The Broome County Arts Council will announce $224,754 in United Cultural Fund grant awards for 2012 at 1:30 p.m. today (March 8) at BCAC’s downtown Binghamton office and gallery.
The United Cultural Fund, BCAC’s largest program, is an annual combined campaign for the arts that provides general operating support to established nonprofit arts organizations and project grants to other community nonprofits and individual artists in Broome County.
At the announcement, BCAC Board Chairman Fred Xlander will acknowledge the challenges of fundraising in a recovering economy, and he will thank UCF donors “who believe, as BCAC does, that the arts are an essential part of life in this community.”
In remarks released in advance of the announcement, Xlander says: “After last fall’s terrible floods, we didn’t know what to expect when we launched the UCF campaign. We are grateful to our donors for affirming the theme that guided us: ‘Where the arts go, improvement follows’!”

UCF Grantees 2012

UCF Grantees 2012

BCAC has allocated $211,500 to general operating support grants and $13,254 to project grants for this year. Seven nonprofit arts organizations are 2012 UCF general operating support grant recipients:

  • Tri-Cities Opera, $60,400.
  • Roberson Museum & Science Center, $58,800.
  • Binghamton Philharmonic, $50,000.
  • Endicott Performing Arts Center, $20,800.
  • Art Mission & Theater, $10,500.
  • Goodwill Theatre, $6,500.
  • Cider Mill Playhouse, $4,500.

These 14 community nonprofits and individual artists are project grant recipients:

  • $1,000 to Binghamton Center for Writers for the Binghamton Poetry Project.
  • $1,000 to Binghamton Youth Symphony for the 2012 annual spring concert.
  • $1,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Binghamton for after-school drama workshops. for Boys & Girls Club youth to create an original and personal performance piece.
  • $1,000 to First Ward Action Council Inc. for “Art for the Aging” at the First Ward Senior Center.
  • $1,000 to Phelps Mansion Museum for the Second Sunday at the Phelps Chamber Music Series.
  • $1,000 to Summer Savoyards Inc. for the 2012 production of “The Pirates of Penzance” by Gilbert & Sullivan.
  • $1,000 to Windsor Partners Inc. for the 2012 Window on the Arts Festival.
  • $1,000 to Windsor Whip Works Art Center for Art Alliance Superstar guest speakers.
  • $965 to Binghamton Community Orchestra for a concert featuring Southern Tier Music Teachers’ Association soloists.
  • $944 to Mary L. Wilcox Memorial Library of Whitney Point for “Preserving Our Past: Caring For and Displaying Historic Photographs.”
  • $925 to J. Barrett Wolf for “Here and There Reading Series: Poets from Near and Far.”
  • $920 to The Addiction Center of Broome County for the mural project “Envisioning Recovery.”
  • $750 to The Madrigal Choir of Binghamton for a concert titled “Beginnings.”
  • $750 to Binghamton Downtown Singers for its spring 2012 concert.

Major donors to the 2012 UCF Campaign include the Hoyt Foundation, Broome County, Decker Foundation, Gaffney Foundation, IBM Corporation, M&T Bank, the Akel family, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, and other businesses and individuals. For more information, call BCAC Executive Director Sharon Ball at 723-4620 or visit www.bcartscouncil.com.