Statewide Community Regrant Awardees Announced! Empowering artists and creative projects to thrive
We are pleased to share the recipients of the 2026 Arts Thrive Grow Grant Program, a celebration of creativity, perseverance, and the power of the arts in our communities.
This year, we awarded $112,000 in funding through 39 grants, supporting projects that reflect the strength, resilience, and innovation of the Capital Region’s cultural landscape.
In a time where adaptability and imagination are more important than ever, these artists and organizations continue to rise. Their work spans public engagement, storytelling, music, visual art, cultural heritage, and more, each project rooted in a deep commitment to making art accessible and impactful.
The 2026 grantees reflect the heart of the Capital Region’s arts ecosystem: diverse, dedicated, and resilient. Whether working in studios, libraries, parks, or performance halls, these creatives are building stronger communities through the transformative power of art.
Arts Education Grants
Ash King, A Salt-fire Experience: Beginner Ceramics Workshop Series, Rensselaer County
Cohoes Connect Center for Youth, Financial Literacy Arts Program, Albany County
Cohoes Public Library, Painting Community in Cohoes, Albany County
Cynthia DiDonna-Nethaway, Mending through Motion and Meditative Arts, Albany County
Ira Marcks, Comics as Communication: A Visual Storytelling Workshop with the Freshmen at Columbia High School, Rensselaer County
Ira Marcks, Stories for the Future: A Creative Careers Workshop with the Seniors at Columbia High School, Rensselaer County
Kiara Johnson, Our School – Collaborative Mural, Albany County
Russell Sage College, Senior Art Workshop: Stories and histories, Albany County
Tech Valley Center of Gravity, Inc., Digital Fabrication for Artists Residency, Rensselaer County
The Red Bookshelf Inc., Crown Confidence & Lil’ Crowns Big Confidence: Youth workshops combining hairstyling, art, and literacy to build creativity, confidence, and cultural pride in partnership with Northeast Parent & Child Society and The Red Bookshelf., Albany County
Community Arts Grants
Albany Fund for Education, Inc., Creating Community Connections Through a Multidisciplinary Exploration of Indian Classical Music at Albany’s Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology, Albany County
Albany Public Library, Ready to Hit the Dance Floor! Latin Music for All. Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at Albany Public Library, Albany County
Asian Arts New York, Inc., Harmony and Healing: Eastern Arts for Mental Health and Community Well-Being, Albany County
Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY, Fall 2026 Production of MY CHILDREN! MY AFRICA! by Athol Fugard, Albany County
Collar City Pride, 3rd Annual Collar City Pride Festival, Rensselaer County
Downtown Troy BID, Set a Scene: Places, Spaces, Without Faces – Community Art Exhibit, Rensselaer County
electronic body arts, Inc., eba SHAKER DANCES for the 250th Anniversary Celebration of Shaker Settlement in Albany – performed by 20 community and 8 professional performers at the 1848 Shaker Heritage Meeting House, Albany, NY, Albany County
Friends of Tivoli Lake Preserve and Farm, Inc., Flax Art Workshops, Albany County
Hudson Valley Writers Guild, You Me and Poetry: Literacy, Liberation, Community, Schenectady County
Keith Pray, Public premiere of Meditations on Consciousness: A new multi-media performance composition exploring empathy, tolerance and social consciousness through the combination of disparate genres and utilizing student visual art and audience participation., Schenectady County
Living Resources Corp, Digital Voices: A Community Media Arts Project, Albany County
Melissa Sarris, Co/Mend, Albany County
Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center Corporation, OPEN House, Albany County
Picture Lock One, LLC, Picture Lock One microcinema: “See-Saw” workshops and expanded seasons, Rensselaer County
Refugee and Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus, Inc., Bringing the Healing and Expressive Power of Music to Newcomer Communities, Albany County
R’ville Stage Creations Inc., Building Community Through Theatre: R’ville Stage Creations Presents The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in the Helderberg Hilltowns, Albany County
The Friends of the William K. Sanford Town Library, Sounds of India: A Community Music Series, Albany County
The Hamilton Hill “Drop-in” Arts & Crafts association Inc., Juneteenth, Schenectady County
The Young Musicians Forum Inc, Young Musicians Forum Concert Series, Autumn/Winter 2026, Schenectady County
Troy Public Library, “Do Date”: A Saturday Craft & Performance Series at Troy Public Library, Rensselaer County
Individual Artist Grants
Jessica Bowen, Sound, Space, Stillness: An Exploration in Violin, Collaborative Improvisations, and Community Resonance, Rensselaer County
Jillian McDonald, Sea Cruise – 10 large drawings on paper, on wood panel, Rensselaer County
Jianling Yue, Revitalizing Heritage: Engaging Modern Communities with Ancient Eastern Art, Albany County
Jim Lewis, Working Title: Dragon Passage, Rensselaer County
Karley Sullivan, Phenomena: Artworks by Karley Sullivan at Kiddie Pool Project Space, Albany County
Kristen Kopper, Stockade Stories, Schenectady County
Mariah Kitner, Castle in the Clouds, Rensselaer County
Nathan Meltz, The Golem Trilogy, Animation and Live-Scoring Event, Rensselaer County
Yiyi Mendoza, Rezos, Remedios, Rituales y Recetas Ancestrales – A body of work and solo show by Yiyi Mendoza, Rensselaer County
The Arts Center of the Capital Region’s Statewide Community Regrant Program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.