The Worcester County Arts Council is seeking grant applications for its Community Arts Development program, which aims to financially assist local creative initiatives.
File photo courtesy Art League of Ocean City
Emma Berry from the Southern Delaware School for the Arts poses with a plein art painting she created last year for the Art League of Ocean City’s Kids Paint OC event.
File photo courtesy Art League of Ocean City
By Tara Fischer, Staff Writer
The Worcester County Arts Council is seeking grant applications for its Community Arts Development program, which is committed to financially assisting local creative initiatives.
WCAC Executive Director Anna Mullis said the group awards grants in six-month cycles to nonprofit organizations with proposed projects that highlight artistic merit, community need, and public impact.
In the first segment of the fiscal year 2025, the WCAC divided $26,000 among ten initiatives, including a kids’ paint event hosted by the Art League of Ocean City, an entire year of Berlin Heritage Foundation ongoings, funding for the Pines Tone Chorus based in Ocean Pines, and creative healing endeavors for groups like the Worcester County-based Warriors Against Addiction.
The WCAC is again accepting applications for the next round of award handouts. Mullis said the deadline for submission is Tuesday, Oct. 15, and that every group that applies will receive the financial benefit, granted they meet the criteria.
Applicants must represent a nonprofit organization, and the project they seek help for should demonstrate a decent level of artistic pursuit while meeting the community’s needs. The initiatives are also required to be open to the public.
Submissions from groups that act on behalf of creatively underserved members of the community like the aging population, low-income areas of the county, and the disabled are encouraged to apply.
“It is important for the arts council to focus on electing awards that represent all areas of Worcester County,” Mullis said. “When the grant panel looks at the applications, we try to have an equitable review process.”
The Maryland State Arts Council funds the grant program, which Mullis said allows for art exhibits, festivals, and school projects. The WCAC director notes that her organization is designated by the state and the Worcester County Commissioners as an agency to support the arts county-wide.
Each year, Mullis’s team applies for general funding from the MSAC and designates a portion, roughly $50,000, of the financial support for local art events distributed to regional organizations over the six-month grant cycles.
“We have a close partnership that allows us to continue our artistic mission and support the other community missions,” Mullis said of the MSAC.
Each year, the WCAC receives 25 to 30 grant applications, including mini-grants, which are used for emergency events that happen in between grant cycles and require immediate support.
On the submission forms, organizations must indicate how much money they are requesting for their proposed project. Typically, initiatives are fully funded, Mullis said, but the amount given is at the discretion of the review panel. The artistic merit of the group, the budget, and the impact the event will have on the community are considered to determine the award sum.
“We believe this program … encourages all local arts activities and disciplines,” Mullis said. “We think that equitable funding for the arts on the local level is important to strengthen the arts and create strong vibrant healthy communities. Art benefits our lives and this program is crucial for that.”
Mullis urges organizations to contact the council with any questions they may have about the grants. The arts group can be reached at 410-641-0809.
“I am proud of how the council supports the community through this program,” Mullis said. “This is how we invest in the arts in the county.”