Does your community love its performing arts? Is your organization planning to start a mural program? Do you want your downtown to be known for its public art? Then, you should get to know the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

The Virginia Commission for the Arts is the state agency that supports the arts through funding from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts. Their mission is to support artistic excellence and encourage growth in artistic quality for the benefit of all Virginians. They do this through the Art Works for Virginia Conference and Creative Forces Arts Summit, grants for localities and organizations and resources for artists.

How can you work with the Commission for the Arts?

• Project Grants provided to nonprofits, units of government or educational institutions to commission works of art.
• Creative Communities Partnership Grants which works through units of local government to provide funding to arts organizations.
• The Resources section of their website provides a clearing house of information for arts organizations, nonprofits and artists with much of the information applicable to nonprofits in general.