GREENVILLE — Two Darke County organizations are sharing in the state’s 22.7 million investment in the arts throughout Ohio. The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) approved the grants that support nonprofits, arts and cultural organizations, students and educators and public arts programming. This marks the largest single round of grant awards distributed to OAC funding applicants in the agency’s history. The grants stem from the state’s 2024-2025 operating budget, which included a record-high state appropriation of nearly $51.1 million for OAC over the two-year period.

Donna S. Collins, executive director of OAC, said, ““On behalf of the board, the Ohio Arts Council thanks Governor Mike DeWine, Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, and members of the Ohio General Assembly for their steadfast support of the arts. We are proud to invest such a significant amount of funding in Ohio communities and contribute to our state’s cultural vitality and importance.”

Sharing in the historic funding are the Illumination Festival and Darke County Center for the Arts.

The Illumination Festival received funding for its event at the Darke County Fairgrounds in September. This year’s event will be held Sept. 21 and will feature Matthew West, Tasha Layton, Caleb & John, He Knows Our Name and the Splat Experience. Tickets are available at www.itickets.com. The festival received $3,106 through the ArtSTART program. ArtSTART provides flexible, accessible funding to help organizations complete short-term projects addressing a wide variety of goals and objectives. Most awards support the programming of new or emerging organizations, including first-time OAC applicants, as well as new or established organizations in areas not served by other arts providers. There were a total of 181 grants funded totaling $625,979.

Darke County Center for the Arts received over $23,000 through two funding opportunities. The organization received $11,466 from the Ohio Artists on Tour fund and another $11,682 through the Sustainability fund.

The Ohio Artists on Tour grant opportunity enables Ohio organizations to tap into the creative potential of artists to enrich their programming and the vitality of their communities. This program provides awards in the form of fee support to institutions that present Ohio-based performing artists.

There were 31 grants funded throughout the state totaling $162,071.

The Sustainability funding supports ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres. Awards support the state’s arts and cultural ecosystem, providing stable and consistent funding to organizations regardless of budget size. This flexible and reliable funding supports a wide range of the state’s arts providers as they make high-quality artistic experiences available to residents and visitors, positioning Ohio as a national leader in creativity, artistry, and cultural wealth.

There were 446 grants approved totaling $17,167,288.