106 Arts Groups Joined the Challenge!

Despite a number of ups and downs in the cultural industry these past two years, more than 100 Westchester arts organizations together raised nearly $1.1 million in private and matched support. These funds will directly support the arts and culture community at a time when many organizations are still working on pandemic recovery.

The groups of all sizes and artistic disciplines participated in the Art$WChallenge matching grant program, a fundraising opportunity supported with funds from County Executive George Latimer and the Board of Legislators.

With this support, ArtsWestchester had over $400,000 available to award. From mid-August through mid-December, eligible groups were challenged to use County funding as leverage to raise new monies that will support their operations and ongoing programming.

For instance, New Rochelle Opera Co-Founder and Artistic Director Camille Coppola says that her organization will use its grant to present its upcoming production of Tosca in June.

According to David Lyons, Bethany Arts Community’s Founder and Board President, the Challenge funds will enable his organization to increase the stipend that they are able to pay the artists who participate in its residencies.

ArchForKids Director Kathryn Slocum explains that the Challenge inspired them to implement its first-ever fundraising campaign since its 2013 launch: “As a small organization, these funds will make a huge impact, particularly as ArchForKids emerges from the pandemic.”

At final tally, 106 organizations participated in the program – the most ever since the inception of the Art$WChallenge in 2007. The list includes 20 first-time participants. In all, they raised $652,631 in private donations, of which $429,064 will be matched by Westchester County funding. This totals more than one million dollars in support that will help to uphold the County’s arts and culture community for the coming year.

Here are the 106 grantees that participated in the Art$WChallenge:

A version of this article first appeared in the February 2022 issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.

About ArtsWestchester

For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue.