HOUSTON - Mayor Sylvester Turner has approved Fiscal Year 2018 grants for the arts, awarded through the Houston Arts Alliance.

A total of $3,463,217 in grants will go to local nonprofit organizations to present activities and programming between July 2017 and June 2018. The grants are funded through a portion of the Hotel Occupancy Tax that is dedicated to the arts as part of the city’s cultural priorities guided by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA).

“Houston’s diverse arts and cultural offerings provide tremendous service to our community, attract visitors and set Houston apart from other cities,” said the mayor. “Each dollar the city invests sparks social and economic returns to the city and is a big reason why Houston has grown its creative talent and opportunity.”

Eighty-five local organizations will provide a remarkable range of public performances, festivals and exhibitions of film, choir, literary works, visual art, jazz, dance, theater, musicals, outdoor sculpture, classical music, opera, murals, poetry, craft, folk & traditional arts, photography and more. The funds are granted via the local arts agency, Houston Arts Alliance, which guided applicants through a process that involved written questions, financial review and scoring by 22 external peer-review panelists who contributed approximately 300 volunteer hours to that process.

“HAA’s grant programs are the heartbeat of our organization,” states Houston Arts Alliance Chairman and Interim CEO Philamena Baird. “It is our mission to serve our community, local artists, and arts organizations.”

Congratulations to all the award recipients! Thank you for your dedication and contributions to the expansive arts and culture landscape of Houston.

For a complete list of grant recipients, go to: http://houstonartsalliance.com/grants/recipients/