The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod has awarded $51,500 in grants to 16 cultural organizations across the region.
“Our local museums, theaters, and cultural institutions have been devastated by the pandemic. Some have halted all creative programming, laying off and furloughing staff during these difficult times. Others have significantly curtailed their hours of operation and shifted classes and performances online,” said AFCC Executive Director Julie Wake. “This funding helps recipients address their immediate needs so they can continue to remain a part of the Cape’s cultural landscape.”
Recipients for this round of AFCC grant funding are:
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Cahoon Museum of American Art (Cotuit)
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Cape Cod Collaborative Arts Network/Cotuit Center for the Arts
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Cape Cod Museum of Art (Dennis)
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Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Jr. Theatre
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Cape Symphony (Hyannis)
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College Light Opera Company (Falmouth)
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Cotuit Center for the Arts
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Cultural Center of Cape Cod (South Yarmouth)
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Highfield Hall & Gardens (Falmouth)
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Payomet Performing Arts Center (Truro)
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Provincetown Art Association and Museum
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Provincetown Film Society
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Provincetown Theater Foundation
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Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill
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Wellfleet Preservation Hall
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Woods Hole Film Festival
At the Provincetown Theater, the grant will be used to help the cultural nonprofit reconfigure its space, both indoors and outdoors, to create a safe venue for audiences to view live performances next year. “This money will help us get back in front of people. Whether it’s next summer or fall, we’ll be ready for it,” said Artistic Director Kevin Drake.
Two of the 16 grants – the Cape Cod Museum of Art and the Cape Cod Collaborative Arts Network (CapeCodCAN!) – were funded through AFCC Access, a program that connects economically-disadvantaged area youth to cultural enrichment activities in Barnstable County.
The remaining 14 were funded through the Cape Cod Arts Relief Fund, which the AFCC launched in April to assist artists and cultural organizations that have been impacted by the pandemic. Since that time, it has raised nearly $90,000 through a mixture of individual donations, fundraising events, and a grant from the Barnstable County Economic Development Council License Plate Grant Program through the Cape Cod Commission.
During the first round of funding in the spring, the AFCC awarded nearly $30,000 in mini-grants to over 75 artists who had lost income or jobs due to the pandemic. It received more than 200 requests for financial assistance from individual artists.
Combined, the AFCC has distributed roughly $82,000 in grants to artists and cultural organizations this year. The figure far surpasses the $53,000 in grants the AFCC distributed last year. This marks the fifth straight year the AFCC has been able to increase the total amount funded through its grant giving and strengthen its investment in the region’s creative economy.
Wake said the AFCC is committed to raising additional funds to meet the need of local nonprofits on the Cape. This fall, the AFCC received a total of 52 applications seeking $218,100 in funding.
Businesses or individuals interested in helping the AFCC address this need should contact AFCC Director of Development Amy Tuttle at atuttle@artsfoundation.org or at 508-362-0066, ext. 112.
