Choice Bank Arts Partnership Grant Awards $9,000 to Fargo Area Nonprofits
We are pleased to announce that seven local nonprofit organizations have been awarded a total of $9,000 through the Choice Bank Arts Partnership Grant. This is an innovative pilot grant program created in partnership with The Arts Partnership that aspires to encourage human services providers to incorporate the arts in their work to benefit underserved populations.
Each of the seven organizations was awarded $1,000 to $1,500 grants to initiate projects that will use the arts to positively impact their clients. The grantees are a diverse group in terms of mission, populations served, size, and length of time they have been serving the area.
The organizations and funded projects are:
BIO Girls
$1,000 toward the creation of a 12-session pilot program that combines BIO Girls’ life-skills lessons and mentoring structure with an arts-centric curriculum to increase the self-esteem of adolescent girls.
Churches United
$1,500 toward a mosaic mural for its apartment complex for seniors who have experienced chronic homelessness. The mosaic, designed by an artist, will be built by the community in a collaborative process.
Cultural Diversity Resources/Indigenous Legacy
$1,500 toward a project where indigenous elders will teach Indigenous youth how to create traditional items, such as Jingle dresses and hand drums, over a six-month period.
Family HealthCare
$1,000 toward the creation of a mural to integrate culture and a greater connection in their clinic setting to be more representative of their vastly diverse patient population.
Jasmin Child Care
$1,500 toward supplies and materials to teach art that celebrates and honors the diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds of the children served.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River
$1,000 to purchase art from Native American artists to be more welcoming to Native families, which comprise nearly a quarter of the families served annually.
Soul Solutions Recovery Center
$1,500 toward supplying a ceramics room with foundational equipment and materials to teach clay hand-building techniques to those with substance abuse disorders.
The Choice Bank Arts Partnership Grant is a natural extension of our commitment to making genuine connections through passionate and empowered people.
“We are thrilled with the breadth and depth of the projects funded in this pilot round of grants,” Jay Lies, Choice Bank North Dakota market president, said. “It will be exciting to see these programs develop and launch in our community. Choice is pleased to have partnered with The Arts Partnership to support the presence and accessibility of the arts to better serve the Fargo Metro.”
Dayna Del Val, president and CEO of The Arts Partnership (TAP), said, “We share Choice’s excitement in seeing these projects develop. We have known that the arts could provide a terrific opportunity for the Metro’s non-arts nonprofits to find new ways to positively impact those they serve. With Choice’s investment, there is now seed money to start the work.”
TAP cultivates the community through the arts. Founded in 1970, TAP is a nonprofit arts organization that supports the endeavors of artists and arts organizations in the communities of Fargo and West Fargo, ND, and Moorhead, Minn. TAP propels its vision by communicating about the arts, advocating for the arts, and giving grants to artists and organizations making our community a vibrant place to live, work, and play.
Bettering the places we live is one of our core values. We’re dedicated to enhancing the quality of life and economic viability of families and businesses in our communities. Learn about our People First history here.