Charlotte is Creative, Hue House, Arts & Science Council (ASC) and Foundation For The Carolinas (FFTC) are pleased to announce the Charlotte-Mecklenburg CARES for Arts, Culture & Creativity Fund with a mission to directly invest in and impact individual artists/creatives, as well as arts, science and history organizations experiencing COVID-related challenges.

Tuesday night, Mecklenburg County joined a partnership with the City of Charlotte and the THRIVE Fund, with each contributing $1MM toward this effort, for a total investment of $3MM in the creative community.

This funding will support the following Charlotte-Mecklenburg constituencies:

• Individual artists and creative entrepreneurs – e.g., visual artists, dancers, musicians, graphic designers, and creative gig/contract workers
  
• Small and mid-sized nonprofits with a primary mission of arts/science/history/creativity and budgets less than $1MM
• Larger non-profits with a primary mission of arts/science/history/creativity and budgets more than $1MM

Funding from all three sources will be awarded to FFTC, who will administer the grants for the largest organizations in partnership with THRIVE Fund leadership. Grants for small and mid-sized nonprofits and creative individuals will be administered through a partnership of ASC, Charlotte Is Creative and Hue House.

More information on eligibility, submission requirements and eligible expenses will be available soon at www.InvestInCreatives.com. At this time, we anticipate the formal online application will open in mid-October, with awards determined by mid-November.

Interested parties should sign up for email alerts at www.InvestInCreatives.com.

Statements from the Fund Managers

Our collective vision is to directly invest in and impact individual artists/creatives, as well as arts, science and history organizations.

“We’re grateful for the City and County’s recognition of the need to help the creative sector survive the crisis, because it is a key driver of our community’s continued prosperity.” – Michael Marsicano, president and CEO, Foundation For The Carolinas 

“Our community’s ‘gig economy’ creatives and artists are small businesses, and they’re hurting. This investment is an important step toward getting them back to the vital work they’ve always been doing for our region’s ecosystem — growing our economy, improving our quality of life, and giving us all much-needed inspiration and healing.” – Matt Olin, co-founder, Charlotte Is Creative

“Hue House is excited to partner in beginning to change the narrative around the value of our creative class and the need for continuous investment on a city and county level. Losing our artists and creative entrepreneurs as a result of this pandemic is a risk we can’t afford to take.”
– David “Dae-Lee” Arrington, co-founder, Hue House

“Now, more than ever, it’s critical that we band together to celebrate and support the critical roles that arts, culture and creativity play across our community. We are excited to work hand in hand with great partners like Charlotte is Creative, Hue House, Foundation For The Carolinas and others on this and future efforts to champion sustainable investments in our creative community.” – Jeep Bryant, president, Arts & Science Council