The Garfield Center for the Arts Announces Community, State and Federal Grant and Operations Support

The Garfield Center for the Arts is pleased to announce that they have been the recent recipients of local, state and federal support grants meant as either emergency funds or to assist in the transition into new business practices made necessary by Covid.

From local resources, the GCA has received over $7,000 to help with operational needs and programming. The GCA received emergency support funding for operational needs and in support of the Chester River Youth Choir, from the combined efforts of the Kent Cultural Alliance and The Hedgelawn Foundation. The Hedgelawn Foundation also sponsored the recent Jazz Fest Drive-In Movie event. The GCA was also the recipient of a Kent Cares Grant, which was used to purchase new technology to improve our live streaming capabilities for future online programs.

From the state, the GCA was the recipient of over $34,000 in emergency funding by way of grants from the Maryland Department of Commerce and the Maryland State Arts Council.

From Federal programs, the Garfield Center received a PPP (Payroll Protection Program) loan mid-summer for over $17,000.

“The Garfield Center is extremely grateful for these sources of support and funding,” Steven Arnold, Executive Director of the Garfield Center, said. “We are pleased to continue to serve the communities of Chestertown, Kent County and the Eastern Shore. Keeping the arts alive and vital during the pandemic has become a campaign of passion and necessity, as the arts are needed now more than ever. Doing our part, however, cannot succeed without necessary funding and support as an investment in our ongoing efforts and to the community as a whole. We thank all of our funding agents and organizations for their commitment to our community.”

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