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Contacts: – Roberto Bedoya, 520 624-0895 ext. 25 rbedoya@tucsonpimaartscouncil.org or Leia Maahs, 520 624-0895 ext. 19 lmaahs@tucsonpimaartscouncil.org

TPAC Receives $225,000 from National Foundations to Support Arts-Based Civic Engagement Projects

TUCSON, AZ – The Tucson Pima Arts Council has received grants from two national foundations totaling $225,000 to support local projects that use the arts as a tool to address social issues in the community.

The Nathan Cummings Foundation awarded TPAC $75,000 and the Open Society Institute $150,000. Both awards support the Arts in Tucson P.L.A.C.E initiative launched by TPAC two years ago with $200,000 from The Kresge Foundation. P.L.A.C.E stands for People, Land, Arts, Culture and Engagement.

TPAC Executive Director Roberto Bedoya said, “Tucson is now on the radar of national foundations who are investing in the future of our community. This is significant because these organizations typically fund projects in major metropolitan areas, not mid-sized cities or rural areas. We have successfully broken that cycle and deepened the philanthropic investment in Southern Arizona in the area of arts and humanities,” Bedoya said.

TPAC re-grants much of this money to support local projects that use art and culture as a tool to address issues vital to the community. “Art and culture can inspire citizens to transform neighborhoods and encourage civic dialogue around challenging issues,” Bedoya said.

Last June TPAC awarded 15 P.L.A.C.E. grants totaling $82,000 for arts-based projects that addressed issues ranging from literacy and diabetes education to water conservation, at-risk youth and historic preservation. Criteria and application forms for the P.L.A.C.E. initiative grants will be posted on the TPAC website at www.tucsonpimaartscouncil.org in the fall.

Individuals and groups are encouraged to apply, including local artists, historians, neighborhood and homeowner associations, youth groups, community development agencies as well as arts and cultural organizations. Grants range from $2,500 to $10,000.

Bedoya said, “The P.L.A.C.E. initiative has drawn national support because of the positive way our community is responding to the socio-political conditions that exist in Southern Arizona.” TPAC set a goal of attracting national funding in response to recommendations in the Pima Cultural Plan to grow the philanthropic in this region.

The Nathan Cummings Foundation, based in New York, supports a wide range of projects, including community-based artistic and cultural projects that build a just society. The Open Society Institute is dedicated to building vibrant and tolerant democracies and funds projects worldwide.

Bedoya said this new funding helps TPAC continue the P.L.A.C.E. initiative for another two years, focusing specifically on three areas – cross-cultural understanding, tolerance and civil society.

The P.L.A.C.E. initiative launched two years ago with $200,000 from The Kresge Foundation, based in Michigan. Tucson was one of five cities selected for pilot programs that encourage residents to use art and culture as a tool to address issues in their communities.

TPAC also is partnering with Americans for the Arts to conduct the Tucson and Pima County portion of a national research project to evaluate the economic impact of spending by non-for-profit arts organizations and their audiences. In addition, TPAC has received $35,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts to support professional and leadership development for local artists and arts organizations in 2011-2012.

The number of national organizations and foundations supporting arts projects in Tucson is definitely on the rise, Bedoya said. “This is a wonderful affirmation that our arts community is competitive, that there’s something of significance happening here.”

For more than 25 years TPAC has served as the arts agency for both the City of Tucson and Pima County. TPAC awards grants, oversees public art programs, offers professional development services to artists and arts leaders, and maintains a roster of teaching artists for community projects and public art. TPAC also partners with Americans for the Arts on economic impact research and implements community-based cultural development projects. For more information call (520) 624-0595 or visit www.tucsonpimaartscouncil.org.

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