Waterloo Region Community Foundation’s Arts Grants Fund provides $298,000 in grants to 21 local organizations
WATERLOO REGION, ON (December 6, 2023) — Today, Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF) announced $298,000 in funding from the Arts Grants Fund to support 21 small and mid-sized arts organizations and collectives, as well as projects focused on the arts in Waterloo Region. This included $15,000, as part of a collaboration with the City of Waterloo, that donated another $10,000 to provide a total of $25,000 to support individual artists in our region with microgrants. The Microgrant Program is facilitated by Pat the Dog Theatre Creation.
“The arts are essential to create sustainable, equitable and thriving communities across Waterloo Region. The arts connect people to the places and spaces that surround us,” says Eric Avner, President & CEO, Waterloo Region Community Foundation. “We are grateful to the City of Waterloo and several Fundholders who’ve joined us in supporting these important initiatives. With over $800,000 in requests this year, the ambition of our region's creativity continues to outpace the dollars available.”
A volunteer committee, comprised of people from the arts community across Waterloo Region, developed the granting guidelines and application, reviewed applications and recommended funding allocations for the Arts Grants Fund.
A list of organizations that received funding is included below:
AONation
Ayr Community Theatre
CAFKA - Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener + Area
Cambridge Community Players
Coalition of Muslim Women Kitchener-Waterloo
Community Justice Initiatives of Waterloo Region
Family & Children's Services of the Waterloo Region Foundation
Green Light Arts
Kaleidoscope Collective
Kinbridge Community Association
Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra
Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre
Mel Brown Music Festival and Symposium
Midtown Radio
Neruda Arts
Pat the Dog Theatre Creation
Pinch Cabaret
Textile
The Freedom Marching Project
The Registry Theatre
Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region
For more information about WRCF, visit www.wrcf.ca.
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About Waterloo Region Community Foundation
Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF) collaborates with partners to create sustainable, equitable and thriving communities. We connect regionally and locally, with our three cities and four townships, to include the people and places across our region. We make philanthropy easy for individuals and companies to support organizations and issues they care about. WRCF is focused on Granting, Investing and Convening to make measurable and sustainable impacts. Gifts are directed to WRCF's endowed funds that drive positive change through grants with the income generated being distributed in partnership with Fundholders to support a wide range of charitable causes within our community. We are growing our assets in a socially-responsible way without compromising financial returns, and transitioning to a 100% mission-aligned portfolio. These investments include directing at least 10% of our portfolio to impact investments. As a leading community-building organization we also work to amplify voices and issues of importance by convening conversations and sharing information, while approaching our work with an equity mindset. www.wrcf.ca
For additional information about this release or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Lynne Short
Vice President, Waterloo Region Community Foundation
519-725-1806 x 204
lynne@wrcf.ca
