The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation announced that it has awarded a one-time $150,000 grant to Arts Council Napa Valley as part of a larger $1.2 million commitment to arts organizations in Sonoma and Napa counties affected by last October’s devastating wildfires.

The Arts Council, the local arts agency for Napa County, was identified as the recipient for the grant as it is a current grantee of the Hewlett Foundation and has served as a hub for information and outreach for arts recovery and relief since the outbreak of the fires.  In December 2018, due to a grassroots collection effort in the East Bay, the Arts Council was able to organize and host a pop-up supply distribution center to provide donated professional tools and materials to over thirty visual artists who lost studios and homes. In March 2018, the Arts Council was able to make eight small grants of cash and gift cards to both visual and performing artists through its ACNV Disaster Recovery Fund.

Olivia Dodd, President & CEO of Arts Council Napa Valley said “Our organization is beyond grateful for the Hewlett Foundation’s commitment to our local arts community. This grant will give a huge boost to the individuals who lost so much as well as offering an opportunity for artists to help our community process and heal from the lingering trauma through the power of creative expression. So please stay tuned, as we look forward to announcing more detailed program and re-granting plans for these funds in the coming weeks.”

On the impact of the fires to local arts, Dodd stated “Since the beginning of the fires, like so many, artists and organizations have jumped-in wherever they can to help. They have offered free community programming during and after the fires, hosted benefit concerts and events to raise funds for relief organizations, and donated their own resources to public art projects about the fires. What is not widely known is that over a dozen visual and performing artists in our county lost their homes, and some their studios, their tools of the trade, and inventories that represented decades of work. Our arts community at-large has experienced widespread financial losses from: canceled events, postponements, and the necessary changes in philanthropic priorities.”

“Recovering from a disaster isn’t accomplished in a week or a month, and these unrestricted grants will support the ongoing recovery needs of these arts organizations and their communities…Ensur[ing] that the arts continue to be a thriving part of Napa and Sonoma counties.” said Emiko Ono, Director of the Hewlett Foundation’s Performing Arts Program.

To make a contribution to the ACNV Disaster Recovery Fund or find information on arts recovery resources available today, visit artscouncilnapavalley.org

About the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is a nonpartisan, private charitable foundation that advances ideas and supports institutions to promote a better world. For more than 50 years, the foundation has supported efforts to advance education for all, preserve the environment, improve lives and livelihoods in developing countries, promote the health and economic well-being of women, support vibrant performing arts, strengthen Bay Area communities, and make the philanthropy sector more effective.

The foundation’s Performing Arts Program makes grants to sustain artistic expression and encourage public engagement in the arts in the San Francisco Bay Area, to give California students equal access to an education rich in the arts, and to provide necessary resources to help organizations and artists be effective in their work.

The Hewlett Foundation has supported the arts since its founding more than 50 years ago. Today, it is the largest private funder of the performing arts in the San Francisco Bay Area, making roughly $20 million in grants to more than 220 nonprofit arts organizations in 11 Bay Area counties each year.

About Arts Council Napa Valley

​As the official local arts agency in Napa County, Arts Council Napa Valley connects, advocates, and leads the arts community countywide. Since 1981 the Arts Council has served to benefit all residents with a more sustainable, accessible and quality local arts scene.  Since the adoption of the Napa County Cultural Plan in 2009, it has organized policy initiatives like the City of Napa Percent for Art Ordinance and Napa Valley Unified School District Arts Master Plan. The Arts Council also offers programs and support, like the annual State of the Arts Summit, Napa Valley Creative Directory and ACNV Community Fund, to empower the industry through education, information, and resources.