The Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission decided at this week’s voting session to expand funding of the Athens Cultural Affairs Commission’s Arts in Community Awards Program. With $85,000 of the Resiliency Package added to the ACAC’s $15,000 budget, there is now a total of $100,000 available to support local creatives who have been financially impacted by the pandemic. This round of funding, 20 times larger than the ACAC has ever done before, is estimated to provide 50 awards of $2,000 each.

Currently, the ACAC is seeking proposals for five awards available at $1,500 each, with applications due at midnight on Wednesday, May 20. AICAs are available to individuals or groups working in all media not limited to visual art, music, dance, theater, film, writing, events and activities. All projects must be free and accessible to the public, and must comply with current state and local COVID-19 ordinances. Proposals will be evaluated based on their level of community enrichment through the arts, contribution to the local identity, accessibility, and quality or artistic merit.

After the current cycle ends, the ACAC intends to issue a new call for proposals. Look for this announcement in late May at athensculturalaffairs.org, and start dreaming up how you could put funds to creative use in the meantime.