Boston Foundation announces nearly $800,000 in grants for Year 2 of Live Arts Boston

Boston – The Boston Foundation, with support and partnership from the Barr Foundation, has awarded 65 project grants to performing artists, groups and small producers and presenters across Greater Boston as part of the 2018 grant cycle for Live Arts Boston. In all, the 65 grantees, who were selected from over 350 applications, will share more than $785,000 to create, produce, or present their work to audiences. Grantees were chosen through an open application and community review process that included local artists, presenters, and producers.

“The number and breadth of applications for Live Arts Boston this year demonstrates both the remarkable vibrancy of the Greater Boston arts community and the need for increasing local support for artists and producers,” said Paul S. Grogan, President and CEO of the Boston Foundation announcing the 2018 grantees. “We are proud to work with the Barr Foundation to make these funds available to grassroots arts programs that shape so much of the culture of our city and region.”

The 65 grantees hail from 14 cities and towns, and from neighborhoods across Boston. They represent a full range of ethnicities, gender, and sexual orientation, and work across the spectrum of performing disciplines - from theater and music to spoken word and circus arts. Nearly three-quarters of the grantees identified as minority or racially integrated, and more than a third said it is the first time they have applied for a grant of any kind.

“It’s an honor to be able to offer what essentially serves as risk capital directly to Boston’s talented artists.” said Allyson Esposito, the Boston Foundation’s Senior Director, Arts and Culture. “Our intention is to provide local artists with an opportunity to experiment, to go more deeply into their artistic process, and to create, develop and showcase new, innovative new work that represents the diverse voices and perspectives of our residents and communities.”

"As an emerging artist the Live Arts Boston grant has made it possible for to reinvestigate my artistic process, take supported risks, and work thoroughly and thoughtfully through my ideas and visions on my own terms – a rare gift,” said LAB grant recipient Alexander Davis. “This funding has not only reinvigorated me (and my collaborators) as an individual, but it has begun to shift the artistic landscape of the City of Boston. I feel that my community has invested in me and therefore I feel a new connection to this city; I want to return the investment. I feel a clear incentive to stay and continue to create work in Boston."

The 2018 grants are the second series of awards in the Live Arts Boston program –60 artists were awarded a total of about $750,000 in 2017, leading to more than 350 performances or presentations of new and emerging work to audiences. Grantees reported that the funds allowed them to take new risks, present material to new and different audiences, and also to pay Greater Boston artists who were part of their productions. Nearly 900 artists received direct compensation for their work from grant recipients.

“Live Arts Boston is living proof that organizations such as the Boston Foundation believe in the healing power, community impact and shared experiences that music and live performances have on people,” says Boston Art Music and Souls’ (BAMS) founder Catherine Morris. BAMS is receiving its second grant this year in support of its BAMS Festival, a one-day, outdoor, multistage festival that aims to promote, connect and celebrate Afro-centric culture, heritage, and contributions to the American fabric as expressed through art, music, food and entertainment.

The full list of grantees is appended to this release.

The 2017 and 2018 Live Arts Boston grantees have been invited to gather for a special reception and discussion at the Boston Foundation on Monday, April 2^nd at 6:00pm. Media are invited to attend and meet the grantees, learn more about their work and the program, and should RSVP to Ted McEnroe, Director of External Communications, the Boston Foundation.

LIVE ARTS BOSTON 2018 GRANTEE LIST: Grantees are listed by city of applicant. In Boston, neighborhood information is included if specified on the grant application.

Maximum grant, $15,000. Specific grant amounts available upon request.

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The Boston Foundation, Greater Boston’s community foundation, is one of the largest community foundations in the nation, with net assets of more than $1 billion. In 2017, the Foundation and its donors paid $130 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and received gifts of more than $194 million. The Foundation is a close partner in philanthropy with its donors, with more than 1,000 separate charitable funds established either for the general benefit of the community or for special purposes. It also serves as a major civic leader, think tank and advocacy organization, commissioning research into the most critical issues of our time and helping to shape public policy designed to advance opportunity for everyone in Greater Boston. The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI), a distinct operating unit of the Foundation, designs and implements customized philanthropic strategies for families, foundations and corporations around the globe. For more information about the Boston Foundation and TPI, visit tbf.org or call 617-338-1700.