Arts Council of Wilmington awards $430,000 in grants to 43 arts and culture organizations
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The Arts Council of Wilmington & New Hanover County awarded $430,000 in grants to support 43 arts and culture organizations throughout New Hanover County.
The Endowment, in partnership with the Arts Council, launched an enhanced Arts & Culture Grants Program for 2026, building on the success of its 2025 pilot program.
“The arts are vital to our community’s identity, economy, and quality of life,” said Rhonda Bellamy, president and CEO of the Arts Council of Wilmington & New Hanover County. “Thanks to The Endowment, we can invest in our anchor arts institutions as well as numerous volunteer-led organizations that bring creativity, inspiration, and cultural enrichment to Wilmington and beyond.”
The 43 grant recipients, selected and awarded by the Arts Council, represent disciplines including theater, music, dance and literary arts. Funding will support programs ranging from educational initiatives to public performances, exhibitions and community engagement projects.
2026 grant recipients
Big Dawg Theater, $15,000
Black Arts Alliance, $5,000
Brooklyn Arts Music Academy, $15,000
Cameron Art Museum, $15,000
Cape Fear Chorale, $5,000
Cape Fear Cultural Association of India, $5,000
Cape Fear Swing Dance Society, $5,000
Carolina Beach Mural Project, $5,000
Chamber Music Wilmington, $15,000
Children’s Museum of Wilmington, $1,000
Cinema Sisters, $5,000
Cucalorus Film Foundation, $15,000
Dance Cooperative, $5,000
Dreams, $15,000
FlowILM, $5,000
Harrington Repertory, $4,575
Island Arts Council, $5,000
Mouths of Babes, $15,000
Music on Market, $5,000
Narrative Arts, $15,000
NC Jazz Festival, $15,000
Opera House Theatre, $15,000
Opera Wilmington, $15,000
Panache, $5,000
Performance Club Theatre Company, $5,000
Port City Playwrights, $4,425
Preservation NC (Bellamy), $15,000
Soaring as Eagles, $5,000
Thalian Association, $15,000
Thalian Hall, $15,000
Theater For All, $15,000
Turning the Wheel, $15,000
WHQR, $15,000
Willis Richardson Players, $5,000
Wilmington School of the Arts, $15,000
Wilmington Symphonic Winds, $5,000
Wilmington Symphony Orchestra, $15,000
Wilmington Virtuosi Brass, $5,000
Wilmington Voices, $5,000
Wilson Center, $15,000
Working Films, $15,000
Wrightsville Beach Museum, $15,000
Youth Choir of Wilmington, $5,000
The Arts Council stated that the grants were made possible by funding from The Endowment, which provided a grant to the Arts Council to manage the 2026 Arts and Culture Grants Program.
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