Baltimore Awards $324,000 in ARPA-Funded Individual Artist Grants to 81 Local Creatives
Baltimore, MD (July 17, 2025) — The City of Baltimore, in partnership with the Baltimore Civic Fund, proudly announces the 81 recipients of the 2025 ARPA Artist Grant. Each artist will receive an unrestricted $4,000 grant, totaling $324,000 in direct support to Baltimore’s creative community.
The ARPA Artist Grant Fund is made possible through the City’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation, part of Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s strong commitment to arts and culture recovery. This initiative supports Baltimore artists in recovering from the economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic—acknowledging both their creative contributions and their role as essential members of the local economy.
"Local artists and creatives help to shape and define Baltimore’s identity,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. "We know that these folks were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, which is why we've made the arts an especially high priority in the last few years. This grant program is a direct investment in the people who bring our city to life through storytelling, expression, and community engagement. Supporting their recovery helps drive our city forward.”
“Through investing in individual artists and grassroots organizations, the City’s ARPA funding has played a crucial role in sustaining Baltimore’s entire creative ecosystem," said Elizabeth Tatum, Acting Chief Recovery Officer for the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs. "These investments demonstrate a deep understanding that the arts are vital to our city’s recovery—economically, culturally, and socially. We are proud to support the people and projects that make Baltimore a more vibrant, connected, and inspiring place to live."
Administered by the Baltimore Civic Fund, the grant program received over 165 applications from across the city. After reviewing the applicants submitted documentation, 81 eligible grantees representing a wide range of creative disciplines were selected:
Visual & Design Arts
Public & Placemaking Arts
Performing Arts
Fashion & Textile Arts
Makers & Craft Arts
Recording & Sound Arts
Digital & Media Arts
Culinary Arts
Literary Arts
“This grant is about creative resilience,” said Tonya Miller Hall, Senior Advisor of Arts & Culture for the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Culture & Entertainment. “It reflects our belief that artists are not only cultural visionaries but small business owners and community anchors who deserve investment and infrastructure.”
About the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provided $641 million to the City of Baltimore in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency and its negative economic impacts. Mayor Brandon M. Scott has established the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs to administer this funding transparently and effectively on behalf of the City. For additional information, visit the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs website at arp.baltimorecity.gov.
About the Baltimore Civic Fund
An independent 501(c)(3) organization serving as the fiscal sponsor for the City of Baltimore, the Baltimore Civic Fund is the financial backbone for public-private partnerships between innovative city programs and the philanthropic community. The Civic Fund manages $20 million annually for more than 100 city programs that promote business and economic development, education, culture and the creative economy, job growth, and more. Working alongside the Mayor of Baltimore and City leadership, the Civic Fund helps realize a vision of an inclusive city where all Baltimore residents prosper. For more information, visit baltimorecivicfund.org.
Artist Grant Fund Awardees
Marshall Adams
Ruwaydah Amin
Darryl Barber
Abby Becker
Alan Blackman
Lindsay Bottos-Sewell
Son Brav
Kevin Brown
Robin Brown
Maurice Carroll
Hilary Christian
Miles Cowling
Amber Daniels
Lashay Daniels
Brian Daniloski
Dominick Davis
Thomasina DeLoatch
Chelsea Fetzer
Anna Fine Foer
Daniel Grantham
Samuel Guthridge
Ayana Harris
Michael Harris
Jessica Hebron
Mohammad Taha Heidari
Maren Henson
John Herndon
Marnie Ellen Hertzler
David Heumann
Lillian Hoover
Patricia Michele Howard
Corey Hughes
Caprece Jackson
Benjamin Jancewicz
Sylvia Jones
Tiffany Jones
Michaelia Karim
Aran Keating
Brian Kehoe
Michelle Sanzi Kermes
Suzannah Kolbeck
Randi Kosten
Mariam Kotun Davis
Colette Krogol
Priyanka Kumar
Hannah Leigh
Lior Leigh
Asia Maxton
Bailey McCoy
Latik McNeil
Rikiesha Metzger
Daniela Mileykovsky
Liz Miller
Taura Musgrove
Paige Orpin
Mason Owens
Anthony Parker
Nia Parks
Ivy Parsons
Patricia Peerzada
Amanda Pellerin
LaToya Peoples
William Pierce
Lola Pierson
Bria Price
MIchael Raitzyk
Brandon Randolph
Jessica Raschella
Matthew Reeves
Catherine Rupan Mapp
Joel Santiago
Samantha Sethi
Rebecca Shin
LaVonne Smith
Melissa Smith
Qwishuna SmithGeorgos Spiliadis
Steven WhiteAngel Wilson
Elizabeth Wisniewski
Richard Yeagley