Posted on October 15, 2012

Kresge Foundation Awards $4.2 Million to Detroit Arts Groups

The Kresge Foundation has announced two-year operating support grants totaling $4.2 million to sixty-six arts and cultural organizations in the Detroit metropolitan area.

The grants were awarded through the foundation's Detroit program, which supports efforts to create long-term economic opportunity that advances social equity, promotes cultural expression, and re-establishes the city as the center of a vibrant region. More than half the total awarded will help support fifty-five small and medium-size arts groups, with the balance going to eleven large organizations. Small organizations such as the Detroit Artists Market and the Scarab Club received two-year grants of up to $30,000, while midsize organizations such as Pewabic Pottery and Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit were awarded as much as $100,000. Large institutions including the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Detroit Zoo, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra received up to $200,000 over two years.

Since 2007, Kresge has awarded $15.3 million to arts organizations through its Detroit Arts Support initiative, which provides operating funds for arts and cultural organizations in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. "We know that's been helpful to arts organizations during the economic downturn," said George Jacobsen, an associate program officer at the foundation. "The Detroit Arts Support grants weren't created with that in mind. But it's clear that they're provided some stability in a difficult period."

For a complete list of grant recipients, visit the Kresge Foundation Web site.