Six Local Creatives Get an April HUG
Every month, Charlotte Is Creative (CIC) awards $250 HUG (Helpful Unfettered Gifts) microgrants to help Charlotte-area creatives move a community-facing project or initiative forward.
In April, CIC awarded six $250 microgrant HUGs, which vary from community initiatives to music and book publishing to performance art. Half of the grants went to projects whose main focus was on providing a service to youth.
The creatives and organizations getting April HUGs are:
Promising Pages (Kelly Cates)
Promising Pages has a goal of donating 25,000 diverse books to children by the end of this school year. The group has already collected 10,000 books and is shifting their focus to buying the rest of the books from local independent bookstores. Their HUG grant will be used to buy books and go toward their goal of raising $3,000.
More on Promising Pages
Money Magnets Club (Alexandra Arrington)
Money Magnets Club partners with local banks to help kids open savings accounts. They are looking for creative entrepreneurs to mentor students. Interested families should check out the Charlotte Library’s web page for more information.
More about Money Magnets Club
Charlotte Concert Band (John Taylor)
Charlotte Concert Band will use the HUG grant to upgrade their video editing software and purchase music from a composer for a virtual concert this spring with the Wingate University Choral Program.
More on Charlotte Concert Band:
Nathan Davis – Musician
Nathan Davis will use the HUG grant to cover studio time for his most recent recording project. He has 16 tracks to record between now and the end of September. Songs will be posted to his social media sites when completed. Davis wrote an editorial for The Biscuit about how COVID-19 has changed his focus on the business-strategy behind his music career.
More on Nathan Davis
The Dilworth Players (Wes Curry)
This HUG will provide a scholarship for a child who attends Dilworth Drama Day Camp, part of Dilworth United Methodist Church Outreach. This is the first year The Dilworth Players will host a summer camp for youth.
More on The Dilworth Players Club
Melissa Wineman, Artist
Melissa Wineman will apply her HUG to covering publishing costs for a book about Charlotte. She has written and illustrated the book, including a map children can follow to learn about current and past Queen City landmarks.
More on Melissa Wineman
Give a HUG. Get a HUG.
The HUG Microgrant is sponsored by T. Reid & Co., NoDa Brewing, Google Fiber and individual donations. If you’re interested in donating a HUG or applying for one yourself, click here.
