Over $1,000,000 Awarded to
20 Mid Atlantic Region Organizations
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Baltimore – June 18, 2025 – Mid Atlantic Arts congratulates the grantees of Cultural Sustainability: Community Roots, a pilot program offered by the six U.S. Regional Arts Organizations (USRAOs) in partnership with The Wallace Foundation. The program provides general operating support to arts organizations rooted in communities of color with annual operating expenses under $500,000.
“Organizations founded by, with, and for communities of color are vital cultural leaders in the mid-Atlantic arts ecosystem,” said Sarah Branch, Program Director of Creativity in Community at Mid Atlantic Arts. “Through this program, we are honored to support their continued growth and create space for shared learning and connection.”
Unrestricted operational support for grantees allow them to sustain and expand arts practices to benefit the communities they serve. These grants also support cross-cultural arts experience while fostering stronger collaboration between artists, communities, and US Regional Arts Organizations.
“We are so excited to congratulate the Mid Atlantic grantees from this groundbreaking program,” said Mid Atlantic Arts Executive Director Juan Souki. “We are honored to support the ongoing missions of these organizations. We are looking forward to deepening the relationships between creative thought leaders in our region.”
The full list of Mid Atlantic region grantees includes:
Delaware
- Native Roots Farm Foundation, Wilmington
- Wilmington Children’s Chorus, Wilmington
District of Columbia
Maryland
- Sole Defined, Capitol Heights
- Taratibu Youth Association, Inc., Mount Ranier
New Jersey
- In FACT, Willingboro
- Ladies of Hip-Hop Festival, Jersey City
New York
- Create in Chinatown, Inc. (DBA Think!Chinatown), New York
- DuKode Studio, Brooklyn
Pennsylvania
- Barrio Alegria, Reading
- Paza – Tree of Life, Inc., Easton
Puerto Rico
- Fundación de Culebra, Inc., Culebra
- Mujeres de Islas, Inc., Culebra
US Virgin Islands
- Crucian Heritage and Nature Tourism, Inc., Frederiksted
- Ten Sleepless Knights, Inc., Frederiksted
Virginia
- Podium Foundation, Richmond
- Tidewater African Cultural Alliance, Virginia Beach
West Virginia
- Innovative Community Solutions, Martinsburg
- Multi-Cultural Festival of West Virginia, Charleston
Applications of Cultural Sustainability: Community Roots were reviewed by a panel of 21 arts advocates, arts leaders of color, culture bearers, and multidisciplinary arts practitioners from across the Mid Atlantic Arts region. For a full list of panelists and their bios, visit our website.
Cultural Sustainability is made possible by support from The Wallace Foundation in partnership with the six US Regional Arts Organizations (USRAOs). This opportunity is part of The Wallace Foundation’s Advancing Well-Being in the Arts initiative, which funds arts organizations rooted in communities of color to advance their well-being, enhance understanding of their contributions to community, and ultimately help to build a more equitable and sustainable arts ecosystem.
Image: Artwork by Uzo Njoku.
About Mid Atlantic Arts
Mid Atlantic Arts supports artists, presenters, and organizations through unique programming, grant support, partnerships, and information sharing. Created in 1979, Mid Atlantic Arts is aligned with the region’s state arts councils and the National Endowment for the Arts. We combine state and federal funding with private support from corporations, foundations, and individuals to nurture diverse artistic expression while connecting people to meaningful arts experiences within our region and beyond. To learn more about Mid Atlantic Arts visit www.midatlanticarts.org.
About the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations
The United States Regional Arts Organizations (USRAOs)—Arts Midwest, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Mid Atlantic Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, South Arts, and Western States Arts Federation—are a collective of six nonprofit arts service organizations committed to strengthening America’s infrastructure by increasing access to creativity for all Americans. They serve the nation’s artists, arts and culture organizations, and creative communities with programs that reflect and celebrate the diversity of the field in which they work. They partner with the National Endowment for the Arts, state arts agencies, individuals, and other public and private funders to develop and deliver programs, services, and products that advance arts and creativity. Together, the USRAOs work to activate and operate national arts initiatives, encourage and support collaboration across regions, states, and communities, and maximize the coordination of public and private resources invested in arts programs. In Fiscal Year 2023, they invested over $18.4 million across the United States and Jurisdictions, through nearly 2,400 grants that reached more than 1,000 communities. For more information, visit usregionalarts.org.
Contact:
Mackenzie Kwok
Communications and Social Media Manager
Mid Atlantic Arts
mkwok@midatlanticarts.org
410.539.6656 x123