South Arts has announced the launch of Southern Cultural Treasures, a four-year, $6 million initiative in support of Black, Indigenous, and people of color-led and -serving arts and cultural organizations across the Southeast.

Launched in partnership with the Ford Foundation, which has committed $3 million in matching funds as part of its America's Cultural Treasures initiative, Southern Cultural Treasures is aimed at fostering lasting stability and resiliency among arts communities across the South. To that end, the program will support a cohort of twelve to fifteen organizations between May 2022 and March 2025 with general operating grants of up to $300,000; project grants of up to $7,500; and a variety of networking and development opportunities designed to elevate and champion arts communities across South Arts' nine-state region of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The application process opens November 3, and recipients will be announced in May 2022.

"BIPOC arts organizations are integral to communities throughout the region, no matter their size, history, or area of focus. By funding them, not only are we working to correct historic disparities, we're empowering the next generation of singers, dancers, media artists, painters, writers—and everyone else,"said South Arts vice president of programming Joy Young. "Only by creating a more equitable landscape can we truly unlock the potential of the arts, and the South."

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