Westchester County Executive George Latimer and the Westchester County Board of Legislators have joined with ArtsWestchester to encourage public donations from now through December 10 to any of 170 participating Westchester arts organizations.
The effort is part of the 2024 Art$W Challenge grant program. Information on the program and a list of participating groups can be found at artswestchester.org/grants/artswchallenge.
ArtsWestchester CEO Kathleen Reckling said, “Since the inception of the Art$W Challenge in 2007, this powerful public-private program has raised nearly $7 million to support Westchester’s arts and cultural sector, matched with over $3 million in County support.”
Through the program, in 2023, a record-breaking year, participating arts organizations raised $819,759, the largest amount for a single year, in new, private funds from 1,234 donors. The private funds were matched with $463,325 in Westchester County support, providing in total $1.28 Million in financial aid for the arts community at a critical time when arts groups are still working to build back arts audiences lost during the pandemic.
“On behalf of ArtsWestchester,” said Reckling, “I would like to thank the individual arts donors to this program, the County Executive and the Westchester County Board of Legislators for their long-term investment in a matching grant program that over 16 years has paid dividends for the economy. With Westchester’s cultural sector generating more than $182 Million in economic activity post-pandemic, this vital grants program plays an important part in ensuring Westchester’s cultural infrastructure for the future.”
