Arts & Entertainment Atlanta (A&E), the leading neighborhood activation and economic development initiative for Downtown Atlanta - has officially opened applications for its fourth annual grant cycle to support local artists and arts organizations presenting work in Downtown Atlanta.

Applicants can request grant amounts ranging from $1,000 - $10,000 for either project support or general operations funding. The 2023/24 grant cycle is unprecedented in the organization's history, offering the largest amount of grant funding ever for artists. It also stands as the most substantial arts grant available specifically for the Downtown Atlanta district. In total, A&E will award a record $175,000 to its largest group of grant recipients ever.

Through this annual grant program, A&E has assisted in developing new artist projects that have created landmark exhibitions, community festivals, and installations cementing Atlanta as a national cultural powerhouse:

• Rush Hour Music & Arts Festival: A two-day event - produced by Andrew Bloom - that broke open a cross-cultural conversation through fine art and music by hosting a festival featuring artists from the Black and Asian communities in Atlanta.

• Untitled: A collaborative dance and photography-based activation of Atlanta’s libraries, archives, and rare bookstores by Anicka Austin and Sierra King. Through dance performances and virtual and physical photographs, the activation reflected their archival research and speculative storytelling on the lives and work of Lucille Clifton, Carmen de Lavallade, and Katherine Dunham.

• The Inner Space: A platform created by Carl Janes for DIY performance and maintained to support all forms of creativity within the diverse context that Atlanta has to offer. During the grant period, Inner Space hosted over 100 evenings of performance, each one with several acts.

• Tree Map: A sculpture by Gavin Bernard that highlights one of Atlanta’s richest assets, its bounty of trees. This work incorporated a dead tree and used molded PVC piping to mimic and map the organic structure of one tree. It captures and offers reverence to one tree's life journey by mapping its architectural path.

“As we launch the 2023/24 grant cycle, the largest in our organization's history, we are filled with excitement,” said Fredalyn M. Frasier - Project Director, Planning and Urban Design for Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District. “This initiative represents a special opportunity for local artists and organizations and symbolizes Atlanta's commitment to nurturing creative expression. We believe in the potential of every artist in our community. Through these grants, we tell them, 'We see the value of your creativity and appreciate the energy you bring to Downtown.' In its own way, A&E's goal is to spotlight Atlanta's role as a leader in the national arts community by celebrating and supporting the vibrant creativity found right here in our own backyard.”

Last year’s A&E Atlanta’s grant recipients included Andrew Blooms, Anicka Austin, Ashlee Haze, Carley Rickles & Erin Palovick, Carl Janes, Cienna Minniefield, DanceATL, Eso Tilin Projects, Fly on a Wall, Future Dead Artists, Gavin Bernard, Kerri Garrett, La Candela Flamenco, Mike Stasny, NOVA CYPRESS BLACK, Praise House Project, The Evil Doers Mega, and T. Lang Dance.

The deadline for 2023/24 grant cycle applications is Thursday, September 7, 2023. Applicants can find the necessary information and application portal on the A&E website.