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Winter 2002

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Capital Grants Awards

The WV Department of Arts, Culture and History’s Cultural Facilities Capital Resources Grant Program, made possible by Senate Bill 657, written by Senator Oshel Craigo of Putnam County, has successfully completed its second round grant cycle. On August 16, 2001, a panel of selected individuals with extensive backgrounds in ADA, architecture, theatre, museums and arts programming were selected to review the applications and make initial funding decisions. Panel members included Greg Knight, director of visual arts at the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs; Julie Bailey, community development coordinator at the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs; Robert McQuay, an equity actor from Columbia, MD; Kevin Sutton, AIA from Wheeling; WV and Callen McJunkin from Charleston, WV as the Commission representative. The WV Commission on the Arts then met in September to complete the review process.

There were 15 applications for the FY02 grant cycle. Thirteen applicants received full funding and two received partial funding, with a total of $1,413,468 awarded. Funding for this program comes from lottery proceeds. Applicants included arts organizations, one county commission and one county school board.

Grant materials are currently being updated, and promotional materials are being created to better promote this unique program. West Virginia is one of only a handful of states that offer a program for arts infrastructure. The deadline for FY03 Cultural Facility Capital Resource grants is July 1, 2002. Arts organizations are encouraged to begin planning for FY04 due to the complex requirements for a grant of this nature. Its intention is to make the arts accessible to all in West Virginia. Projects that increase public access to the arts, involve collaborations and partnerships that leverage additional public and private investment or that are supported by and serve more than one county will be given priority.

The emphasis is for projects to provide ongoing public experience of the arts, improve sustainable fiscal operation of arts organizations and advance artistic excellence. Additional weight is given to projects that do the following:

• Contribute to economic development; promote cultural development in rural, under-served or minority communities;
• Address known health and safety deficiencies;
• Create or improve access to facilities for working artists with disabilities; or
• Improve, expand or rehabilitate existing buildings to provide for physical accessibility, in accordance with the 1974 Rehabilitation Act or the 1990 American Disabilities Act.

This grant also can be used to make capital purchases for durable equipment such as sound and lighting equipment, adaptive listening devices, dance floors, etc.

To be eligible, an organization must be a not-for-profit, tax-exempt West Virginia corporation or an agency of municipal or county government, including county school boards. Funding is available in four levels: $10,000 to $24,999; $25,000 to $49,999; $50,000 to $99,999 and $100,000 to $200,000. Multi-phase projects may apply for up to three consecutive years for funding not to exceed $300,000. Re-application may only be made for a new project that demonstrates significant public arts benefit beyond the achievements of the previous project. If you have any questions and would like to pursue a grant application, please contact Rose McDonough at 304-558-0220 ext. 152 or via email at rose.a.mcdonough@wv.gov.

FY02 recipients include:
• Metropolitan Theatre Preservation, Monongalia County, $200,000 for restoration and improvements to the facility;
• Smoot Theatre, Wood County, $184,706 for renovation and acquisition of property;
• Cultural Center of Fine Arts, Wood County, $176,980 for improvements and renovation;
• Oglebay Institute, Ohio County, $171,829 for ADA renovations;
• Boarman Arts Center, Berkeley County, $150,000 for improvements and renovation;
• Sunrise Museum, Kanawha County, $121,677 for capital equipment purchases for collection storage, collection management and a gallery wall system;
• Mountain Partners in Community Development for Randolph County Community Arts Council, Randolph County, $90,500 for continuing improvements and renovations;
• Huntington Museum of Art, Cabell County, $78,576 for heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems;
• West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Kanawha County, $74,932 for the purchase of durable equipment;
• Shepherdstown Men’s Club Foundation, Jefferson County, $45,400 for ADA improvements and renovations;
• ARTS Resources for the Tri-State (ARTS), Cabell County, $41,500 for sound and lighting equipment;
• Charleston Stage Company, Kanawha County, $24,648 for sound and lighting equipment and assistive listening devices;
• Harrison County Schools, Harrison County, $30,000, for improvements and renovations;
• Greenbrier Valley Theatre, Greenbrier County, $12,720 for improvements and renovations; and
• Hampshire County Commission, Hampshire County, $10,000 for construction of an outdoor pavilion.

Congratulations!