United Way to Oversee $4.5 Million in Grant Awards to Diverse Organizations; Baltimore Museum of Art and Walters Art Museum to Receive a Total of $1 Million; $750,000 to be Dispersed to Individual Artists

BALTIMORE, MD (Wednesday, September 20, 2023) - Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced additional investments in the arts made possible with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for a combined total of $6.25 million focused on supporting arts and cultural institutions led by diverse artists and groups.

“Baltimore’s arts community and artists – particularly our underrepresented artists and art organizations – have helped define our city throughout its history,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “This Arts and Culture Week, we have the opportunity to highlight the importance of the arts to our City and my administration’s work to support and grow the arts in Baltimore. I’m incredibly proud of this investment, the vast majority of which will go directly to supporting underrepresented artists who have been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. I know that with this support, the Baltimore arts community will continue to make our city proud.”

The $6.25 million investment will be deployed as follows:

• United Way of Central Maryland (UWCM) will serve as a fiscal partner managing a $4.5 million grant award process to support diverse and marginalized art and cultural organizations.
• Baltimore Museum of Art and Walters Art Museum will each receive $500,000 to replace aging HVAC systems for a total of $1 million.
• Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (MdVLA) will receive $250,000 to support increased in-house legal and administrative capacity at MdVLA to meet demand and ensure that Baltimore's creative small business community has access to legal assistance to address economic hardships brought on by COVID-19.
• Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (BOPA) will receive an additional $500,000 to support individual artists impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The total $6.25 million is in addition to funding previously announced by the Scott Administration. Current grantees from previous funding include Chesapeake Shakespeare, Everyman Theatre Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts and Entertainment District, The B&O Railroad Museum, and Wide Angle Youth Media. The Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts previously received ARPA funding to revive Artscape and to support grants for 100+ individual local artists.

“I am confident that ARPA funding, including the over $3 million in previously announced funding, can assist an industry that is still battling the negative economic impacts of the pandemic and ensure that the arts continue to thrive in our communities,” Shamiah Kerney, Chief Recovery Officer for the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs. “As we move forward in the post-pandemic era, let us remember that the arts are more than just one of many engines that fuel our economy; they are a vital part of who we are as a City.”

About the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provided $641 million to the City of Baltimore in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency and its negative economic impacts. Mayor Brandon M. Scott has established the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs to transparently and effectively administer this funding on behalf of the City. For additional information, visit the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs website at arp.baltimorecity.gov.