DDOA Distributes $5 Million in Statewide Arts Grants

The content of this post comes from a Delaware Division of the Arts press release...

Whether you live in a city, a small town, or a rural stretch of Sussex County, the arts should be something you can engage with. That is the idea behind the Delaware Division of the Arts’ first round of FY2027 grants: $5,055,797 supporting 127 grants to arts and community organizations that bring performances, classes, and exhibitions to communities in every part of the state. This first round of FY2027 funding includes General Operating Support, Project Support, Arts Stabilization, StartUp, Education Resource, and Arts Access grants.

“A state that values creativity attracts people, jobs, and opportunity, and the arts are one of Delaware’s best investments,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “The arts support thousands of jobs, draw visitors to our towns, and make Delaware a place where people and businesses want to put down roots. And because these grants reach every county, that opportunity belongs to all of Delaware. When we support the arts, we build a stronger state.”

“Access is the whole point,” said Jessica Ball, Director of the Delaware Division of the Arts. “The reach of this funding is what sets it apart. These grants put the arts within reach of Delawareans in all three counties, in cities, small towns, and rural communities alike. They pay for performances, exhibitions, festivals, and classes that any resident can take part in, and they carry the arts into schools, senior centers, and neighborhoods so that no matter where you live, there is something nearby to experience and enjoy. We are grateful to Governor Meyer, Secretary of State Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez, the General Assembly, and the National Endowment for the Arts for their continued support.”

That commitment to access is clearest in Delaware’s classrooms. Sixteen Education Resource grants connect schools with professional teaching artists and arts organizations, providing teacher training and standards-based arts learning for students from Pre-K through 12th grade statewide. It means a young person in any corner of the state can have an arts education experience that builds creativity, critical thinking, and confidence.

The grants also strengthen local economies. Delaware’s nonprofit arts and culture sector generates more than $200 million in economic activity a year and supports over 3,300 jobs, according to a 2023 study by Americans for the Arts. A big share of that comes straight from audiences: people who attend a performance or exhibition spend about $43 a visit at nearby restaurants, shops, and hotels, which adds up to more than $61 million a year statewide, and visitors from out of state spend even more. And nonprofits are only part of the story. Together with Delaware’s for-profit creative businesses, they make up a creative economy worth roughly $3.7 billion in output that claims a larger share of state jobs than traditional industries like agriculture.

Access also means keeping Delaware’s cornerstone institutions open and thriving. From the Delaware Art Museum’s internationally recognized collection of Pre-Raphaelite art to the First State Ballet Theatre, OperaDelaware, the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, the Biggs Museum of American Art, and the Freeman Arts Pavilion, these organizations set a high standard for artistic excellence while serving as gathering places for communities across the state. Together with many other established institutions, they keep Delaware’s cultural traditions vibrant, accessible, and a source of pride for residents and visitors alike.

This year, three organizations – the Nanticoke Indian Association, Imperial Dynasty Arts Program, and Resolution Steel Orchestra – will join the Division’s StartUp program for arts organizations that are new to the Division’s portfolio of grantees. Designed to strengthen arts nonprofits, the program provides financial support, board development training, and technical assistance to help participants operate sustainably and prepare for future eligibility in General Operating Support, Education Resource, or Arts Stabilization grants. StartUp organizations must demonstrate a clear artistic mission, a stable governing board, and a track record of at least two years of public programming. By welcoming these three grantees into the program, the Division is helping to ensure that the arts remain relevant and accessible, and that
Delaware’s portfolio of supported arts organizations can grow, thrive, and contribute meaningfully to the state’s unique cultural life.

All applications underwent impartial peer review by panels of Delaware community members, with oversight by the Delaware State Arts Council, ensuring that diverse perspectives are included in the grant review process.

Members of the public are encouraged to explore upcoming performances, exhibitions, and programs in their communities and see firsthand how these investments strengthen Delaware’s quality of life. Sign up for the Division’s monthly Arts E-News to learn more about events, grant opportunities, and ways to support the arts in Delaware.

Visit DelawareScene.com to see hundreds of arts and culture events statewide. A complete list of FY2027 first-round grant recipients is available at arts.delaware.gov.

The awards include:

• General Operating Support for sixty-eight (68) arts organizations.
• Project Support for twenty-eight (28) community-based organizations that provide arts programming for children and adults with physical or intellectual disabilities; students whose schools are under-resourced and face multiple barriers, individuals and family members dealing with cancer, and young children and community members from across Delaware.
• Four (4) Arts Stabilization projects that support capital improvements and repairs to facilities owned or under long-term lease by arts organizations.
• StartUp support for three arts organizations, Nanticoke Indian Association, Imperial Dynasty Arts Program, and Resolution Steel Orchestra, providing them with a combination of technical assistance, board development training, and financial support necessary to become eligible for General Operating Support grants.
• Sixteen (16) education-based partnerships between Delaware’s schools, arts organizations and artists that provide teacher training and standards-based arts learning experiences for pre-K through 12 students statewide, in alignment with the Delaware Standards for Learning in the Visual and Performing Arts.

Funding comes from the Delaware General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, with Arts Stabilization grants supported through the Arts Consortium of Delaware, Inc. (ArtCo) endowment.

The Division also awards grants on an ongoing basis throughout the year, including Arts Access grants, Artist Residencies, Individual Artist Fellowships, Creative Aging Programs, and Individual Artist Opportunity grants. Full grant descriptions are available on the Division’s website and at the end of the release.