DARKE COUNTY – Darke County Endowment for the Arts annually grants funds to local organizations, individuals and governmental units that apply for funds to further the arts in the community; the deadline for applications to be considered for funding is 5 p.m. April 30.

To be eligible to receive funding, an applicant must be located in or provide services in Darke County. In the past, applicants who have been awarded grants used the funds to assist presentation of art exhibits, musical programs or dance projects and to provide special opportunities for arts education. Other projects appropriate for consideration may include innovative plans and programs that increase the quality and stature of the arts, that increase accessibility to the arts for more residents, that enable collaboration between arts groups, that provide recognition of exceptional artistic achievements and that provide for the maintenance and development of art facilities.

Application forms may be obtained from Darke County Endowment for the Arts, Inc. at www.SupportDCEA.org as well as from the law office of Gary Brown, 414 Walnut St., Greenville, or by sending a request to Darke County Endowment for the Arts, P.O. Box 155, Greenville, OH 45331. Completed applications may be submitted online, delivered to the law office of Gary Brown or mailed to Darke County Endowment for the Arts, Inc. at the address previously mentioned.

In addition to DCEA’s General Fund, which provides monies for these annual grants to deserving local artists and organizations, the endowment also maintains The Darke County Center for the Arts Fund, which underwrites the community arts council’s mission to present and promote the arts to culturally enrich the community, as well as The Memorial Hall Fund, dedicated to the preservation of Henry St. Clair Memorial Hall as a performance hall and community arts center.

More information about how to contribute to DCEA can be found at www.SupportDCEA.org or by contacting a member of the Endowment’s Board of Trustees. Current members of the board are Ted Abney, Antonia Baker, Gary Brown, Marilyn Delk, Nicole Gillespie, Barbara Greiner, Rebecca Hartnagle and Andrea Jordan.