sign up today to stay connected to ASC
Learn More about ASC's investments in the lgbtq+ community
ASC believes that creativity comes in many forms and is critical in creating a sense of belonging to a community. So, we invest in creative individuals and a wide range of non-profit organizations to ensure we create an equitable, sustainable and innovative creative ecosystem in which EVERYONE can participate.
And what better way to demonstrate this commitment than to be a Visionary Sponsor of the 2023 Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade. Our staff and volunteers are excited to be here celebrating Charlotte Pride and doing our part to increase the visibility of the lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ people in Charlotte and the Carolinas.
Part of our work to increase LGBTQ+ visibility is to highlight the investments ASC is making to organizations with a primary mission of serving the LGBTQ+ community and to creative individuals that identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community. Below is a list of grantees that opted-in to ASC sharing their grant information, website and/or Instagram handle:
| Grantee | Grant Synopsis | Grant(s) Total | Website | IG Handle |
| Charlotte Pride Band | To support two Charlotte Pride Band concerts focusing on music by diverse composers including LGBTQIA composers, composers of color and female composers celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion and cultural understanding of these communities. | $20,000.00 | charlotteprideband.org | @charlotteprideband |
| Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte | To support artistic and administrative staff leadership. | $20,000.00 | gmccharlotte.org | |
| Charlotte Pride | To support Charlotte Pride’s Neighborhood Market for local artisans and crafts makers. Within our annual Festival and Parade planned for August 19 and 20, 2023, the Neighborhood Market will help further our larger mission to make visible the unique lives of creatives. | $20,000.00 | charlottepride.org | @cltpride |
| Holiday Wish Foundation | To support and expand the visibility of outstanding up and coming performing artists of color that identify as LGBTQ+. | $20,000.00 | holidaywishfoundation.org | @holidaywishfoundation |
| Queen City New Play Initiative | QCNPI Second Annual New Play Commission: to support the commission of three North Carolina based playwrights to create new plays that center on a marginalized experience in North Carolina. | $17,250.00 | facebook.com/QueenCityNewPlays/ | @qcnewplays |
| Theatre Gap Initiative | 4 Total Grants to: 1) Two grants to support BIPOC and LGBTQAI+ students in preparing for BFA and conservatory programs through intensive audition preparation and professional training as a pathway for economic mobility and future success in the arts. 2) One grant to support Theatre Gap Initiative’s participation in the College Audition Project annual United Audition. 3) One grant to support Theatre Gap Initiative in Gaining Exposure through Strategic Public Relations Engagement by Contracting a PR Firm. | $61,000.00 | theatregap.org | @theatregap |
| We Rock Charlotte | To support and celebrate We Rock culture and creative expression through We Rock Charlotte’s student album and music video creation at Rock on 22nd January – May 2023. | $15,000.00 | werockclt.org | @werockclt |
| Carla Aaron-Lopez | To support Local Street 2023, an exhibition that highlights local artists of color and street artists in Charlotte and surrounding areas. | $9,000.00 | @iamkingcarla | |
| Micah Cottingham | To provide support for the recording, mixing, mastering, and marketing of a new EP release for my solo project MICVH. | $3,000.00 | micvh.com | |
| Kathleen Finch | To support the creation of a traveling version of my “Your Voice” performance art piece. | $3,000.00 | @poetsfree | |
| Jermaine Nakia Lee | 2 Total Grants for: 1) Inaugural Founders Grant Class 2) To help support the completion of the new movie musical A WALK IN MY SHOES adapted from the stage musical of the same name. | $53,000.00 | @TheArtistJermaineNakiaLee | |
| Jamie McGhee | To participate in a ten-week research trip in eastern Brazil, followed by a three-month artist residency near the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, to complete the historical fiction novel “Dandara of Xango.” | $10,000.000 | ||
| LaDara McKinnon | Attend the Harding Art Show in Nashville, TN, representation as a Black Woman artist. | $3,000.00 | Ladaramckinnon.com | @ladarafineart |
| Eternity Philops | Breaking the Binary – Raw Stories of BIPOC Shattering Society’s Gender Status Quo. | $15,000.00 | ||
| Lucy Phung | Exploring Heritage and Identity: A Month-Long Fellowship in Vietnam for Cultural Immersion and Artistic Development. | $10,000.00 | aluphstudio.wixsite.com/home | |
| Bree Stallings | To help fund the creation of “Southern Prophets” – an entire, 78 card, custom tarot card deck. | $3,000.00 | breestallings.com | @breestallingsart |
| Zachary Tarlton | To help support “Angels In America”, Parts 1 and 2 (a play in two parts). | $2,800.00 | qcconcerts.com | @queencityconcerts |
| Jordan Wilson | To support studies and performances in Russian classical song. | $3,000.00 | ||
Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about our work investing in the LGBTQ+ community, and we hope you will get connected to local LGBTQ+ creatives and organizations. We invite you to stay connected to ASC and all the ways we support the Charlotte-Mecklenburg cultural sector. You can do so by signing up for one of our e-newsletters and supporting our work by investing in ASC today with a one-time or monthly recurring gift.