A4 ANNOUNCES 20 RECIPIENTS OF $500,000 ARTS FUND GRANT PROGRAM

Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) is proud to announce the grantees of the inaugural A4 Arts Fund, a national initiative awarding $500,000 in general operating support to arts and cultural organizations uplifting Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. A4 received applications from 33 states, plus Washington, DC, and the US island territory of Guam. The following 20 organizations across nine US states and territories have each been awarded $25,000:

• AHL Foundation, Inc., New York, NY
• Angkor Dance Troupe, Lowell, MA
• Asian American Arts Centre, New York, NY
• Asian American Arts Chicago AAAC (formerly APIDA Arts), Chicago, IL
• Bindlestiff Studio, San Francisco, CA
• Breaking Wave Theatre Company, Yona, GU (Guam)
• Chopsticks Alley Art, San Jose, CA
• CHUANG Stage, Boston, MA
• enTaiko, Portland, OR
• Funny Asian Women Kollective (FAWK), Saint Paul, MN
• Guiding Mountain Dragon and Lion Dance Association, Broomfield, CO
• Ishami Dance Company, Fremont, CA
• Kumu Kahua Theatre, Honolulu, HI
• National Asian Artists Project, New York, NY
• Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation, Philadelphia, PA
• Sachiyo Ito and Company, New York, NY
• Shruti Abishek Dance, Livermore, CA
• Twelve Gates Arts, Philadelphia, PA
• Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA), Fountain Valley, CA
• Yun Theatre, Kenmore, WA

“We were overwhelmed by the number of applications we received, and it was extremely difficult narrowing down the decision to only 20 organizations,” says Lisa Gold, executive director of A4. “We extend gratitude to the hundreds of applicants for the opportunity to learn about their incredible work serving the AAPI community. We will continue to advocate for ways to ameliorate the clear dearth of support for so many deserving organizations.”

Funded by The Wallace Foundation as part of their Advancing Well-Being in the Arts initiative, the program is developed in coalition with the National Arts Regranting Partners, a cohort of 12 cultural organizations designated to co-design a regranting program to support arts organizations rooted in their communities of color.

The A4 Arts Fund is the first initiative of its kind to provide dedicated funding to under-resourced arts and cultural organizations that serve and uplift AAPI communities. The fund is offering general operating support and virtual cohort-based engagement to organizations with annual budgets under $500,000.

Over the one-year program cycle, A4 will also offer grantee partners the space to regularly connect through a virtual cohort engagement model, creating a national community of peer organizations. This cohort will be designed to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and mutual support among those committed to sustaining and creating arts and cultural spaces for AAPI communities.

Funders
The A4 Arts Fund is made possible with support from The Wallace Foundation through their Advancing Well-Being in the Arts initiative, which funds arts organizations founded by, with, and for communities of color to advance their well-being, enhance understanding of their contributions to community, and ultimately help to build a more equitable and sustainable arts ecosystem.

The National Arts Regranting Partners include: ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services), Alternate ROOTS, A4, Color Congress, First Peoples Fund, The International Association of Blacks in Dance, MENA Theater Makers Alliance (MENATMA), NALAC, PA'I Foundation, Sipp Culture, Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA), and World Arts West.