The Greater Augusta Arts Council awarded 51 local creatives with Hurricane Relief Micro-Grants through the C.R.E.A.T.I.V.E. Grant initiative. This program, led by the Council’s new Executive Director, Denise Tucker, provided critical support to artists impacted by Hurricane Helene. C.R.E.A.T.I.V.E. FUND (Creative Relief for Emergencies and Assistance)
Individual Vital Empowerment was designed to provide support to CSRA Individual Member Artists as they re-imagine & rebuild during the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. Micro-Grants of $500-$1000 were distributed to support costs associated with replacing supplies or a lost gig during this time.
The $30,000 fund, generously awarded by the Augusta Foundation for the Arts, was initially designated to support the Greater Augusta Arts Council programming and operations. Recognizing the urgent needs of the creative community following the hurricane, the Arts Council made the decision to reallocate operational funds.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve supported artists through re-granting, but it is the first time we’ve done so with funds originally intended to meet our own organizational needs,” Tucker explained. “We knew that we could weather the storm (no pun intended), but the artists who make Augusta a vibrant cultural hub needed us now more than ever.”
The Micro-Grants were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and ranked according to need. Applications were reviewed by an independent panel and disbursed on a rolling basis until the funds were fully allocated. The Arts Council also held a post-Helene Arts Supply drive to aid artists of many different genres with replacement supplies. It was a huge success with donations of everything from paints and brushes to photography equipment provided by the local community and redistributed to Augusta’s artists in need.
“We hope that our local creatives felt our energetic hugs as we reached out during this time of community need,” Tucker shared. “While this grant was only a small drop in the bucket compared to the losses our region endured, it was our way of showing that Augusta’s creative community matters, to our culture, to our economy, and to our future.”
Through this initiative, the Greater Augusta Arts Council hopes to inspire local artists to contribute their voices to unify and strengthen Augusta’s creative community. For more information about the Arts Council and its programs, visit www.augustaarts.com.
