Program areas at FCA
Grants to artists:the organization provided $45,000 cash awards to provide recipients the means to engage in whatever artistic endeavors they wish to pursue. Recipients are chosen annually through a confidential peer nomination process, staff research into nominees, and selection by a committee comprising fca's board and guest experts. In 2022, 21 grants were made to individual artists. Nine of these awards are named in memory of artists: john cage, merce cunningham, helen frankenthaler, roy lichtenstein, richard pousette-dart, robert rauschenberg, dorothea tanning, cy twombly, and c.d. Wright. The cage and cunningham awards are made in alternating years; the cunningham award was made in 2022.
The ellsworth kelly award:this endowed award was established with a gift from the ellsworth kelly Foundation in honor of the artist. The grant is made annually to create a solo exhibition opportunity for a Contemporary visual artist at a u.s. art museum or university or college art gallery. Each year fca identifies and invites applications from such institutions. The Foundation's board reviews applications and selects the recipient. The 2022 award was $45,000.
Emergency grants:these grants are awarded on a rolling basis to artists and collectives who incur unexpected expenses when projects are close to completion or receive sudden opportunities to present their work to the public. Emergency grants range from $500 to $3,000. Applications are received on a rolling basis through an open application process. Staff review applications for eligibility, and an artist panel is convened monthly to review and determine grant recipients. In 2022, fca made 209 emergency grants totaling $475,083.
Contemporary visual Arts scholarship (cvas):fca administers an annual scholarship program for college-bound seniors from the housatonic valley regional high school for undergraduate study in the fine Arts, with funds contributed by a Connecticut Foundation. Selection is made by a panel of visual artists based on merit and financial need. In 2022, the amount of the scholarship was doubled; new recipients receive $80,000 over four years ($10,000 per semester). $40,000 was distributed to three students in 2022.in november 2022, fca made donations to nine mutual aid funds and organizations totaling $18,612 in support of racial and social justice efforts.