JACKSON, MS – The Mississippi Arts Commission is pleased to announce the recipients of the Building Fund for the Arts (BFA) grant. This funding opportunity supports the much-needed repair, renovation, expansion, or construction of Mississippi facilities that serve as sites for year-round arts programming in their communities. The Mississippi Legislature approved $3 million for the BFA program for FY2023. 

“We received 66 letters of intent with a total amount of $16.2 Million requested for this grant opportunity,” said Marie Sanderson, board chair of MAC. “Unfortunately, we could not award to everyone who applied. We are pleased that we can support these arts organizations in Mississippi for important projects that will impact their communities economically.”

MAC received a total of 46 applications for a total of $10.9 million requested for projects. MAC has awarded a total amount of $2.8 million to 16 arts organizations in 13 counties in Mississippi for the BFA grant. 

MAC has awarded the following arts organizations funding through the BFA grant:

• The Eudora Welty Foundation, Inc. (Hinds) – awarded $225,000 to construct an Education Center.
• Walter Anderson Museum of Art (Jackson) – awarded $ 450,000 to expand the museum’s campus.
• Byhalia Area Arts Council (Marshall) – awarded $243,114.30 to renovate and repair the old Byhalia High School building.
• Corinth Area Arts Council, Inc. (Alcorn) – awarded $243,000 to renovate the Coliseum Theatre.
• Center Stage, Inc. (Harrison) – awarded $104,749.20 to make accessibility improvements in the theatre lobby and restrooms.
• Delta Arts Alliance (Bolivar) – awarded $197,702.40 to complete renovation of the Ellis Theater.
• Lauren Rogers Museum of Art (Jones) – awarded $52,800 to repair the exterior of the facility.
• Mississippi Museum of Art (Hinds) – awarded $184,800 to conduct both interior and exterior renovations.
• Pike School of Art (Pike) – awarded $260,145.60 to convert the former jail into an Arts Center.
• Mississippi Cultural Crossroads (Claiborne) – awarded $31,680 to repair the front windows and awning.
• City of Vicksburg (Warren) – awarded $214,730.56 to repair the Constitution Firehouse in Downtown Vicksburg.
• Mississippi Children’s Museum (Hinds) – awarded $179,520 to renovate the Literacy Garden and the Wild About Reading Gallery.
• Starkville Community Theatre (Oktibbeha) – awarded $22,000 to renovate the Starkville Playhouse auditorium.
• City of Hattiesburg (Forrest) – awarded $219,240 to renovate the Paper Warehouse Theatre.
• B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center (Sunflower) – awarded $43,272.06 to make repairs to the historic cotton gin building.
• Cleveland Music Foundation DBA Grammy Museum Mississippi (Bolivar) – awarded $131,442.21 to expand the gallery exhibition space.

A panelist of four experts within the art and economic community ranked the submissions based on artistic quality, project plan, project professionals, organizational capacity, and project impact.

The BFA program is an important part of enhancing and supporting the creative economy in Mississippi, strengthening organizational capacity, and providing opportunities for citizens to learn from and engage with Mississippi’s unique arts and cultural opportunities.

“We see a great need for this type of financial support within our art community,” said Marie Sanderson. “We are hopeful that the Mississippi legislature will support more funding for the Building Fund for the Arts in the future.” 

For more information about the BFA grant and other grant opportunities through the Mississippi Arts Commission, visit arts.ms.gov.

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The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) is a state agency serving more than two million people through grants and special initiatives that enhance communities, assist artists and arts organizations, promote arts education and celebrate Mississippi’s cultural heritage. MAC is funded by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, and other private sources. For more information, visit www.arts.ms.gov.

Contact: 
Ellie Banks
Communications Director
ebanks@arts.ms.gov    
(601) 359-6546