MEMPHIS, TENN., May 8, 2018 – Germantown Performing Arts Center (GPAC) is now accepting applications for Fiscal Year 2019 Arts Grants for Germantown schools and nonprofits. The application deadline is June 29, 2018. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to attend a free workshop on May 15 as this is a competitive grant process. Application and guidelines for the Arts Grants are available on the GPAC website at gpacweb.com.

“The City of Germantown and GPAC are deeply invested in fostering an environment in which art and culture flourish for the benefit all residents and visitors,” said Emily Hefley, Programming Manager at Germantown Performing Arts Center. “These grants give organizations that are dedicated to developing the arts in this community support to help them achieve their goals.”

GPAC Arts Grant Funds are earmarked for projects by Germantown-based schools and nonprofits devoted to strengthening the arts in the community by:

• Engaging students, residents and community members with exciting and innovative arts experiences
• Cultivating new partnerships between organizations for one project
• Further developing current arts projects by contracting professional artists

Since 2016, the fund has awarded more than $85,000 to 15 different schools and nonprofits.

GPAC is offering a free grant workshop on May 15 from 10 to 11 a.m. where interested applicants can learn about the most recent changes to this program. Applications will be reviewed and scored by a panel composed of arts professionals with knowledge and experience in the arts, schools and non-profit sector. Grantees will be notified of the results on August 10, 2018.

Important Dates:

Application Deadline – June 29, 2018, 5 p.m. to Parke Kennedy at parke@gpacweb.com

Grant Workshop – Tuesday, May 15, 10-11 a.m. Interested participants should RSVP to Emily Hefley at emily@gpacweb.com

Previous Arts Grant recipients include:

• Germantown Middle School’s “The Sky Is the Limit!” which included a performance by High Expectations Aerial Arts (High Expectations) as well as programming by Playback Memphis. GMS seeks to create a mutually safe, productive, and rigorous environment which facilitates the development of the whole child and promotes life-long learning.
• Memphis Oral School for the Deaf’s Do Ri Mi Music Therapy Program, which provides weekly music therapy to preschoolers with hearing loss that enhances their listening skills and speech and language development.
• Riverdale Elementary Art School Arts Program which includes a Visiting Author program, Cultural Arts Events, and Theater/Music Performances.

To learn more visit:

https://www.gpacweb.com/gpac-arts-education-fund/

Germantown Performing Arts Center can be found online at:

https://www.gpacweb.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gpacweb/

https://twitter.com/gpac

https://www.instagram.com/gpacluv/

About the GPAC Arts Grants:

Germantown Performing Arts Center administers the GPAC Arts Grant for the City of Germantown. Established in 2016, the fund has awarded more than $85,000 to 15 different organizations. GPAC Arts Grants support arts-focused projects by schools and nonprofits in Germantown that are devoted to strengthening the arts in the community.

About Germantown Performing Arts Center (GPAC):

The Germantown Performing Arts Center is a 501(c)3 organization providing art performances and art education in the heart of Shelby County, Tennessee serving the Greater Metro Memphis Area of over a million people.  The Mission of the Germantown Performing Arts Center is to serve the community by presenting the highest quality artistic endeavors to educate, engage, enrich and transform.

The GPAC theater is an acoustically perfect, 864 seat venue featuring a sprung pine stage, an intimate black box theater, an elegant patron lounge, eight spacious dressing rooms and a large lobby for entertaining and assembling. Ray Charles set the bar high when he opened GPAC in 1994, immediately defining the space as a place where excellence is the norm and where the world can come to perform.  Season after season, GPAC has applauded an array of artists with extraordinary talents and showcased the broadest range of performances and art forms. GPAC presents world-renowned performing artists in a variety of genres, year-round educational activities for all ages including the GPAC Youth Symphony Orchestra, rotating visual art exhibits and many community events welcoming over 100,000 visitors annually. The organization benefits from the infrastructure of a professional organization that possesses a clear direction, strong financial health, seasoned professional staff and a dedicated board of directors. For more information visit: https://www.gpacweb.com