Collier Community Foundation donating $250,000 in grants for arts

The Collier Community Foundation has donated $250,00 in grants to 14 local arts and cultural non-profits.

The grant comes one month after Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed all grants from the state to the arts.

Going to the theatre, looking at a painting, the arts inspire so many.

“The arts, for me, are why I wake up in the morning. [They are] what I’m most passionate about,” said Elysia Dawn, executive director of United Arts Collier.

Now, Dawn is passionate about raising money to keep their programs going.

Collier County Arts and Culture non-profits were expected to receive $1.5 million from the state. When all of that was vetoed, that number became zero, leaving non-profits scrambling.

“Receiving none of that was [an] absolutely very difficult surprise, and what we decided to do was take a very hard look at our budget and make a decision for our organization,” Dawn said.

Soon, programs for children, veterans and seniors were on the chopping block.

That’s when the Collier Community Foundation stepped in, giving a $250,000 grant to 14 local arts and culture non-profits.

“This money was to help provide a buffer to offset the lack of state funding this year to give the nonprofits a chance to fundraise and give them an opportunity to ramp up their fundraising and their revenue streams,” said Laura Simmelink, vice president of Grant Making, Collier Community Foundation.

The grant will give nonprofits time to fundraise so they don’t have to make budget cuts just yet.

The arts are an important part of Collier County’s economy, but Dawn said they also have many therapeutic benefits.

“Exposure to the arts has been shown to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, depression, even PTSD, and leads to things like shorter hospital stays,” she said.

They still need donations to help save the arts and so the Collier Community Foundation is actively fundraising.