City of Austin awards 36 local arts nonprofits with Thrive grant

KVUE
Author: Kim Yonick
Published: 6:28 PM CST February 23, 2023

AUSTIN, Texas — Editor's note: The video featured is from September 2020 when the Thrive grant was awarded to small businesses in Travis County.

More than $3.9 million in funds was awarded to 36 local arts nonprofit organizations in Austin.

The awards are part of the Thrive grant program from the City of Austin Economic Development Department. The Thrive grant is only available for art organizations with a 5-year history in Austin, and will help those who have not reached an "institutional status" designation. 

“Thrive will help sustain and grow our creative economy through operating grants and access to a supportive peer cohort with networking and learning opportunities” explains Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, director of the economic development department. “This program addresses the historical under-funding and cultural displacement of communities within Austin by offering transformative funding for these organizations to invest in their own future.”

This year's awardees, which were approved by City Council, were awarded between $85,000 and $105,000 in funds. 

Below is the list of 2023 grantees: 

• allgo: $150,000 
• Austin Asian American Film Festival: $100,000 
• Austin Chinese-American Network or ACAN: $85,000 
• Austin International Drag Foundation, Inc.: $100,000 
• AZTLAN DANCE COMPANY: $100,000 
• Ballet East Dance Company: $85,000 
• Capitol View Arts: $150,000 
• Cine Las Americas: $150,000 
• Color Arc Productions: $85,000 
• Dance Africa Fest: $85,000 
• DAWA (Diversity Awareness and Wellness in Action): $100,000 
• E4 Youth, Inc: $85,000 
• Esquina Tango: $100,000 
• Glass Half Full Theatre: $85,000 
• Great Promise for American Indians: $150,000 
• ICMCA: $85,000 
• Imagine Art: $85,000 
• India Fine Arts, Inc: $100,000 
• Indie Meme: $85,000 
• Jump On It: $100,000 
• LA PENA: $150,000 
• Lannaya West African Drum and Dance Ensemble: $100,000 
• Latinas Unidas Por El Arte (LUPE Arte): $100,000 
• LATINITAS, LATINITAS, INC.: $100,000 
• Mexic‐Arte Museum: $100,000 
• Museum of Human Achievement (MoHA): $150,000 
• Oliver Rajamani DBA Taranada: $85,000 
• Outreach Productions: $100,000 
• OUTsider Film & Arts Festival: $100,000
• PUERTO RICAN FOLKLORIC DANCE INC aka Puerto Rican Cultural Center: $150,000
• Red Salmon Arts: $100,000
• Roy Lozano's Ballet Folklorico de Texas: $100,000 
• The VORTEX: $150,000 
• Torch Literary Arts: $150,000 
• WhatsintheMirror: $85,000 
• Women in Jazz Association: $150,000 

“With a history of 25 years, this Thrive award and the amount will provide us with the opportunity and critical support to focus on the next years and develop as a self-sustaining cultural institution. To serve, collaborate and engage not only our current communities but diverse groups throughout Austin. And, to continue to introduce everyone to the talented, important and beautiful stories and voices of the filmmakers we represent,” stated Gabriel Ornelas, an awardee, and the Cine Las Americas Board staff.

The Thrive grant, which is managed by the Economic Development Department's Cultural Arts Division, is the first arts-focused program. It was developed as a way to "center equity and inclusion in the City's Hotel Occupancy Tax investments in arts, heritage and music."

More programs will be launched to help support arts and culture in Austin in the coming months. They are aimed at encouraging new talent, supporting established cultural producers and investing in the development of diverse cultural institutions.

Learn more about funding opportunities and more about the Thrive grant.