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- Description: Vibrant Communities Grants support single art projects such as an art exhibit, a theatre production, a series of workshops for children, or an artist residency.
- Grant Request: Between $1,000 and $5,000
- Match Requirement: 50% match of request amount
- Projects Must Take Place: October 15, 2024-June 1, 2025
- Eligible Applicants: Non-profit organizations, government entities, public libraries, schools, and colleges/universities in counties in which no organization received a Project, Bridge, or Arts Education Program Grant.
- Next Application Deadline: Applications for the FY25 Vibrant Communities Grant have closed. FY26 Vibrant Communities Grant applications will open in mid-July 2025, with an application deadline at the end of August 2025, to fund arts projects taking place from October 15, 2025-June 1, 2026.
FY25 Vibrant Communities Grants
FY25 Vibrant Communities Grant Guidelines >
FY25 Vibrant Communities Grant Management Handbook >
FY25 Vibrant Communities Grant Request for Reimbursement Form >
FY25 Vibrant Communities Grant Final Report Form >
FY25 Vibrant Communities Grant Final Report Form >
FY25 Vibrant Communities Grant Income and Expense Report Form >
Abel Arias
Abel Arias is an accomplished actor, improviser, and teacher. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts from UC Santa Cruz and spent 15 years in Los Angeles working as an actor and improviser. Abel trained at UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade), The Groundlings, and Comedy Sportz (CSz) performing on many stages across Los Angeles, as well as Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta. He had the honor of teaching Improv for Actors at The American Academy of Dramatic Art in Los Angeles and continues to enjoy watching actors of all levels grow through improvisation at Drama Inc. and Dad’s Garage. Abel looks forward to bringing Improv(e) in everything to schools throughout the Atlanta area.
Improv(e) in Everything
AudienceEveryone
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Outdoors
Theatre: The program is titled Improv(e) in Everything. The primary art form is improvisation and can be implemented into theatre, or leadership class. Students will be on their feet and discuss their thoughts, and observations were during improv warm-up games and exercises. Through their participation in the exercises and the discussions, they will learn more about themselves and others, in turn creating a stronger connection with their peers.
Bored and Loving It
AudienceFamilies
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Outdoors
Theatre: Bored with kids is one of the worst positions to be in as a parent, mentor, or guardian. Let's explore why the disconnect happens with young kids (and not-so young kids) and see what happens when we accept the boredom. In this program we will use improv principles to re-inspire the playfulness that will drastically reduce boredom.
Academy of Kuchipudi Dance
Sasikala (Say-SEE-ka-lah) Penumarthi is one of the foremost practitioners of classical Indian Kuchipudi dance in the world. Sasikala traveled extensively and performed her craft all over India, America, Canada, Europe, and Russia. Sasikala established a non-profit organization, Academy of Kuchipudi Dance in Atlanta, and continues her pursuits by training her own students, performing, and producing dance dramas, such as Swapna Vijayam (adaptation of Nutcracker into Kuchipudi Style of Dance.)
Solo Dance Performance
AudienceEveryone
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Online Live & Outdoors
Kuchipudi transforms storytelling into movement, to teach students about this expressive Indian art form. This fascinating glimpse into an ancient and exotic culture shows how the basic hand gestures, foot movements, and rhythmic syllables used in Kuchipudi Dance, are combined to form human expression through dance. Speech, song, mime, and dance are used to tell a story or episode from Indian mythology or modern social themes.
Sasikala (Say-SEE-ka-lah) Penumarthi is one of the foremost practitioners of classical Indian Kuchipudi dance in the world. Sasikala traveled extensively and performed her craft all over India, America, Canada, Europe, and Russia. Sasikala established a non-profit organization, Academy of Kuchipudi Dance in Atlanta, and continues her pursuits by training her own students, performing, and producing dance dramas, such as Swapna Vijayam (adaptation of Nutcracker into Kuchipudi Style of Dance.)
Solo Dance Performance, plus 30-minute lecture/demonstratio
AudienceEveryone
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Online Live & Outdoors
Kuchipudi transforms storytelling into movement, to teach students about this expressive Indian art form. This fascinating glimpse into an ancient and exotic culture shows how the basic hand gestures, foot movements, and rhythmic syllables used in Kuchipudi Dance, are combined to form human expression through dance. Speech, song, mime, and dance are used to tell a story or episode from Indian mythology or modern social themes.
Sasikala (Say-SEE-ka-lah) Penumarthi is one of the foremost practitioners of classical Indian Kuchipudi dance in the world. Sasikala traveled extensively and performed her craft all over India, America, Canada, Europe, and Russia. Sasikala established a non-profit organization, Academy of Kuchipudi Dance in Atlanta, and continues her pursuits by training her own students, performing, and producing dance dramas, such as Swapna Vijayam (adaptation of Nutcracker into Kuchipudi Style of Dance.)
Andy Offutt Irwin
A nationally renowned storyteller, theatre director, singer-songwriter, and Shakespearean actor, Andy has performed at Walt Disney World, The Library of Congress, and has been featured eleven times at The National Storytelling Festival. He has taught and performed at LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts in New York and has served as an instructor of story craft at the Lyrics & Lore Songwriting Workshop at Dollywood Dreammore Resort. He has performed at a whole mess of theatres, colleges, and festivals throughout the United States.
With a silly putty voice, hilarious heart-filled stories, and amazing mouth noises (arguably, the greatest whistler in the world) Andy is equal parts mischievous schoolboy and the Marx Brothers, peppered with a touch of the Southern balladeer. Andy presents shows and workshops for all ages. He has material for senior adults to high school students, and kids in elementary school, kindergarten, pre-k, pre-school, and prenatal care.
Stories from 85-year-old Marguerite Van Camp, M.D.
AudienceEveryone
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Online Live & Outdoors Recorded & Online
Andy’s character-filled, one-person shows and storytelling performances center around the adventures of his eighty-five-year-old-widowed-newly-minted-physician-aunt, Marguerite Van Camp, a woman who is keeping her finger on the pulse of the changing world around her as she seeks to grow – even at her advanced age – in these United States and the New South. Every show includes original songs, and of course, whistling. Please note, Andy’s grown-up shows are family friendly. So, there.
Andy's Wild Amphibian Show!
AudienceChildren
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Online Live & Outdoors Recorded & Online
Storytelling: An award-winning children’s performer, Andy has disrupted the day in hundreds of schools and libraries from Port Angeles, Washington to St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Andy says: “The secret to performing for families is this: "Treat children with the respect you give adults, and treat grown-ups with the exuberance children crave.”The title story is a tale of the last day of summer vacation complete with tadpoles, ridiculous parental questions, a five-gallon pickle jar, and a cat named Bootsie.
Pin the Tail on the Narrative
AudienceEveryone
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Online Live & Outdoors
Storytelling: Lawn Darts meets Eudora Welty! This raucous workshop involves the careless throwing of pens and carefully guided steps that will lead to discovering roles we have had in our lives and the unavoidable circumstances that inhabit those roles. A story will magically appear as the participants adhere to the elements of The Hero’s Journey: Quest. Obstacle. Resolution. New wisdom.
*Note Andy possesses the comedic maturity to avoid spelling of the third word of the workshop title: T-A- L-E.
Arietha Lockhart
Arietha Lockhart was the voice of the White Butterfly during the Opening Ceremonies of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. She champions works by contemporary American composers in recitals and concerts. She holds the Georgia Professional Education Certificate – Retired. She had a 30-year career as an Elementary Music Specialist Pre-K-7 and served on leadership committees developing Professional Development for Music Teachers. Her program “It’s All about Character” was performed for K – 5 grade students at Spivey Hall Education’s Young People’s Concerts and Douglass County Council of the Arts.
Classical Music of the African American Diaspora with Artist Talk-Back
AudienceEveryone
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Online Live & Outdoors Recorded & Online
Music: A concert recital featuring the music of African American Composers. Solo and Ensemble pieces will be featured. Discussion of the pieces, the time in history that they encompass, a look at the composers and artists from the past that may have performed the pieces and possible influences that may have steered choices in the design and compositional elements of the pieces.
Music from the Heart: Sing with Arietha
AudienceEveryone
Delivery MethodLive & Online Live & Outdoors Recorded & Online
Music: This program is for students in grades K through senior adults. Concert Programs of varied genres, historical periods and styles of vocal literature. Contemporary Music may also be highlighted as a portion of each program presented. Presentations may include a sing-a-long component and Q&A
Your Best Audition
AudienceTeens
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Online Live & Outdoors Recorded & Online
Music: This program is for students in grades 6 through college. Vocal Soloists will perform for feedback. Sessions to include: Q & A, selecting music, improving presentation, style, vocal technique, improving sightreading and what to
expect during an audition.
Artz for the Harp
Artz for the Harp, is a nonprofit 501c3 organization that provides arts enrichment and arts therapy programming to students of all ages throughout Georgia and the southeast. Our AFTH Academy provides mobile music and arts programs that include all instruments and materials at no additional cost to the student. We have expanded to not only offer a specialized contemporary group harp program, but also: guitar, piano and theater classes on site, as well as at our Powder Springs location. To date we have served over 5600 students in K-12 settings offering subsidized rates and scholarships for those in need.
AFTH Youth Group Harp Program
AudienceChildren
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Online
Music: This program provides all instruments and materials to site of choice for contemporary group arts enrichment lessons. Programs include 12 week fall/spring classes to students afterschool to students in KK-5th grade. Students attend 75 minute classes once a week for 12 weeks per semester for up to 20 students per class. At the conclusion of the program there is a concert for family, friends and staff to show their musical milestones. We also offer summer camp programs.
AFTH Summer Artz Camp
AudienceChildren
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors
This program provides half and full day camp options to elementary or middle school students during the summer. During the summer camp we offer a variety of classes through our AFTH Academy to include: harp, guitar, piano, visual art, theater, coding, chess, fitness and more. Client may select the components of their camp experience. We can serve up to 450 students during the summer with an arts based rotation schedule.
Atlanta Chinese Dance Company
Atlanta Chinese Dance Company (ACDC) educates and entertains audiences about Chinese dance, history, and culture. Founded in 1991 by Hwee-Eng Y. Lee and co-directed by Hwee Eng and Kerry Lee, the troupe has enchanted audiences of diverse backgrounds through numerous original full-evening Chinese dance performances, educational lecture-demonstrations, and workshops for performing arts centers, schools/universities, libraries, senior centers, arts festivals, international days, corporate events, military observances, Asian community events, and more. Most notably, ACDC helped showcase Atlanta to the world as performers in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Centennial Olympic Games. For more than a decade, they performed the “Chinese variation” in the Atlanta Ballet’s The Nutcracker.
Ribbon Dance of Empowerment (Full-Evening Program)
AudienceEveryone
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Recorded & Online
"Ribbon Dance of Empowerment" features a collection of folk and classical Chinese dances representing China's long history and diverse cultures and culminates in a mini dance drama intertwining Chinese dance with personal storytelling to share a rarely told story about Chinese Americans in the South. It has been performed in South Carolina and Georgia to critical acclaim ("showstopping performance" with "bright colors, high energy and remarkable emotions displayed by the dancers").
Chinese Dance Lecture-Demonstration
AudienceEveryone
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Outdoors Recorded & Online
Atlanta Chinese Dance Company's lecture-demonstration features dazzling performances interspersed with background information, audience participation, and Q&A. It's a fun and memorable way to experience the beauty and splendor of the art of Chinese dance as well as China's long history and diverse cultures. It can be tailored for any age group, including schools (PreK to college), assisted living facilities, libraries, etc. Price varies based on length of program, # of artists, and location.
Chinese Dance Workshop or Residency
AudienceEveryone
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Online Live & Outdoors Recorded & Online
Learning Chinese dance is not only a great physical workout but also a window into Chinese history and culture. The curriculum can be tailored for any age or level – from professional dancers to young children to assisted living residents. For live classes, participants try their hand with Chinese dance props such as ribbons, fans, chopsticks, and handkerchiefs. Online participants learn Chinese dance fundamentals. Price varies based on length of program, # of participants, and location.
Atlanta Young Singers
ATLANTA YOUNG SINGERS, Atlanta’s premier choir for youth, provides a diverse, challenging environment inspiring intelligent thought, artistic creativity, and personal growth for 130+ Singers ages 7-18. Since 1975, AYS has promoted music literacy, commissions of American choral works, support of local musicians, innovative concert formats, free workshops for educators, and outreach to underserved children. PAIGE F. MATHIS, also a proud AYS Alumna, was named Music Director in May 1998. Currently writing and doing research on her PhD dissertation from Texas Tech, she received her degree in Music Educ from Jacksonville State Univ and her MM degree in conducting from Conservatory of Music of Univ of MO-KC. She founded the AYS Youth Chorale in 1994 as an expansion program of AYS. Active in Music Educators Natl Conf, Chorus Am and Org of Am Kodaly Educators, she has served as Repertoire & Standards Chair of GA Div of Am Choral Directors Assoc and a frequent chorus clinician around the US.
JOURNEYS, a CHORAL PERFORMANCE
AudienceChildren
Delivery MethodLive & Outdoors Recorded & Online
Music: 30-45 MINUTE PERFORMANCE with repertoire from around the world, by TREBLE CONCERT CHOIR or YOUTH CHORALE, award-winning AYS Choirs under direction of Paige Mathis, Millie Turek, Dr. Katie Woolf, Arietha Lockhart.
Audience: ALL AGES
Barry Stewart Mann
Barry Stewart Mann, MFA, is a professional actor, storyteller, writer and teaching artist based in Atlanta and working regionally, nationally, and internationally. He offers curriculum-based storytelling assembly programs, arts-integrated workshops and residencies, and professional development experiences for educators in drama, storytelling, and arts integration.
A World of Stories
AudienceChildren
Delivery MethodHybrid Live & Indoors Live & Online Live & Outdoors Recorded & Online
Storytelling: An assembly program of folklore from around the world brought to life in vivid, interactive retellings, selected for grade level, curriculum connections, school themes, and student population. Programs can include: bilingual stories – Spanish/English; topical historical and personal narratives; and STEM-focused folklore. Depending on public safety concerns, programs can also be delivered virtually, either prerecorded or livestreamed via the presenter's preferred platform.
Explorations into Drama and Storytelling
AudienceChildren
Delivery MethodHybrid Live & Indoors Live & Online Live & Outdoors Recorded & Online
Storytelling and Theatre: Customized drama and storytelling workshops and residencies exploring any aspect of curriculum – including STEM – using such strategies as theatre games, improvisation, process drama, readers theatre, playwriting, and theatrical production. Available established workshops/ residencies include "The Great Depression Experience" (5th Grade) and "Dinner at the Periodic Table" (8th). Adaptable for virtual delivery via prerecorded videos and videoconference sessions.
Curriculum-Based Theatrical Storytelling Programs
AudienceChildren
Delivery MethodHybrid Live & Indoors Live & Online Live & Outdoors Recorded & Online
Storytelling and Theatre: Lively, interactive assembly presentations, including standards-focused programs about Phonics, Cherokee leaders and lore, Greek Mythology, Shakespeare's plays, Inventors, Explorers, and historical figures including Jimmy Carter, Cesar Chavez, and Lyndon Johnson, as well as programs of stories, songs and poems about insects, sports, the arts, and space exploration. Programs can also be delivered virtually, either recorded or live via the presenter's preferred platform.
Beacon Dance
Beacon Dance is a professional dance performance organization presenting classes, workshops and performances to the general public. Our work is a series of projects linked to the basic elements of dance: The body, time, space and energy. We design our projects to be interactive experiences with our audiences, to reflect the realities of our time, to occur in unusual spaces and with passionate attention. The programs of Beacon Dance are offered throughout the year. We are based in Atlanta, GA, and tour throughout the Southeast.
Classes/Workshops
AudienceEveryone
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Online Live & Outdoors Recorded & Online
Dance: The artists of Beacon Dance represent a wealth of experience and expertise in the realm of contemporary dance and performance. We can work directly with you in planning your class(es) or workshop(s), tailoring our services to your specific needs. Workshop Activities: Creative Movement, Improvisation, Fundamentals of making dances, Contact Improvisation, Choreography, Introduction to site-specific performance, Introduction to multi-disciplinary performance, Creating dances for the camera, plus many more.
Performances
AudienceEveryone
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Online Live & Outdoors Recorded & Online
Dance: Each performance piece offered can be performed by only the Beacon artists or can include community performers, as well. "Beyond Being," "A Life Well Seasoned," "Deus ex Machina," "The Elemental Project," "At Once Now and Then," "A Bountiful Feast," and "The Marriage Project."
Jump/Rope
AudienceEveryone
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Online Live & Outdoors Recorded & Online
Dance: Jump/Rope is an interactive community project that encourages story sharing and movement invention that culminates in a celebratory evening of performance. Reflecting the spirit of the community, Jump/Rope seeks to reveal the hidden joys and sorrows of the members of a community.
Berdolé Flamenco
Interactive programs for kids & families
AudienceEveryone
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Online Live & Outdoors Recorded & Online
Dance and Music: We perform live flamenco guitar music, singing, and dance, in performance and education. We provide concerts for adults and children, and also via arts integration, we use the art form to teach about literacy, mathematics, social studies, and more. Participants dance, sing, and shout "Olé!" during our arts integration programs. Differentiated programming is available for grades K3, 4-6, 7-12, as well as universities and adult audiences.
¡Fiesta Flamenca!
AudienceEveryone
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Live & Online
Dance: In the spirit of the tablaos of Spain, artists improvise using the non-verbal codes of music and dance of flamenco. No two performances are the same, since the audience and the artists create the action on stage together in an exciting display of emotional expression. This performance is available for indoor and outdoor settings.
Flamenco and Africa
AudienceAdults
Delivery MethodLive & Indoors Recorded & Online Virtual
Dance and music: Explore the African and African American influences of flamenco in a program that combines a rhythm-based dance workshop with either a screening of the documentary film Gurumbé or an interactive lecture with song and video samples. This lecture-demo style event highlights the elements of flamenco that originated in African Diaspora. Differentiated programming is available for grades 7-12, as well as universities and adult audiences.