TACA Distributes $753,000 to 48 Local Arts Organizations at 2019 Grants Celebration February 5, 2019

Media Contact: Brett Gray, brett@brettgraypr.com, 214.557.6233

young students from Junior Players performing at the 2019 Grants Celebration

Junior Players at the 2019 TACA Grants Celebration

DALLAS – TACA – The Arts Community Alliance – announced last night that 48 North Texas arts organizations – representing theater, music, dance, youth performance – and for the first time, visual arts – will share in its 2019 Arts General Operating Grant distribution of $753,000, an increase over 2018’s distribution of $700,000.  Grant amounts ranged from $50,000 to $5,000.  Representatives of each grant recipient, as well as local arts managers, patrons and volunteers attended the event in the lobby of One Arts Plaza.

TACA Board Members at the 2019 Grants Celebration

TACA Board Members Carol March, Debbie Lively, and Cheryl Alston

Guests enjoyed special performances from Junior Players’ production of Green Day’s “American Idiot” at the celebration sponsored by The Richards Group, One Arts Plaza, Platinum Parking, and Peticolas Brewing Company.

“This year TACA has placed a priority on funding organizations that are excelling in their missions and most closely align with our five evaluative criteria,” said Tara Lewis, chair of TACA’s grants committee. “Similarly, it’s important that we make early investments in young, artistic entrepreneurs. Our awards to Lumedia Musicworks and American Baroque Opera exemplify that philosophy as do grants to organizations like Cry Havoc Theater Company and Dark Circles Contemporary Dance.”

Beginning in 2016, TACA instituted a deeper strategic granting process based on more detailed evaluative criteria.

Michelle Thomas applauding TACA's 2019 Grant Recipients

TACA Board Chair, Michelle Thomas

This year, 54 volunteers spent 2,600 hours observing performances by grant applicants, and evaluating each on:

  • Artistic excellence
  • Innovation and originality
  • Support of local artists and local creation
  • Access, diversity and inclusion of all Dallas County residents
  • Financial and administrative stewardship

2019 TACA grants posters“For the first time, TACA is thrilled to include unrestricted funding for the visual arts among our traditional grant categories,” added Michelle Thomas, chair of TACA’s board of directors.  “This gives us an opportunity to support worthy organizations across a greater segment of our arts and culture sector.  If we are to realize our vision for the arts community, we must invest in all segments of it, and this year’s funding is representative of that mission.”

TACA’s 2019 grantees are:

African American Repertory Theater $5,000
American Baroque Opera Company $5,000
AT&T Performing Arts Center $25,000
Avant Chamber Ballet $5,000
Ballet Dallas $5,000
Blue Candlelight Music Series $5,000
Bruce Wood Dance $16,000
Cara Mía Theatre Co. $19,000
Chamber Music International $7,000
Chamberlain Performing Arts $9,000
Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas $26,000
Cry Havoc Theater Company $8,000
Dallas Bach Society $5,000
Dallas Black Dance Theatre $47,000
Dallas Chamber Symphony $14,000
Dallas Children’s Theater $50,000
Dallas Contemporary $21,000
Dallas Museum of Art $25,000
Dallas Symphony Orchestra $41,000
Dallas Theater Center $43,000
Dallas Winds $13,000
Dark Circles Contemporary Dance $15,000
Fine Arts Chamber Players $14,000
Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra $19,000
Irving Symphony Orchestra $5,000
Junior Players $21,000
Kitchen Dog Theater $15,000
Lone Star Wind Orchestra $11,000
Lumedia Musicworks $5,000
Nasher Sculpture Center $25,000
Orchestra of New Spain $10,000
Orpheus Chamber Singers $5,000
Plano Civic Chorus $5,000
Plano Symphony Orchestra $20,000
Sammons Center for the Arts $12,000
Second Thought Theatre $11,000
Shakespeare Dallas $5,000
Soul Rep Theatre Company $5,000
Texas Winds Musical Outreach $11,000
The Dallas Opera $42,000
The Women’s Chorus of Dallas $5,000
Theatre Three $10,000
TITAS Presents $26,000
Turtle Creek Chorale $13,000
Undermain Theatre $15,000
Uptown Players $15,000
Voices of Change $5,000
WaterTower Theatre $14,000

About TACA

TACA (The Arts Community Alliance) supports excellence and impact in the arts through grant-making, capacity building, and thought leadership. TACA envisions an innovative, inclusive, sustainable cultural sector recognized for its essential contribution to a vibrant, prosperous community. Since its founding in 1967, TACA has worked to establish North Texas’ cultural community as one of the strongest in the nation. TACA’s growing investment in the arts translates to new premieres and productions, impactful residencies and community initiatives, and more opportunities for artists and audiences to connect – all striving to make Dallas a dynamic city and a great place to live and work.

For more information about TACA, call 214-520-3930 or visit taca-arts.org. Connect with TACA on Facebook at facebook.com/tacadallas, Twitter at @TACADallas or on Instagram at @TACADallas.

More Media & Blog

TACA announces five 2024 recipients of its New Works Fund   

DALLAS - October 28, 2024 - TACA - The Arts Community Alliance - announces Cara Mía Theatre, Soul Rep Theatre, Undermain Theatre, Teatro Dallas, and...
More about TACA announces five 2024 recipients of its New Works Fund   

Meet the Pop-Up Grant Recipients for September & October

Announcing Our Newest Pop-Up Grant Recipients We proudly announce three standout Pop-Up Grants programs for September and October.  These productions included diverse artistic endeavors, challenging...
More about Meet the Pop-Up Grant Recipients for September & October

TACA Arts Insider with Lucas Shelton

Arts Insider with Lucas Shelton What advice would you offer to other business professionals who want to make a meaningful impact in the arts community?What...
More about TACA Arts Insider with Lucas Shelton