CULTURAL COUNCIL OF PALM BEACH COUNTY
Cultural Development Fund
Small and Emerging Organizations, Community Cultural Projects
Recommended Grant Awards for FY 2015-2016
Grant Period: October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Cultural Development Fund is distributed to small and emerging Palm Beach County based
cultural organizations to enhance and expand their cultural programs. Funds are also
recommended to other community-based nonprofits where there are cultural projects targeting
children within the County, especially underserved populations, and/or organizations that
preserve cultural heritages and traditions through the arts and create opportunities for all Palm
Beach County residents to experience culturally diverse programs and events. A total fund
of $180,000.00 is budgeted for the FY 2015-16 grant period.
Community Organizations with Cultural Projects:
For the Children, Inc.
$4,566
For the Children, Inc. offers an afterschool Multicultural Arts Program (MAP) that places an
emphasis on visual and non-visual art programming in order to build self- esteem and improve
students’ interest in learning. For the Children, Inc. works collaboratively with organizations such
as the Lake Worth Playhouse and the Greater Chamber of Lake Worth to help students build
confidence and leadership abilities as well as improve academic life skills. This organization serves
over 200 students between the ages of 3-18 in the community surrounding downtown Lake
Worth. 99% of students that participate in the MAP program are of an ethnic minority and receive
free or reduced lunch in school. Grant dollars will be used to fund the MAP program.
Cultural Organizations, Level One:
Boca Raton Community Chorus d/b/a The Boca Raton Singers
$2,283
The Boca Raton Community Chorus will be using their grant dollars to put on two major
concerts. In December the Chorus will be doing its annual Music and Candlelight Concert and
another major concert is scheduled for May.
The Taras Oceanographic Foundation
$2,347
Taras Oceanographic Foundation will offer the Ocean of Notes Concert Series as part of their
Edu-Tainment programs. The concert series provides people across all income levels with an
opportunity to experience live performances while learning about the important research and
conservation work done by Taras. The 2015 Ocean of Notes Concert will take place on Friday,
December 4th at the Borland Center in Palm Beach Gardens. Grant dollars will be used to cover
the venue rental.
Puppetry Arts Center of the Palm Beaches, Inc.
$2,411
The Puppetry Arts Center will bring the art form of puppetry into community venues to allow its
multi-generational audiences an up close experience with dedicated artists of a unique genre.
Performances will include “The Director’s Choice” series and two travelling shows featuring the
Center’s volunteer performers. These performances will illustrate the reasons behind the wide
appeal of this timeless cultural innovation. Funding will pay for artists’ fees.
Martin Luther King Jr. Coordinating committee of West Palm Beach, Inc.
$2,425
The MLKCC holds events in January and throughout the year to serve two purposes: one, to
expand the cultural programs for students centered around the principals by which Dr. King
lived his life; and two, to utilize, introduce and promote the use of the Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. Memorial Park, that has become a focal point of many celebrations as it emerges as one of
the major cultural sites in Palm Beach County. Over 100 businesses, organizations and
individuals remain co-sponsors.
Caribbean American for Community Involvement in Florida, Inc.
$2,432
Caribbean American for Community Involvement in Florida, also known as CAFCI will use
funding for three different programs: 1) Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration in January 2016; 2)
Cultural Diversity Day in May 2016; and 3) Youth Talent Showcase in August 2016. These
events are unique in the western part of the county and serve people from Belle Glade to West
Palm Beach, Jupiter, and Boynton Beach. CAFCI promotes the importance for all citizens of
multicultural and ethnic backgrounds to experience, participate, and develop an understanding
and appreciation of its diverse community. CAFCI will use the grant money for keynote speakers
and marketing and advertising.
Philippine American Society, Inc.
$2,460
The Philippine American Society holds an annual Philippine Summer Festival which is held on
the first Saturday of June at the South Florida Fairgrounds. It is the cornerstone of this
organization’s cultural programming. This festival commemorates the Philippine independence
from a 300- year rule of Spanish Colonizers and is celebrated by Filipinos all over the world.
The event is for everyone -- 25% of attendees are non-Filipino. An average of 3,000 people
attend.
Glades Historical Society, Inc. d/b/a Lawrence E. Will Museum
$2,477
Zora in the Glades celebrates the 30-year relation Zora Neale Hurston had with the Glades
region of Palm Beach County. An anthropologist who trained with Margaret Meade and Ruth
Benedict under Frank Boaz, the “father of American anthropology” at Barnard College and
Columbia University, she first traveled to the Glades for folklore research in the 1920s. The
museum provides exhibits and programs that explore Zora’s interplay with the Glades. Grant
money will be used towards the costs of two public presentations.
Masterworks Chorus of the Palm Beaches
$2,503
Masterworks Chorus of the Palm Beaches produces the longest running, traditional Messiah
concert in the area which has become a holiday ritual for an increasing number of Palm Beach
County residents. The funds from this grant enable this organization to recruit and contract the
best instrumental musicians and soloists. It is the Masterworks Chorus of the Palm Beaches
hope that its audience members come away from these performances with greater appreciation
for classical music and live music in general.
Youth Orchestra of Palm Beach County, Inc.
$2,574
The YOPBC offers a complete learning and orchestral experience for its members. Members
take weekly classes as well as occasional Master classes. They take part in one of four
orchestras for performance experience, advancing to participation in chamber ensembles. Grant
dollars are used to compensate conductors and instructors.
Delray Beach Chorale, Inc.
$2,609
The Delray Beach Chorale will use its grant funds to put on two major concert series: two
winter concert produced in December and two spring concerts produced in April. With the
Delray Beach Chorale’s Artists in Residence and Apprenticeship program, it offers young artists
the opportunity to learn and perform with a cultural performing arts organization. The grant
request will be used to cover a portion of their instrumentalists costs.
Friends of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
$2,631
This organization will use its funding for a free, one- day event, Everglades Day, that helps
people better understand the world- renowned Everglades ecosystem. This event attracts an
average of 3,200 people from as far away as Puerto Rico and Canada. The theme concept may
change from year to year, but the ultimate objective is always the same: educate residents
about the Everglades by employing science, art, music, nature and interactive demonstrations.
Festivities generally include expert speakers and presenters, hands- on activities and dozens of
representatives from nature-focused organizations distributing information.
April is for Authors Foundation, Inc.
$2,659
April is for Authors is an event that enables students to interact with writers about creative
writing and reading. Authors will give presentations about writing in area schools. It is a free
event, serving thousands of school aged children. This organization will use its grant money to
cover travel costs for the authors coming to Palm Beach County in 2016.
Inspirit, Inc.
$2,701
Inspirit is an organization that strives to bring the joy of live music and cultural experiences to
people living in restricted environments. Inspirit serves about 3,500 people, regardless of their
age or backgrounds, who are residing in institutions, who are starved for cultural experiences
and are unable to leave their place of residence. Inspirit arranges approximately 10-14
performances per month to visit these institutions hiring local performers of all ages and
musical backgrounds. Performances last approximately one hour and are usually highly
interactive. The people that Inspirit serves are confined to institutional settings and are isolated
from society. Reaching these individuals with live entertainment helps raise their morale and
relieve the boredom, loneliness, and despair that are so often a part of institutional life. This
organization uses its grant money to pay for artistic services.
Cultural Organizations, Level Two:
Multilingual Language and Cultural Society
$4,580
MLCS presents foreign movies in their original language (with English subtitles) once a week at
their center located in downtown West Palm Beach. The movies are free and the events are
open to the public. MLCS presents mostly European movies, both documentaries and short
films, in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, etc. More of a ‘Movie Club’ than
just a regular movie, all films are preceded by introduction and followed by a discussion.
Artists Showcase of the Palm Beaches
$5,048
Artists Showcase of the Palm Beaches offers a year-long program for students called The Two
Centuries of Multicultural Art Program, which meets twice a week after school. The program
teaches a historical perspective of African American’s and multicultural artists’ creativity and
contributions to the fine arts from slavery to the early Twenty First Century. Artists Showcase of
the Palm Beaches will use its grant dollars for art teachers, supplies, trips to local museums,
artist lectures, and a graduation ceremony for its students.
Cultural Organizations, Level Three:
Palm Beach Book Festival
$6,773
Palm Beach Book Festival will host a two-day event in West Palm Beach beginning April 1st with
celebrity author panels. The second day features more panels as well as “meet and greets” with
the authors. The program is open to the public and all ages are welcome. Grant dollars will go
towards venue rentals on Clematis Street.
Palm Beach County Surfing History Project, Inc.
$6,841
Palm Beach County Surfing History Project is creating unique aluminum photo panels that are
durable and will last for many years in an effort to bring the history of surfing in Palm Beach
County and the local area to people for years to come. The grant dollars will be used for the
creation of new panels which will enable them to refresh their current exhibit and also provide
them with the flexibility to have more than one exhibit showing at the same time.
Benzaiten Center for Creative Arts, Inc.
$7,062
The Benzaiten Center for Creative Arts plans a “Sandcasting for Kids” program involving 3 glass
artists who will explain the materials used in sandcasting as well as the science behind the art
of glass making before conducting hands-on workshops. The children will also learn about glass
production. Grant dollars will be used for materials, guest artists, and marketing.
Friends of the Mounts Botanical Garden, Inc.
$7,079
Mounts Botanical Garden will host a large-scale sculptural art exhibition to engage visitors and
allow them to experience the landscape in a new way using 500,000 LEGO® bricks in a project
called “Nature Connects.” There will be 15 sculptures and 13 displays. It’s an interactive exhibit
to provide a fun and meaningful vehicle for exposing children and their families to the
integrated systems and delicate nature of their natural environment. Grant funds will support
the appearance of Sean Kenney, the creator of Nature Connects.
The Middle School of the Arts Foundation, Inc.
$7,079
The grant will fund Artist-in-Residence Laura Graham in the Theater Department, and Artist-inResidence Shakendra Moorer in the Communications Department at Bak Middle School of the
Arts. In the upcoming year, the Theater Department will perform at least three full-length plays
and two showcases, providing free or low-cost cultural programming to hundreds of members
of the community. Bak’s Communications Department offers two showcases which are open to
the public, and Ms. Moorer will continue to coach Bak’s award winning Step Team, which
performs at many venues in and around Palm Beach County.
Sol Children Theatre, Inc.
$7,215
Sol at Slattery allows children to explore the theatre and their own creativity in a structured
way. At the same time, the children have a definite end goal; rather than just being in a class
or participating in a showcase, the children have the opportunity to produce a show, one that is
both age appropriate and fun for the participants and the audience. This year, the two Youth
(4-6 years old) shows will be short musicals based on fairy tales, the Tween show (7-9 years
old) will be “Disney’s Jungle Book Jr.” and the Teen show (10-14 years old) will be “Shrek Jr.”
Moneys from this grant will be used to help defray costs associated with the hands-on teaching
of the program.
Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, Inc.
$7,317
The Ninth Annual Festival of Trees at the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens will be held December
4 – 16, 2015; this year’s theme is The Joy of Holiday Traditions, Celebrating Family Heritage.
Meticulously planned and organized, the 1.7 acres of ANSG are transformed from their tropical
paradise to “a northern winter wonderland” featuring more than 25 trees that are sponsored by
area patrons and businesses and professionally designed by interior and floral designers and
artists.
Friends of Sandoway House Nature Center, Inc.
$7,402
Friends of Sandoway House will use its grant dollars to hire teachers for its Junior Naturalist
Program. This environmental education program now has a new outreach program which
allows classes to come to the nature center for little or no cost. Sandoway House provides
environmental education programs to 6,000 students a year, many of which are at risk.
Children who may have never had the opportunity to experience environmental awareness now
have the chance through a low cost/ no cost Jr. Naturalist program.
Delray Beach Playhouse, Inc.
$7,487
The Delray Beach Playhouse Children’s Theatre produces quality live theater with children each
summer. Using professional set designers, they construct original sets for their productions.
Children work with professional directors and choreographers. The children in the cast and
backstage gain a real understanding of what live theatre is all about. Delray Beach Playhouse,
Inc. offers special payment plans and/or scholarships for those families who could not otherwise
afford the camp, but have talented and eager children wanting to be in the show. Grant money
will be used for professional services, marketing, and advertising.
Resource Depot, Inc.
$7,556
Resource Depot turns waste into wonder through creative reuse, benefitting arts and education
in Palm Beach County. Beyond providing alternative art and education supplies, Resource Depot
brings “art with an environmental twist” to the public through field trips, community events,
exhibitions, and hands-on workshops. The Open Vessel Project is a temporary art installation
that complements Resource Depot’s mission by providing an experiential exhibition of
transformative reuse. The project will convert an underutilized outdoor space at Resource
Depot’s facility into an interactive art piece that incorporates several artistic disciplines, all
constructed with reclaimed materials from Resource Depot’s warehouse and discards from the
local community.
Flamingo Clay Studio, Inc.
$7,573
Sculpting Young Lives in Clay is a program of collaboration between Flamingo Clay Studio and
the Art Department/Art Students of Lake Worth High School. This grant will provide for an
introductory approach to this student population through in-house classroom projects, adequate
introductory supplies, regular workshop visits to our clay studio and educational presentations
of the myriad possibilities of wall creations that exist throughout the world. The funding will be
used for classroom and studio supplies and tools to be used exclusively by these students.
Delta Heritage Foundation
$7,573
The Delta Heritage Foundation offers clinics and workshops for youth and adults of various
ethnic backgrounds to provide them with the opportunity to participate in cultural activities and
to develop an appreciation for the diversity of our community. It provides an outlet for artistic
expression, as well as recognition of how a diversity of music throughout history has enriched
our lives. Grant funds will go towards artist fees, space rental, program facility, advertising,
and printing
Milagro Foundation, Inc. d/b/a Milagro Center
$7,590
The Milagro Center engages teens with cultural arts and then includes Living Values, academic
support, and career development. Classes and workshops are taught by certified teachers
and/or professionals in their fields and students have a voice in classes that are scheduled.
They understand this new path will help lift them out of poverty. 100% of participants in the
Teen Program were successfully promoted to the next grade in school in June 2013 and June
2014. The funds received will be allocated to contract teaching artists and personnel who teach
cultural arts classes.
Schoolhouse Children’s Museum and Learning Center
$7,615
The Schoolhouse Children’s Museum and Learning Center plans to offer two music based
programs to elementary children in their local community of Boynton Beach. It will partner with
the South Florida Chamber Ensemble to conduct their programs and Pathways to Prosperity to
identify the most appropriate children, locations, and area of need. The programs are, “Literacy
Using Music and Art,” and “Music with Common Objects.” Grant dollars will be spent on
compensation for the musicians, program supplies and promotional materials.
Swing and Jazz Preservation Society, Inc.
$7,624
The Swing and Jazz Preservation Society’s goal for this season is to attract younger members,
between 65-70 year olds. They will focus on producing concerts during the prime “season”
months, December through March, and are adding a special Sunday afternoon concert in
January featuring two top highs school bands. Reduced price tickets are available to students.
All concerts take place the third Tuesday of each month at Olympic Heights H.S. in Boca Raton.
The grant dollars will be used to pay for outside professional artists.
Arts Dance Generation
$7,641
Arts Dance Generation strives to improve the lives of people through the art of dance, by
delivering vibrant high quality ballet performances. The organization is planning a production of
Don Quixote in June of 2016. This organization plans to use its grant money to pay for guest
artists and space rental for the program.
Aequalis, Inc. d/b/a The Core Ensemble
$7,849
The Core Ensemble hosts a series of programs called “Music Theatre for a Diverse Community”.
This series of musical performances is designed to encourage lifelong learning by engaging
youth and adults in cultural and educational activities in October, January/ February, and
March. High quality cultural programs will be offered to economically challenged audiences at
no cost. The grant dollars will be used to support artists’ fees for the project.
VSA Florida Inc.
$8,018
This organization will teach special elementary students from Forest Hill Elementary School how
to dance in the Contemporary Dance Residency program. Select students are chosen to learn
choreography to perform at the end of the fall semester at a Holiday Showcase Performance
that VSA hosts. Deaf and Hard of Hearing students from local schools will take part in the
Drama Residency. Based on grade level, the students will learn the basics of theatre and create
a play which they will perform for their teachers, parents and peers. The Holiday Showcase
Performance gives everyone the opportunity to see the 70 children and adults with different
disabilities perform on a professional stage. The performances provide a social atmosphere and
positive experience where family members can see their loved ones succeed and grow through
the performing arts. The grant dollars will be used to pay for artistic professionals to teach
these classes.