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Cultural Council and Blue Cross And Blue Shield of Florida Partner for New Grant Program
The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville is pleased to announce a new grantmaking partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF). The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida 2008 Cultural Education Grant Program will provide $5,000 grants to small and mid-sized cultural organizations with a focus on programs that foster art education, appreciation and awareness, as well as promote multicultural awareness and diversity. The program will be administered by the Cultural Council.
“Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is seeking to find real and meaningful solutions to some of the most critical social issues facing Florida’s communities. Through investments in the arts we believe we are helping to create healthy, vibrant communities,” said Susan Towler, vice president, community affairs, BCBSF. “We chose to work with the Cultural Council due to its reputation as a model grantmaker and because of its affiliation with cultural organizations of the First Coast.”
Designed to strengthen the programs and institutions that allow the arts to flourish, the new grant program will benefit the residents of the five-county Northeast Florida region. A group comprised of members from the Cultural Council’s Cultural Service Grant Review Panel and BCBSF representatives will review eligible applications and make award recommendations.
“Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida has shown itself to be a leader in our community when it comes to supporting art and culture. We are pleased to join forces to further the artistic programs of Northeast Florida’s cultural organizations,” said Robert Arleigh White, executive director of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville.
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida 2008 Cultural Education Grant Program is open to cultural organizations with annual revenues of less than $500,000 located in Duval, Nassau, St. Johns, Clay and Baker counties. Five grants of $5,000 each will be awarded for programs that foster art education, appreciation and awareness, as well as promote multicultural awareness and diversity through music, dance, visual arts, theater, literature, media arts, folk arts, history or humanities. Preference will be given to proposals that serve or include children.
For grant guidelines and application, please visit the Cultural Council’s website at www.culturalcouncil.org/organizations/cultural-council-grants/. Deadline for applications is June 25, 2008.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is a leader in Florida’s health industry. BCBSF and its subsidiaries serve more than 8.8 million people. Since 1944, the company has been dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of all those it serves by offering an array of choices. BCBSF is a not-for-profit, policyholder-owned, tax-paying mutual company. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., BCBSF is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information concerning BCBSF, please see its Web site at www.bcbsfl.com.