November 2020
Sharing Our 2020-2024 Strategic Plan
We are so pleased to share the Executive Summary of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation’s 2020-2024 Strategic Plan. The input of our friends and stakeholders was integral to the development of this plan and our work moving forward.

You will note we have a new mission, vision, and guiding principles that more closely align with our goals and objectives. A commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and access will guide all of our processes – from program development and evaluation to reaching out to communities and creating new connections. We will be centering collaboration and strengthening our ties to existing partners while seeking new allies. And, we will be looking at ways to better support community wellness through expanded opportunities for artists, creators, and organizations as we develop new programs and services.

With this new strategic plan comes another change – we are shedding the “Foundation” and will become Mid Atlantic Arts. “Foundation” did not fit the way we currently operate and caused some confusion when we ourselves approached potential funders. So look for a new Mid Atlantic Arts in the coming months!

As always, thank YOU for your support!
Giving Tuesday! Tuesday, December 1st!
You’re probably familiar with #Giving Tuesday, a national day of gratitude when people take a moment to support many of the causes and organizations they care about. With the Holidays upon us in a year like no other, it is an opportunity to reflect on what is important to us and to consider how we can help others. Throughout this challenging period, and with your help, Mid Atlantic Arts has continued to provide grant support that is helping keep both in person and virtual doors open. Gifts to our Annual Fund mean more funding for our grant programs, so we can keep supporting the innovative creators and arts administrators who are finding new ways to share their work every day.

We hope you will consider supporting Mid Atlantic Arts when Giving Tuesday rolls around on Tuesday, December 1st. A gift of any size means so much!
Mid Atlantic Arts Regional Resilience Fund Grants Announced
MAAF recently announced $1,594,340 in support of 38 organizations through the Mid Atlantic Arts Regional Resilience Fund. MAAF collaborated with the five other U.S. Regional Arts Organizations - Arts Midwest, Mid-America Arts Alliance, New England Foundation for the Arts, South Arts, and the Western States Arts Federation - to form The United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with generous support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Mid Atlantic Arts Regional Resilience grants support mid-Atlantic nonprofit arts and cultural organizations as they build resilience and look to the future with programming, planning, and reimagining their work. The program was designed for organizations with visionary leadership and whose work is critical to the region, primarily supporting those making a statewide, regional, and/or national impact. Grant awards support general operating expenses and associated relief and resilience expenses.

In alignment with MAAF’s new strategic plan and vision to implement equitable practices, the Mid Atlantic Arts Regional Resilience Fund prioritized organizations led by or serving BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Persons with Disabilities, communities whose primary language is not English, and/or rural and remote communities.

Organization went through a rigorous two-step process including an initial nomination and review with selected nominees moving on to a full application process. You can view the full list of grantees here.
Performing Arts Global Exchange Announces Inaugural Grants
MAAF, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, has announced $141,870 in support of 35 engagements in 18 states through the inaugural 2020-2021 Performing Arts Global Exchange touring program.

PAGE is a nationwide grant program designed to increase availability of international performing arts programming throughout the U.S. and to promote a greater understanding of other cultures through the performing arts. PAGE provides fee support grants to nonprofit presenting venues and units of state, local, or tribal government located anywhere in the United States and its territories that contract performing artists from the annually curated PAGE roster. Artists on the roster have not widely toured in the United States and reside in a focus region, selected for its rich diversity of artists. The 2020-2021 touring roster features artists from Canada and Mexico: La Serpiente, Mexico; Lemon Bucket Orkestra, Canada; Seña y Verbo: Teatro de Sordos, Mexico; Silvana Estrada, Mexico; Vox Sambou, Canada; and William Prince, Canada.

All engagements include a public performance and a community-engagement activity that provides direct interaction between audiences and the visiting artists.

Image: Silvana Estrada. Credit: Courtesy of the artist.
Opportunity Quick Links
  • Jazz Road Tours grants provide up to $15,000 in support to emerging or mid-career artists in small tours across the nation. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
  • The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute is launching its inaugural DEAR (Digital Evolution/Artist Retention) Artists’ Virtual Retreat. This virtual retreat is designed to give participating artists and arts practitioners of African descent the opportunity to connect, reflect, and strategize in a community of peers committed to growth and adaptation against the backdrop of these unprecedented times. It will include facilitated learning and visioning circles, skills-based workshops, professional development activities, one-to-one peer support, a stipend and much more! Deadline: November 20, 2020.
  • The Maryland State Arts Council’s Maryland Public Art Initiative is proud to announce two open Calls for Artists for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) School of Pharmacy & Health Professions, and the Coppin State University College of Business. The projects are the first Maryland Public Art Initiative public artworks on Maryland HBCU campuses. Both Calls to Artists are open to any artist or artist team living in the United States. Artists with a connection to HBCUs and/or residents of Maryland are especially encouraged to apply. Deadline: November 24, 2020.
  • The Terra Foundation for American Art welcomes applications for its Academic Workshop and Symposium Grants. Through the program, grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded in support of in-person exchanges intended for scholarly audiences such as workshops, symposia, and colloquia that advance scholarship in the field of American art (circa 1500–1980) that take place in Chicago or outside the United States; or in the United States, with at least one-third of the participants coming from outside the United States. Letters of Intent are due December 4, 2020.
  • The Classics for Kids Foundation is inviting applications for its matching grant program. Through the program, grants will be awarded to schools or nonprofit organizations to support the incorporation of string instruments into music education programs. All instruments in the string family are supported (including guitars and ukuleles). Programs must serve children from kindergarten through grade twelve. To be eligible, applicants must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and be based in the United States. Deadline: December 31, 2020.
  • The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation is accepting submissions for the annual Ezra Jack Keats New Writer and New Illustrator Book Awards. The awards are designed to recognize and encourage authors and illustrators starting out in the field of children's books who share Ezra Jack Keats' commitment to children and diversity. The award is given annually to an outstanding new writer and new illustrator of children’s picture books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world. The award includes a cash award of $3,000 for each winner. Deadline: December 31, 2020.
  • Arts Midwest is accepting applications for the 2021-22 National Endowment for the Arts' Big Read program. The NEA Big Read is a community engagement opportunity through which grants of up to $20,000 are awarded in support of community-wide reading programs (virtual and/or in-person) that take place between September 2021 and June 2022. Organizations can choose one of six available books and can also tie in thematically-related books of their choice to expand the program's potential and reach a wider audience. Deadline: January 27, 2021.
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