St. Croix Valley Foundation awards more than $47,000 in arts grants

An artistic playground at Franconia Sculpture Park, one of this year’s grant recipients. (Greg Seitz/St. Croix 360)

The St. Croix Valley Foundation (SCVF) announces recipients of the Valley Arts Initiative competitive grant program. The SCVF awarded $47,500 to eight nonprofit organizations in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Since 2002, the SCVF’s Valley Arts Initiative program has granted over $415,000 to programs that bring a wider audience to an artistic experience or use the power of the arts to engage clients and patients of healthcare and social service organizations. In the recent past, funded projects have ranged from a touring production of “A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play” to a therapeutic artist-in-residence program serving youth in mental health treatment – from a summertime film and music festival to a writing program for incarcerated women.

This year, understanding that arts organizations need support and flexibility during these incredibly fluid and unprecedented times, the SCVF funded core mission support for eight organizations. The general operating grants will allow arts organizations to determine how to best respond to the ever-changing needs of their organization and community. The eight organizations that received funding include:

Artreach St. Croix, Franconia Sculpture Park, Frederic Arts Board, Inc., Phipps Center for the Arts, St. Croix Valley Chamber Chorale, St. Croix Festival Theatre, StoryArk, and The Zephyr Theatre.

“This year has been incredibly challenging for all who work in, perform in, and love the arts – and the multiple effects of the pandemic have impacted our vibrant St. Croix Valley arts community. A silver lining has been to see the incredible commitment those arts organizations have in serving this region – both in convening the community and strengthening connections to our shared humanity” commented SCVF Board Member, Matt Thueson.

The St. Croix Valley Foundation’s Valley Arts Initiative is built on a combination of public funds and private contributions. In 2020, SCVF received a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board, which was matched with contributions from individuals in the region interested in the arts. In addition, the SCVF received funding from the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation to support this worthwhile program.

Note: St. Croix 360 editor Greg Seitz served on the panel which recommended these grants, and is a subcontractor on a funded proposal (but recused from discussion of it and the decision).