Statewide Community Regrants (SCR) Program

Statewide Community Regrants (SCR) Program is sponsored by New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) administered by The Arts Center of the Capital Region. This program provides funding for arts and cultural projects that strengthen communities across New York State. Grants are awarded through a competitive, peer-reviewed process, and technical assistance is available.

NYSCA Statewide Community Regrants (SCR) • The Arts Center NYSCA Statewide Community Regrants (SCR) The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) supports arts and cultural organizations across New York State through public funding that helps strengthen communities and expand access to the arts.

Since 1977, the Statewide Community Regrants (SCR) Program has helped bring creative projects to life by supporting local artists, nonprofit organizations, schools, and community-based initiatives.

The The Arts Center of the Capital Region proudly serves as the SCR regrant site for Albany, Rensselaer, and Schenectady Counties, helping distribute funding that supports creative projects, public programs, exhibitions, performances, workshops, and arts initiatives throughout the Capital Region.

We are pleased to share the recipients of the 2026 Arts Thrive Grow Grant Program, a celebration of creativity, perseverance, and the power of the arts in our communities. This year, we awarded $112,000 in funding through 39 grants, supporting projects that reflect the strength, resilience, and innovation of the Capital Region’s cultural landscape.

In a time where adaptability and imagination are more important than ever, these artists and organizations continue to rise. Their work spans public engagement, storytelling, music, visual art, cultural heritage, and more, each project rooted in a deep commitment to making art accessible and impactful. The 2026 grantees reflect the heart of the Capital Region’s arts ecosystem: diverse, dedicated, and resilient.

Whether working in studios, libraries, parks, or performance halls, these creatives are building stronger communities through the transformative power of art.

Ash King, A Salt-fire Experience: Beginner Ceramics Workshop Series , Rensselaer County Cohoes Connect Center for Youth, Financial Literacy Arts Program , Albany County Cohoes Public Library, Painting Community in Cohoes , Albany County Cynthia DiDonna-Nethaway, Mending through Motion and Meditative Arts , Albany County Ira Marcks, Comics as Communication: A Visual Storytelling Workshop with the Freshmen at Columbia High School , Rensselaer County Ira Marcks, Stories for the Future: A Creative Careers Workshop with the Seniors at Columbia High School , Rensselaer County Kiara Johnson, Our School – Collaborative Mural , Albany County Russell Sage College, Senior Art Workshop: Stories and histories , Albany County Tech Valley Center of Gravity, Inc., Digital Fabrication for Artists Residency , Rensselaer County The Red Bookshelf Inc., Crown Confidence & Lil’ Crowns Big Confidence: Youth workshops combining hairstyling, art, and literacy to build creativity, confidence, and cultural pride in partnership with Northeast Parent & Child Society and The Red Bookshelf.

, Albany County Albany Fund for Education, Inc., Creating Community Connections Through a Multidisciplinary Exploration of Indian Classical Music at Albany’s Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology , Albany County Albany Public Library, Ready to Hit the Dance Floor! Latin Music for All.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at Albany Public Library , Albany County Asian Arts New York, Inc., Harmony and Healing: Eastern Arts for Mental Health and Community Well-Being , Albany County Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY, Fall 2026 Production of MY CHILDREN! MY AFRICA!

by Athol Fugard , Albany County Collar City Pride, 3rd Annual Collar City Pride Festival , Rensselaer County Downtown Troy BID, Set a Scene: Places, Spaces, Without Faces – Community Art Exhibit , Rensselaer County electronic body arts, Inc., eba SHAKER DANCES for the 250th Anniversary Celebration of Shaker Settlement in Albany – performed by 20 community and 8 professional performers at the 1848 Shaker Heritage Meeting House , Albany, NY, Albany County Friends of Tivoli Lake Preserve and Farm, Inc., Flax Art Workshops , Albany County Hudson Valley Writers Guild, You Me and Poetry: Literacy, Liberation, Community , Schenectady County Keith Pray, Public premiere of Meditations on Consciousness: A new multi-media performance composition exploring empathy, tolerance and social consciousness through the combination of disparate genres and utilizing student visual art and audience participation .

, Schenectady County Living Resources Corp, Digital Voices: A Community Media Arts Project , Albany County Melissa Sarris, Co/Mend , Albany County Nelson A.

Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center Corporation, OPEN House , Albany County Picture Lock One, LLC, Picture Lock One microcinema: “See-Saw” workshops and expanded seasons , Rensselaer County Refugee and Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus, Inc., Bringing the Healing and Expressive Power of Music to Newcomer Communities , Albany County R’ville Stage Creations Inc., Building Community Through Theatre: R’ville Stage Creations Presents The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in the Helderberg Hilltowns , Albany County The Friends of the William K.

Sanford Town Library, Sounds of India: A Community Music Series , Albany County The Hamilton Hill “Drop-in” Arts & Crafts association Inc., Juneteenth , Schenectady County The Young Musicians Forum Inc, Young Musicians Forum Concert Series, Autumn/Winter 2026 , Schenectady County Troy Public Library, “Do Date”: A Saturday Craft & Performance Series at Troy Public Library , Rensselaer County Jessica Bowen, Sound, Space, Stillness: An Exploration in Violin, Collaborative Improvisations, and Community Resonance , Rensselaer County Jillian McDonald, Sea Cruise – 10 large drawings on paper, on wood panel , Rensselaer County Jianling Yue, Revitalizing Heritage: Engaging Modern Communities with Ancient Eastern Art , Albany County Jim Lewis, Working Title: Dragon Passage , Rensselaer County Karley Sullivan, Phenomena: Artworks by Karley Sullivan at Kiddie Pool Project Space , Albany County Kristen Kopper, Stockade Stories , Schenectady County Mariah Kitner, Castle in the Clouds , Rensselaer County Nathan Meltz, The Golem Trilogy, Animation and Live-Scoring Event , Rensselaer County Yiyi Mendoza, Rezos, Remedios, Rituales y Recetas Ancestrales – A body of work and solo show by Yiyi Mendoza , Rensselaer County The Arts Center of the Capital Region’s Statewide Community Regrant Program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

2026 Recipient MARKETING Info All advertising, promotional materials, and public communications related to your funded project must include the following credit line: “The Arts Center of the Capital Region’s Statewide Community Regrant Program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. ”