Ucross Foundation Awarded $91,000 in Grants

On Thursday, January 25, the Ucross Foundation announced that it has been awarded a total of $91,000 in grants to support its acclaimed artist residency program and gallery from institutions including the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as Ruth Foundation for the Arts, The Ford Family Foundation and Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced Wednesday that it has approved Ucross for a Grant for Arts Project in the amount of $15,000. This grant will allow Ucross to expand its Fellowships for Native American Visual Artists and Writers to include, for the first time, Native American Performers. The selected artist will receive uninterrupted time, studio space, staff support, meals by a professional chef and the opportunity to perform their work publicly at a future event. This marks the fifth highly competitive grant Ucross has received from the NEA since its first award from the federal agency in 2020.

“The NEA is delighted to announce this grant to Ucross, which is helping contribute to the strength and well-being of the arts sector and local community,” said National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “We are pleased to be able to support this community and help create an environment where all people have the opportunity to live artful lives.”

In December, Ruth Foundation for the Arts awarded Ucross with a $50,000 Core Grant for general operating support. Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Ruth Arts is dedicated to meeting the evolving needs and lived experiences of artists, communities and arts organizations whose work is anchored by visual arts, performing arts and arts education. Ruth Arts grantmaking is focused on artist-centric organizations that have deeply influenced creative practices and contributed the national ecosystem of artmaking.

 Cara Tomlinson of Portland, Oregon, works in her studio during her residency at Ucross. Tomlinson received The Ford Family Foundation Fellowship at Ucross in 2019. Ucross has recently received another award from TFFF to support Oregon-based artists, among other major national and state grants. (Ucross photo)

Ucross also received $16,000 from The Ford Family Foundation (TFFF) to support residencies for mid-career visual artists from Oregon. TFFF is a nonprofit, private foundation headquartered in Roseburg, Oregon. Ucross and TFFF have partnered since 2013, providing the Ucross experience to more than 30 Oregon-based artists in that time.

The Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund awarded Ucross with $10,000 to support the next exhibition at the Ucross Art Gallery, “Celebrating Complexities,” which features work from four recipients of the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists. The Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund serves the citizens of Wyoming by supporting Wyoming’s culture and heritage through grant funding of innovative projects for the enjoyment, appreciation, promotion, preservation and protection of the state’s arts, cultural and historic resources.

“We’re honored that these inspiring institutions have recognized Ucross’s commitment to building a community for artists over the past 40 years,” said Ucross President William Belcher. “These grants will support our mission to provide artists with time and space to focus on the creative process, as well as share their artwork with our surrounding community.”

Learn more about Ucross and its programs at ucross.org.