Arts And Education Council Awards $45,000 In Grants For Rural Communities, Arts Organizations

The Arts and Education Council (A&E) has awarded five organizations a combined total of $25,000 through the Monsanto Fund Rural Community Arts and Education Program. Four additional organizations were awarded nearly $20,000 in support through the Monsanto Creative Impact Fund. Both grant programs are generously supported by the Monsanto Fund.

The Monsanto Fund Rural Community Arts and Education Program, which has provided more than $200,000 in arts funding since its inception in 2007, brings artists and entertainers into classrooms and performance venues so people and families living in the rural communities surrounding the St. Louis metropolitan area have greater access to the arts and leaves a lasting impact on the individuals within these communities.

Organizations receiving support from this program in 2018 are: Looking Glass Playhouse (Lebanon, Ill.), Our Common Ground (Greenville, Ill.), Raintree Arts Council (Clarksville, Mo.), Sullivan Area Arts Council (Sullivan, Mo.), and Warren County Fine Arts Council (Warren County, Mo.).

A&E's Monsanto Creative Impact Fund provides grants to arts and arts education institutions that demonstrate immediate need in support of new programs or projects that show promise for creative new directions in the community. Grants range from $1,000 to $5,000 and are awarded on a rolling basis year-round. In 2018, the following organizations have been awarded grants through the program:

• African Heritage Association will present the Soweto Gospel Choir, from Soweto (Johannesburg), South Africa, in concert at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on November 10.
• Artica is an outdoor multi-media art festival along the riverfront in downtown St. Louis that was developed to provide the St. Louis metropolitan area with the opportunity to come together as a community through creative self-expression.
• Continuity STL provides a media training program that teaches media production skills and increases industry experience for minority or disadvantaged individuals;
• HEAL Center for the Arts will offer three intensive mini-camps this summer for artistically developing middle and high school urban students focusing on instrumental music, vocal music and dance.

"The Arts and Education Council is grateful for our partnerships with the Monsanto Fund that allow us to support arts and arts education programs critical to the St. Louis region," said Cynthia A. Prost, A&E president and CEO. "These grants make it possible for adults and children living in urban and rural communities across the St. Louis region to experience the arts in a meaningful way."

"The organizations supported by the Arts and Education Council provide opportunities for area residents throughout the St. Louis region to attend and participate in arts programs that are educational, exciting and unique," said Michelle Insco, Monsanto Fund Program Officer. "The Monsanto Fund is proud to be a funding partner with A&E in this effort."

Grant applications were reviewed based on mission, community need, potential impact, artistic quality and fiscal responsibility by a volunteer panel of the Grant Committee from A&E's Board of Directors. For more information about these organizations and A&E's grant programs, visit KeepArtHappening.org.