The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History has announced grants that have been awarded to organizations and individuals for fiscal year 2023 through the State Library Commission, State Historic Preservation Office, and the State Arts Office.
The West Virginia Library Commission provides Grants in Aid to West Virginia public libraries which, in combination with local support, provides operating funds to public libraries to expand and enhance services to their patrons. GIA funds are distributed to all public libraries based on service area population as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau’s Decennial Census. Currently, service population is calculated using the 2020 Census.
The WVLC also offers Public Library Service Center and Unassigned Affiliate Grants, which provide funding to Service Center libraries for cooperative professional support to affiliate libraries. The Library Commission works with the larger libraries in the state to improve services and for continuing education.
The State Historic Preservation Office manages the State Development Grant Program for rehabilitation of properties that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places or a contributing property in a historic district or/and archaeological development of a site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The funding source for this grant program is appropriated by the West Virginia Legislature through lottery funds.
The State Arts Office administers the Arts Partners grants, Community Arts Project Support grants, Arts in Education grants, and Professional Development grants. Arts Partners provides general operating support for long-standing, stable arts organizations to further the general purpose or work of an organization rather than for a specific purpose or project. CAPS provides support for projects in all disciplines that offer arts programming to the public. Sub-categories include presenting artists, performing arts, visual arts, media arts, and folk/traditional arts. Arts in Education provides support for curriculum-based, hands-on projects that involve K-12 students and teachers in the arts during daily instruction or outside of regular school hours; support to present performing, literary, and visual artists to students in grades K-12; and support for schools, nonprofit community arts organizations, and other nonprofit sponsors that do not present a season of events for the presentation of West Virginia artists in arts education projects. Professional Development provides support for professional and emerging artists to expand or improve their work or share their expertise and support for art organizations that meet the needs of underserved artists by offering programs that help them expand or improve their work. Cultural Facilities and Capital Resources grants provide support for the acquisition, construction, and renovation of arts venues, accessibility improvements, and capital purchases of durable equipment.
Local WVLC Grants in Aid beneficiaries and the amounts they received include: Fayette County Public Library, $213,071; Jackson County Public Library, $146,252; Kanawha County Public Library, $844,507; Nitro Public Library, $34,859; Putnam County Public Library $302,282; and South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Public Library, $71,818.
The Kanawha County Public Library also received nearly $5,100 in a Service Center and Unassigned Affiliate grant.
State Historic Preservation Office State Development Grants were awarded to area beneficiaries 1030 Quarrier St. (the “Professional Buildingâ€), ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, $40,000; and the Ruffner Payne Cottage, ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, $33,750.
Local State Arts Office Arts Partners grantees include the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Ballet, which was presented approximately $35,000; the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, receiving $77,703; and the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, receiving $62,583.
Community Arts Grants were awarded to area entities included the Alban Arts Center in St. Albans, $10,475; FOOTMAD of the Kanawha Valley, $4,043; and the Children’s Theatre of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, $17,400.
Arts in Education grantees in the area included the West Virginia Youth Symphony, $4,170; Kanawha County Schools, $14,250; and FOOTMAD of the Kanawha Valley, $4,600.
