Two Winners Named In 2019 StARTup Creative Competition

The Arts and Education Council has named Black Tulip Chorale and EBT Culture Card as winners of the third annual stARTup Creative Competition. The competition, supported by PNC Foundation, encourages the development of great ideas with art at their core that strengthen and enhance the St. Louis arts community.

Black Tulip Chorale, founded in April 2018 by Robert Stumpf, is St. Louis's first and only free-standing all-inclusive choral organization supporting social consciousness. Membership is open to all genders, identities and sexual orientations.

EBT Culture Card, pitched by Jennifer Gartley, aims to radically expand arts access for low-income residents. Inspired by a statewide model in Massachusetts, EBT Culture Card will partner with local arts and culture organizations to provide free tickets to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients in St. Louis City and St. Louis County.

"These two startups are based around ideas that could transform how we expand arts access and arts participation in St. Louis. We look forward to working closely with the founders over the next year to provide the resources, mentorship and connections needed to nurture these ideas," said Cynthia A. Prost, Arts and Education Council president and CEO.

Beginning July 1, the winners will each receive a $10,000 prize, one year of space and incubation support in the Arts and Education Council's arts incubator, free performance and meeting space, access to technology and Wi-Fi, mentoring, idea-sharing and professional development opportunities.

"At PNC, we believe a thriving arts and culture scene plays a crucial role in the success, stability and growth of our local community, which is why we support competitions like stARTup," said Michael Scully, PNC regional president for St. Louis. "We are looking forward to seeing how these two creative entrepreneurs inspire the arts community and make the arts accessible to the entire St. Louis community."

Winners were selected by a panel of local arts and entrepreneurial experts, including: Cynthia A. Prost, Arts and Education Council; Debbie Marshall, PNC Bank; Kathleen Bauer, T-REX; Sheila Burkett, Spry Digital; Antionette Carroll, Creative Reaction Lab; Chris Dornfeld, Maritz; and Matt Homann, Filament.

The stARTup Creative Competition was launched in 2017 as a partnership between the Arts and Education Council and PNC Foundation to identify arts entrepreneurs with innovative ideas for the St. Louis arts community and provide the resources they need to further develop those ideas.

For more information about the Arts and Education Council and the stARTup Creative Competition, visit KeepArtHappening.org. ### About the Arts and Education Council: Keep Art Happening. - The Arts and Education Council builds appreciation, participation and support for the arts and arts education throughout the St. Louis region, shaping a more vibrant arts community for all. The Arts and Education Council ensures the 16-county, bi-state region is rich with arts and cultural experiences through programs and services that support more than 70 organizations each year, including: operating support grants; arts incubation at the Centene Center for the Arts; PNC Program Grants; the Creative Impact Fund with lead support from the Bayer Fund; the Maritz Arts and Education Fund for Teachers; Bayer Fund Rural Community Arts and Education grants; the Art Education Fund, underwritten by Wells Fargo Advisors; the Catalyst Innovation Lab; the Katherine Dunham Fellowship; Catalyst Conversations; the stARTup Creative Competition; Leadership Roundtables; Arts Marketers; the St. Louis Suburban Music Educators Association; the Keep Art Happening Scholarship; and the St. Louis Arts Awards.

The Arts and Education Council is entirely funded by individual donors, corporations and foundations in the St. Louis region. Since its inception in 1963 as the region's only privately-supported united arts fund, the Arts and Education Council has raised and distributed more than $100 million in private funding for the arts - a significant contribution that directly impacts the quality of life in our region. The Arts and Education Council meets all 20 Better Business Bureau Charity Standards and has earned the Wise Giving Seal of Approval, a three-star rating from Charity Navigator and a Guidestar Exchange Gold Participant rating.

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