Austin News

Over the last year, the City of Austin’s Economic Development Department has awarded nearly $7 million in cultural funding grants to 270 local organizations and individuals through the Elevate, Nexus, and Arts Education Relief Grant programs. These grants play a vital role in bolstering local cultural arts initiatives by providing seed funding, support, and targeted investments, with a primary focus on promoting equity in these endeavors.  

"These grants are more than just financial support; they are a testament to Austin's commitment to nurturing our city's creative soul,” explains Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, Director of the Economic Development Department. “They empower artists, organizations, and educators to shape a more inclusive and vibrant cultural landscape. With these grants, our goal is to ensure that every voice is heard, every story is told, and every person has access to the transformative power of the arts."  

 

Elevate 

More than $6.2 million was awarded to 200 nonprofit arts organizations and creative businesses through the Elevate Grant program. This grant was specifically designed to provide financial support to arts and cultural organizations, individual artists, and arts groups that produce culturally vibrant and diverse artistic content for the public. This grant aims to alleviate the financial barrier of creative, administrative, and operational expenses incurred in the production of artistic content for the people of Austin and its visitors. For the full list of the grant recipients, visit the Elevate Grant website.  

View a summary dashboard of demographics for the 2023 Elevate Grant applicants and awardees. 

• 60% of grantees identify their leadership as majority diverse race/ethnicity. 
• 62% of grantees identify their leadership as majority female or non-binary. 
• 5,763 people employed by the 142 grantee organizations. 
• 12.3 median years of operation of grantees. 

 

Nexus 

A total of $255,000 was awarded to 51 creative businesses, including nonprofits and individual artists, through the Nexus Grant program. Nexus was designed to nurture emerging voices and encourage creative public programming within Austin. It particularly targets new applicants and creative entities that have been at risk of cultural erasure or institutional marginalization. For the full list of grant recipients, visit the Nexus Grant website.  

View a summary dashboard of demographics for the 2023 Nexus Grant applicants and awardees. 

• 74% of grantees identify their leadership as majority diverse race/ethnicity. 
• 65% of grantees identify their leadership as majority female or non-binary. 
• 64 people employed by the 18 grantee organizations. 
• 4.4 median years of operation of grantees. 

 

Arts Education Relief Grant 

$475,000 was awarded to 19 nonprofit organizations as part of the Arts Education Relief Grant program. This grant, made possible through the National Endowment for the Arts, was designed to aid local arts education organizations in their recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. It prioritizes applicants who have faced immediate risk of cultural erasure or institutional marginalization within Austin. For the full list of the grant recipients, visit the Arts Education Relief Grant website.  

View a summary dashboard of demographics for the 2023 Arts Education Relief Grant applicants and awardees. 

• 74% of grantees identify their leadership as majority diverse race/ethnicity 
• 37% of grantees identify their leadership as majority female or non-binary 
• 172 people employed by the 19 grantee organizations 
• 11.9 median years of operation of grantees 

Funding for the Elevate and Nexus Grant, which is managed by the Economic Development Department’s Cultural Arts Division, comes from 15% of the annual Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) allocations for the Cultural Arts Fund. Elevate and Nexus are one of the first arts-focused programs developed from new criteria informed by the 2022 Cultural Funding Review Process by the Economic Development Department, which was a three-year public process to center equity and inclusion in the City’s HOT investments in arts, heritage, and music. Recognizing the diverse cultural and creative talent within our city, the Economic Development Department recognizes its significant role in shaping Austin's economic success and identity. 

For more information on upcoming cultural funding opportunities, visit www.austintexas.gov/department/cultural-funding. 

Original source can be found here.