South Arts has announced the first grants of its Southern Cultural Treasures initiative, a four-year, $6 million program launched in 2021 in support of Black, Indigenous, and people of color-led and -serving arts and cultural organizations across the Southeast.

The initial cohort of 17 arts and culture organizations across the nine-state region will receive grants of up to $300,000 each over three years in general operating support, a project grant of up to $7,500, as well as consulting services and assistance with networking, cohort building, and knowledge sharing. Launched in partnership with the Ford Foundation, which committed $3 million in matching funds as part of its America's Cultural Treasures initiative, the Southern Cultural Treasures program is focused on providing grantees with the tools and frameworks to establish their own agency and institutional narratives, encouraging growth, not only in the context of the arts, but also in their impact on surrounding communities.

Recipients include Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame (Birmingham), Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator (Miami), Teatro Avante (Miami), Art2Action Inc. (Tampa), Deep Center (Savannah, Georgia), Otis Redding Foundation (Macon, Georgia), True Colors Theatre Company (Atlanta), Ballethnic Dance Company Inc. (East Point, Georgia), Asia Institute-Crane House (Louisville, Kentucky), Junebug Productions (New Orleans), Efforts of Grace (New Orleans), Mississippi Center for Cultural Production (Utica, Mississippi), B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center (Indianola, Mississippi), JazzArts Charlotte, Colour of Music (Mount Pleasant, South Carolina), Catawba Nation Cultural Division (Rock Hill, South Carolina), and Collage Dance Collective (Memphis, Tennessee).

“These organizations make up a dynamic representation not only of their region and their communities, but also the burgeoning desire to grow and serve the cultural landscape of the South,” said South Arts vice president of programs Joy Young. “[We] are confident…this cohort…will help inspire these pursuits on a national scale.”

(Photo credit: Shocphoto for Ballethnic)