County to express themselves with confidence and clarity through traditional and contemporary performing arts.

▪ Totem Star envisions a more inclusive society where all young people have access to arts education, meaningful relationships, mental health tools, and creative careers.

ArtsFund's allocations are awarded by a panel of public, private, and corporate grantmaking experts who engage with ArtsFund in a thorough vetting process, evaluating application materials and interviewing the leadership of

arts groups. Groups are evaluated based on their mission, community impact, organizational health, and commitment to equity. The 2022 Allocations Committee Co-chairs are Ellen Ferguson, Trustee of The Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation, and Erika Nesholm, Executive Director of the Nesholm Family Foundation.

For more information on ArtsFund's grant recipients, visit: http://www.artsfund.org/about-arts-fund/arts groups-we-support.

For a list of ArtsFund's cultural partners, visit https://www.artsfund.org/culturalpartners. For more information about ArtsFund, visit: http://www.artsfund.org/about.