Of the 49 nonprofits that were awarded grants at the end of December by the Community Foundation of Howard County, five were given to organizations specializing in serving the arts, including the Candlelight Concert Society and the Merriweather Arts and Culture Center.
The foundation’s community grants program distributed $200,000 “to improve the lives of residents across the community,” according to its website. Any eligible nonprofit in the county could submit a request for funding, and the grants allow for flexible use of the funds for operating or programmatic needs.
The Candlelight Concert Society received a $4,000 grant to put toward its mission “to present the finest national and international chamber music ensembles and soloists, to provide young people with a stimulating introduction to the performing arts, and to reach out to those with limited opportunities to experience the arts.”
Since 1972, the organization has presented chamber music concerts, offered a variety of community outreach programs, master classes and pre-concert discussions and lectures.
Bryan Young, the society’s board president, said the organization applied for the grant to assist with outreach to the community.
“Part of our mission is to provide a nice introduction to the arts for students and [the community foundation] has been so helpful with that,” Young said.
In addition to the grant, the organization receives funding through the Howard County Arts Council, the Maryland State Arts Council, individual donors and private grant support from foundations across the state and nation, Young said.
The Merriweather Arts and Culture Center received a grant of $5,000 to put toward its mission of “growing arts, culture and community in Merriweather Post Pavilion and throughout Downtown Columbia.”
Starting under the name Downtown Columbia Arts and Culture Commission in 2013, the organization spent a few years focusing on the purchase of Merriweather Post Pavilion, according to its website. Since then, it has hosted a number of community events including the Amped in the Park free concert series at Color Burst Park, free movie nights and teen nights at Merriweather.
Ian Kennedy, executive director of the Merriweather Arts and Culture Center, said the organization plans to use the grant to provide accessible music programs to students across the county.
“We will be using this grant to support the artists and production fees associated with an in-school residency featuring a touring band known as Las Cafeteras,” Kennedy said. “[The program] provides students with an opportunity to learn from professional working artists to see firsthand the kind of performances that they do and to hopefully be inspired to continue to pursue artists education for themselves.”