S.C. Arts Commission to Receive National Grantmaking Award
Staff Report From South Carolina CEO
Wednesday, October 23rd, 2019
The Grant Professionals Association is announcing that the South Carolina Arts Commission was named its 2019 Grantmaker of the Year for the public sector.
The Grant Professionals Association (GPA) is a +3000-member organization dedicated to promoting professionalism and ethics in the grant industry. Formerly known as the GPA Pioneer Award, the Grantmaker of the Year Award recognizes public funders (federal, state and local agencies) and private funders (family, community and corporate foundations) that have improved the way grant professionals do their work and acknowledges outstanding contributions to the field of grantsmanship.
S.C. Arts Commission (SCAC) Executive Director David Platts will accept the award for the agency Nov. 7, 2019 at the GPA Annual Conference in Washington.
“It is so gratifying to receive recognition of this magnitude for the work we do supporting the arts and arts education in South Carolina. Grants from the arts commission ensure artists can commit to their chosen crafts and thrive artistically and make a living here, that our students reap the benefits of a rounded education including arts and creativity, and that all our citizens have access to the many benefits of the arts,” Platts said.
In her nomination of the SCAC, Alicia Kokkinis of Charleston said the agency “provides 1:1 technical support throughout the grant making and grant management process. They are readily available by phone and email, which is unusual for a government organization. They develop relationships with potential and current grantees. [SCAC] has a small staff, yet still makes the time to talk to potential and current grantees often. Artists are not typically grant professionals. [SCAC] meets potential grantees where they are without compromising accountability.”