Commissioner Mark Forest, AFCC Executive Director Julie Wake, and Commissioner Ronald Bergstrom. Courtesy of Barnstable County.
HYANNIS – The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod has officially been designated as the official arts agency of Barnstable County.
At the most recent meeting of the County Commissioners, AFCC Executive Director Julie Wake said the designation has allowed them to help boost the local arts sector through federal grant funding.
“In 2022 we were able to pass through $139,000 dollars to 14 cultural organizations in the amounts of 5 to 20 thousand dollars” said Wake.
Federal funding was received from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2022 and allowed the AFCC to give out their largest amount of $120,000 in grant funding.
In February, the group applied for a $108,000 NEA grant which will allow them to sub-grant out $100,000 and match that amount, distributing a total of $200,000 for arts projects in Barnstable County.
The temporary designation extends from March of this year to March of 2024.
The commissioners praised the work of AFCC, with Commissioner Sheila Lyons adding that studies in 2019 by the Cape Cod Commission have shown that the arts has a strong impact on the local economy.
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