Through the Rural Arts Initiative, the Laura Jane Musser Fund hopes to assist nonprofit arts organizations to develop, implement or sustain exceptional artistic opportunities for adults and children in the areas of literary, visual, music and performing arts. In recognition of Laura Jane Musser's life-long commitment to excellence in the arts, and with awareness that pivotal and life-changing experience can occur for individuals through introduction to and participation in the arts, the Fund hopes to encourage and excite a wider population to appreciate, learn, and participate in the arts. General operating grants of up to $10,000 will be considered for this initiative. The geographic areas for this initiative are Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota (Aitkin, Becker, Cass, Clay, Clearwater, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching, Mahnomen, Todd, and Wadena counties only), New York (Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, and Ulster counties only), Wyoming, and limited counties in Texas. Eligible counties in Texas are located in the Rio Grande River Valley (Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy counties), Deep East Texas (Angelina, Houston, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, and Tyler counties), and the Brazos Valley (Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Robertson, and Washington counties). Applications will be accepted online through the Fund’s website from February 10 – March 10, 2021.
Through the Environmental Initiative, the Laura Jane Musser Fund assists public or not-for-profit entities to initiate or implement projects that enhance the ecological integrity of publicly owned open spaces, while encouraging compatible human activities. The Fund's goal is to promote public use of open space that improves a community's quality of life and public health, while also ensuring the protection of healthy, viable and sustainable ecosystems by protecting or restoring habitat for a diversity of plant and animal species. Planning grants up to $8,000 and implementation grants up to $35,000 will be considered for this initiative. The geographic areas for this initiative are Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Wyoming, and limited counties in New York and Texas. Eligible counties in New York include: Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, and Ulster counties. Eligible counties in Texas are located in the Rio Grande River Valley (Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy counties), Deep East Texas (Angelina, Houston, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, and Tyler counties), and the Brazos Valley (Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Robertson, and Washington counties). Applications will be accepted online through the Fund’s website from February 17 – March 17, 2021.
The complete guidelines for the initiatives are available at http://www.musserfund.org.