JACKSON, MS – The City of Louisville has been awarded $120,035.40 to purchase and install seating in the Strand Theater through the The Mississippi Arts Commission.
The MAC announced Thursday, Nov. 9 that it awarded $5.2 million to 34 arts organizations in 23 counties in Mississippi through the Building Fund for the Arts (BFA) grant for fiscal year 2024. The funding opportunity provided through the BFA grant supports the much-needed repair, renovation, expansion, or construction of Mississippi facilities that serve as sites for year-round arts programming in their communities.
“The BFA program is an important part of enhancing and supporting the creative economy in Mississippi,” said David Lewis, Executive Director of MAC. “The grants from this program reach well beyond the receiving organization – impacting and uplifting the deserving communities that these facilities will serve.”
MAC has awarded the following arts organizations funding through the BFA grant:
Mississippi Center for Cultural Production (Hinds), New Stage Theatre (Hinds),
Arts Foundation of Kosciusko (Attala), Hattiesburg Convention Commission (Forrest), Town of Byhalia (Marshall), Lynn Meadows Discovery Center (Harrison), Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art (Harrison), Jackson State University Development Foundation, Inc. (Hinds), The Piney Woods School (Rankin), Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, Inc. (Lafayette), City of Houston (Chickasaw),
E.E. Bass Education and Development Foundation (Washington), City of Senatobia (Tate), Delta Blues Museum (Coahoma), Museum of the Mississippi Delta (Leflore), Desoto Arts Institute (DeSoto), Quitman County Arts Council (Quitman), Meridian Little Theatre (Lauderdale), Brookhaven Little Theatre (Lincoln), Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi, Inc. (Madison), Griot Arts Inc. (Coahoma), Gulfport Galleria of Fine Art (Harrison), Friends of Lexington Preservation, Inc. (Holmes), Freedom Project Network (Lafayette), The Arts Hancock County (Hancock), Tupelo Community Theatre (Lee), New Albany Middle School (Union),
Delta State University Foundation (Bolivar), Hundred Members Debating Benevolent Association (Hancock), Hancock Performing Arts Center (Hancock), Biloxi Little Theatre (Harrison), Jackson Public Schools (Hinds), and Link Centre (Lee).
A panel of experts within the arts and economic development communities ranked the submissions based on artistic quality, project plan, project professionals, organizational capacity, and project impact.
“Our facility has been well-loved, and its use has caused some deterioration, but this generous grant helps cover the cost of the essential repairs we need to keep moving forward,” said Tiffany McGehee, artistic director with the Meridian Little Theater. “Our Little Theatre is now poised to venture into our next century of storytelling with stability and momentum toward growth.”
The Mississippi Legislature approved $5 million for the BFA program for FY2024, $2.2 Million more than in FY2023. In FY 2024, MAC received 63 letters of intent with a total amount of $12.8 Million requested for the BFA grant.
“Last year, we heard from our grantees about their need for more support through this type of grant,” said Lewis. “We are grateful to the members of the Mississippi Legislature who heard from their constituents. This year, MAC was able to fund projects in 23 counties, and our state leaders helped make this happen.”
“Grants like the Building Fund for the Arts are vital to our local communities in Mississippi,” said State Senator Nicole Boyd. “Art organizations serve as a community hub and often bring performances, shows, and events that boost our local economies. I am pleased to hear that the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council in my home district in Oxford received a grant for creating a Humanities Hub that will greatly benefit all of North Mississippi.”
Center Stage Biloxi was awarded $104,749.20 to renovate and make accessibility improvements to the theater lobby and restrooms. The project was completed in early fall of 2023, and the ribbon cutting took place on October 26.
“Our MAC Building Fund for the Arts grant was the spark that lit the flame for a tremendous community effort that allowed us to dramatically increase ADA accessibility to our programs and services. Without MAC’s investment, the project would have never gotten off the ground, and we are so grateful for their continued commitment to the arts in our corner of South Mississippi.”
The Mississippi Arts Commission hopes to offer the Building Fund for the Arts grant in the future as funding through the Mississippi Legislature allows.
For more information about the BFA grant and other grant opportunities through the Mississippi Arts Commission, visit arts.ms.gov.
