The $7,087 grant will help with COVID-related delay expenses.
(May 26, 2022) Through its COVID-19 Response Initiative, Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation have awarded the CreArte Latino Cultural Center a grant of $7,087. The grant will help fund expenses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, and empower CreArte Latino to move forward with an ambitious schedule of activities and performances for 2022 in its new suite at 8251 15th St. East in Sarasota.
“We are passionate about expanding our programming and partnering with other arts organizations in Sarasota and Manatee counties,” says Sebastian Pelaez, CreArte Latino’s vice president and director of operations. “As we recover from pandemic losses, this generous grant is critical to our growth. We are beyond grateful to Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation for their ongoing support of our mission, and for their consistent support in empowering collaborations between the Latino/Hispanic community and the rest of Sarasota-Manatee’s rich cultural landscape.”
CreArte Latino was founded in 2012 as a small Spanish-language theater company. In 2017, it became a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a new name and a new mission. CreArte Latino Cultural Center is focused on establishing a cultural exchange between the Latino/Hispanic community and the population at large through arts and education. During the pandemic, CreArte Latino facilitated Spanish literature book clubs and Spanish language classes for adults via the Zoom platform. Since re-opening in its new theater space, CreArte Latino has added an online English class for Spanish speakers, produced three plays, an acting improv show, two theater workshops for children, and has hosted presentations of Latino/Hispanic music and dance. CreArte Latino has been promoting arts and literacy for children and families in various local events, and has been featured in the WEDU PBS digital docuseries, “Greater Sarasota.”
For more information about CreArte Latino Cultural Center, visit www.creartelatino.org or CreArte Latino on Facebook.
About Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation
The Charles and Margery Barancik family has long believed in the power of philanthropy to shape our world and enrich the lives of all people. It was the expression of this believe that led them in 2014 to establish the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation – a private, family foundation located in Sarasota, Florida. The Barancik Foundation creates initiatives and awards grants in Sarasota and beyond in the areas of education, humanitarian causes, arts and culture, the environment, and medical research. Visit barancikfoundation.org.
About Gulf Coast Community Foundation
For more than 25 years, together with our donors, Gulf Coast Community Foundation has transformed our region through bold and proactive philanthropy. Gulf Coast is a public charity that was created in 1995 through the sale of the Venice Hospital. Since then, we have become the philanthropic home of over 950 families, individuals, businesses, and organizations that have established charitable funds here. Together, we have invested over $460 million in grants in the areas of health and human services, civic and economic development, education, arts and culture, and the environment. Learn more at GulfCoastCF.org.
About CreArte Latino Cultural Center
CreArte Latino Cultural Center was founded in 2012 as a creative hub for the Latino/Hispanic community in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. The nonprofit organization seeks to forge a bilingual cultural exchange between Latinos/Hispanics and the community at large through the arts and education, including theater productions, book clubs, classes, workshops and collaborations with artists from the area and throughout Latin America. CreArte Latino Cultural Center is located at 8251 15th St. East, Sarasota. Visit www.creartelatino.org and CreArte Latino on Facebook.