Arts United announced the recipients of the 2025 Regional Arts Council Capacity Grants. The Regional Arts Council is a collaborative council created by Arts United to serve members by connecting, developing, and advocating for arts and culture organizations in Northeast Indiana. The Capacity Grant Program provides funding to members of the Regional Arts Council for one or more of the following: improvement of artistic or educational quality, audience development, building or expanding a fundraising program or donor base, professional development for staff, volunteer engagement, or taking action steps toward IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, or access).

 

The recipient organizations for the fiscal year 2025 are:

  • Arena Dinner Theatre – $8,000 to increase the visibility of theatrical performances via paid social media strategies with a professional consultant to monitor results
  • FAME – $10,000 to develop a comprehensive Fund Development Plan for expanded fundraising efforts building toward long-term financial sustainability
  • Fire & Light Productions – $5,028 to implement the Building Program Development 2.0 project to expand offerings that include increased Building Class workshops, scholarships to students, stock scenery inventory, and a rental program
  • First Presbyterian Theater – $7,850 to support 2025-2026 programming with a new project that highlights voices of the disaffected, featuring gallery exhibitions, storytelling, and theatrical performance
  • Fort Wayne Ballet – $10,000 to implement the Firefly Tour, an outreach program that brings free, professional ballet performances to rural communities across Northeast Indiana
  • Fort Wayne Civic Theatre – $10,000 to begin a two-year rebranding project, including a comprehensive brand guide, marketing tools, and a website redesign with features and accessibility elements for individuals with disabilities to help build audiences
  • Fort Wayne Dance Collective – $10,000 to implement targeted marketing efforts to increase enrollment in on-site classes, grow programming, and increase brand awareness
  • Fort Wayne Philharmonic – $10,000 to collaborate with TRG Arts, a nationally recognized consulting firm specializing in audience development for arts organizations, to rebuild and grow their audience base, recover lost ticket sales and revenue, and deepen community engagement
  • Fort Wayne Trails – $6,000 to rebuild the organizational website to better meet modern needs and support a professional development opportunity for the Development Director to expand knowledge and resources
  • Fort Wayne Youtheatre – $8,522 to implement a comprehensive donor and volunteer management system and modernize the organization’s website to streamline operations and improve engagement
  • Heartland Sings – $5,000 to host a concert in collaboration with Iris Family Support Center (formerly SCAN), to encourage audiences to help combat issues of poverty, homelessness, and child abuse
  • The History Center – $9,624 to implement an expanded marketing plan to increase attendance and community support by attracting new participants
  • Honeywell Arts & Entertainment – $10,000 to provide staff training in the Jesters Program, a nationally recognized integrated arts approach, demonstrating the transformative impact of music, movement, theatre, and visual arts on individuals with developmental disabilities
  • LC Nature Park – $3,400 to design the All-Access Trail, which will provide an accessible path through key natural features and preserved spaces, and make all educational and recreational spaces more inclusive
  • Three Rivers Music Theatre – $10,000 to host a one-week educational summer intensive where students attend audition master classes and conclude in a performance in a musical theatre showcase 

 

Since the Regional Arts Council Capacity Grant Program’s inception in 2022, Arts United has supported 32 organizations with grants totaling $462,789 to support capacity-building initiatives. For more information about the Regional Arts Council or Capacity Grants, visit artsunited.org.