One Month Left to Apply for ArtsFairfax Ticket Subsidy Grant
Fairfax VA (May 30, 2023) – ArtsFairfax announces that one month remains for local arts organizations to apply for Ticket Subsidy Grants. Awarded up to $5,000 each, this grant funds free and reduced-price tickets for performances, workshops, classes, and camps for people who may not have regular opportunities to experience professional arts.
ArtsFairfax has also partnered with Fairfax Connector of the Fairfax County Department of Transportation to offer Ticket Subsidy Grant recipients free bus transportation services for subsidized ticketholders.
“Transit access is a great equalizer for our community. Through increased access to our county bus system for residents, we are not only creating a better tomorrow but also providing key connections for people today. Fairfax Connector is pleased to partner with ArtsFairfax to promote equitable access to the Arts community. Art changes lives, and Fairfax Connector can get you there,” says Kala Quintana, Head of Marketing, Fairfax Connector.
Recent recipients include Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (FSO), NextStop Theatre Company, and Virginia Chamber Orchestra (VCO), among others, whose community engagement and arts education programs serve economically disadvantaged areas or parts of the County with limited access to professional arts programming.
“VCO has regularly partnered with Fort Belvoir as part of our ongoing outreach. Through the ArtsFairfax Ticket Subsidy Grant, we appreciate not only this assistance to offset ticket costs for the underserved but also the free round trips by bus for wounded warriors and recovering soldiers. Thirty-four grateful people were able to board a bus at Fort Belvoir and attend our recent concert,” said Ann Sica, Board Development Chair, Virginia Chamber Orchestra.
“The Ticket Subsidy Grant made it possible for us to extend the magic of live theater to families and individuals in our community who may have never been to a live musical before,” says Tomoko Azuma, Director of Development, NextStop Theatre Company. NextStop partnered with Cornerstones, a nonprofit that serves people in need of food, affordable housing, quality childcare, and other human services, to distribute over 100 tickets to their production of In The Heights, the Tony Award-winning musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda set in the Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights. Azuma adds, “We are so grateful to ArtsFairfax for making this incredible opportunity possible to members of our community who would otherwise miss out.”
“The FSO was delighted to receive a ticket subsidy grant from ArtsFairfax in support of our Arts Integration Showcase, which enhances learning through music,” said Jonathan Kerr, Executive Director, Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. Through Arts Integration, FSO partnered with Woodburn School for the Fine and Communicative Arts and Westlawn Elementary to inspire cross-curriculum learning through FSO concert repertoire. Kerr continued, “The students created artwork inspired by Jessie Montgomery’s “Banner” featured on our May 13 concert program. This support enabled hundreds of teachers, students, and their parents to enjoy the students’ artwork on display in the lobby at GMU Center for the Arts…and then to experience the live performance of the music that inspired them.”
Ticket Subsidy Grant Requests are accepted on a rolling basis and remain open until June 30 or until funds are expended.
Applicants may work with existing partners or reach out to Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS), Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), and over 200 county human service organizations to distribute tickets; find the correct point of contact in the ArtsFairfax Ticket Subsidy Grant Applicant Resources.
Visit https://ArtsFairfax.org/TicketSubsidy/ for the application, additional resources, and Ticket Subsidy Grant FAQs.
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