NIAGARA FALLS, ON - The City of Niagara Falls Culture Committee has selected twelve new recipients to receive funding from the Niagara Falls Cultural Development Fund, created in 2016. The cultural initiatives, innovative programs, and projects have been selected based on their high-quality community engagement and accessible, cultural, and heritage-related ideas, celebrating Niagara Falls' history, people, and identity. They will be delivered throughout the year at various locations and events around the City.
"The City of Niagara Falls Cultural Development Fund offers funding to individuals, groups, collectives and organizations for the creation, production, presentation and distribution of culture and cultural services," said Clark Bernat, City of Niagara Falls Culture & Museums Manager. "We are happy to be working to support artists, creators and local promoters who provide interesting and unique experiences for the people of Niagara Falls."
Congratulations to the following 2023 recipients
Full Grants
The level of funding allocated to one project may be up to $10,000.
Art Niagara Event
Who: Art Niagara
What: Art Niagara is a new cultural and Canadian arts organization seeking to amplify culture in Niagara Falls via a multifaceted, community-focused art fair.
Amount Funded: $9,305
Blank Slate
Who: Adam Buller
What: A short documentary surrounding three stories of individuals facing homelessness, supplemented by interviews with community leaders and culminating in a fundraiser premiere.
Amount Funded: $7,250
CariFalls
Who: Majestic Multicultural Events Inc.
What: A Caribbean Street festival entitled Carifalls is held on the third Saturday in August. Festival revellers, Caribbean live music and food are showcased in a day-long festival.
Amount Funded: $9,305
Heartland Beat Drum Circle
Who: Eve Atoms
What: A monthly, inclusive drum circle that invites people of all ages and abilities to participate in making rhythms together.
Amount Funded: $5,000
Niagara Falls Zine Project
Who: Katie Mazi
What: Curating Niagara Falls-themed collaborative photography and art zine with local photographers and artists and hosting a launch party at Camp Cataract in Niagara Falls.
Amount Funded: $3,410
Niagara Irish Festival 2023
Who: Irish Music Niagara
What: A community-driven celebration of Irish music and culture for the City of Niagara Falls, to be held in Firemen's Park.
Amount Funded: $9,305
One Big Day Festival
Who: Matt Anthony Guarasci
What: On Queen Street and Taps Brewhouse, One Big Day Festival will consist of various live music performances from local Niagara artists, artists from out of town (not many), local artists and artisans selling their work and more.
Amount Funded: $9,305
Rewild These Hands
Who: Harmonic Shadow Circus
What: Rewild These Hands is a series of late summer circus performances that fuse aerial/ground acrobatics with live music to engage market-goers.
Amount Funded: $4,000
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Who: Niagara Falls Art Gallery
What: Niagara Falls Art Gallery hopes to present an outdoor film screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show with a Drag preshow presentation in collaboration with Pride Niagara Drag artists.
Amount Funded: $7,025
The History We Made: Bringing Our Stories Home
Who: Daniel Hummel
What: The History We Made is a literary project to preserve local history by interviewing, documenting, and writing memoirs for 2S + LGBTQQIA+ seniors and creating book tours to share these stories with the public.
Amount Funded: $5,209
Micro Grants
$1,000 "micro-grants" offer a simplified and introductory possibility for individuals or groups looking to complete smaller projects.
Lucky's Lenses
Who: Anthony Stracuzzi
What: To uncover and publicly share Niagara's Culture and Historical events from the archives of local filmmaker Fortunato "Lucky" Stracuzzi over the past 50 years.
Amount Funded: $1,000
Midnight Radio: A Rock Musical Cabaret
Who: Jessie Lamoth
What: An evening of live music featuring music from two rock musicals: Lazarus - David Bowie and Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Amount Funded: $1,000
About the Niagara Falls Cultural Development Fund (NFCDF)
The NFCDF is an annual fund for l?ocal projects between March and February. Project proposals can range from exhibitions to events, walking tours, workshops, panel discussions, lectures, public programs, art installations, project or concept development, heritage-related ideas, community celebrations, interactive experiences and performances. Participatory and co-created projects and collaborative partnerships between organizations, collectives and individuals are encouraged.
Learn more about the Niagara Falls Cultural Development Fund
For more information, contact:
Clark Bernat
City of Niagara Falls
Culture & Museums Manager
Recreation and Culture
905-358-5082
[email protected]
