ATLANTA – South Arts was awarded major grants from two foundations to expand and sustain artist-centered initiatives.
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South Arts is thrilled to receive generous support from both the Windgate Foundation and the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. The Windgate Foundation has granted $200,000 toward the Southern Prize and State Fellowship for Visual Arts initiative, and the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation granted $550,000 toward the Southern Arts Relief and Recovery Fund to launch a new Arts Readiness, Relief and Recovery program, which will award grants to artists impacted by Hurricanes Helene and/or Milton.
These new grants will help to bolster the organization’s mission to support and uplift artists across the region. The latest funding provided by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation will enable the organization to deepen and continue its commitment towards rehabilitating artists’ practices that suffered as a result of recent hurricanes. Meanwhile, on the heels of the recent announcement of the 2025 South Arts State Fellows for Visual Arts, funding from the Windgate Foundation will provide additional support for the Southern Prize and State Fellowships program and ensure its sustainable endurance.
“These are exciting investments in South Arts and arts and culture in the region, with major funders showing support in places that are often otherwise overlooked nationally,” said Charles Phaneuf, South Arts Vice President of Strategy. “We are deeply grateful to both foundations for stepping up at such a pivotal moment, and we look forward to sharing these important new sources of support with our communities.”
The generous support from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation strengthens the newly launched Arts Readiness, Relief, and Recovery Fund, which provides grants to artists living in FEMA-designated areas impacted by Hurricanes Helene and/or Milton. Inspired by South Arts’ ongoing ArtsReady and Emergency Preparedness initiatives, this program is designed to help artists recover from natural disasters, safeguard their studios, sustain their creative practices, and prepare for future emergencies. Through this expanded effort, South Arts will continue to support artists in disaster-impacted areas across its service region, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Since the initial Relief & Recovery Funds were established in 2024, nearly $178,000 in grant funding has been awarded to artists affected by hurricanes across the region. With the additional backing of the Rauschenberg Foundation, the Arts Readiness, Relief, and Recovery program will expand its reach, helping artists and arts organizations regain access to essential resources and rebuild their creative lives following disaster-related disruptions. Applications opened on July 16, 2025, and will remain open until September 3, 2025.
“As a native of Port Arthur, Texas, a student at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, and a longtime resident of Captiva, Florida, Rauschenberg spent some of his most creative years in the South,” said Courtney J. Martin, Executive Director of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. “The Foundation is pleased to honor his legacy with this grant, which will have a wide-reaching impact on individual artists affected by natural disasters in the region.”
Windgate Foundation’s funding also marks a major milestone for South Arts’ programming. A two-year $200,000 grant will fund the Southern Prize and State Fellowships for Visual Arts, a flagship program that awards $80,000 in unrestricted grants each year to nine visual artists across the Southeast.
Launched in 2017, the program aims to shine a spotlight on the depth and diversity of artistic talent in the region. The newest cohort of State Fellows was recently announced, showcasing nine artists whose work spans disciplines from quilting and textiles to figurative painting and collage.
Alongside the annual Fellowship award, the program’s recipients also compete for the Southern Prize, which awards an extra $25,000 to the winner, $10,000 to the finalist, and includes a residency at an artist retreat. In addition to their cash awards, the State Fellows for Visual Arts are annually included in a traveling exhibition that tours in major venues across the region.
In addition to the Windgate Foundation, the Southern Prize and State Fellowships for Visual Arts program is supported by the Hambidge Center, Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, Southern First Bank, the Warner Fund, and various individual donors.
The generous support from both the Robert Rauschenberg and Windgate Foundations offers a significant enhancement to South Arts’ programs. As the regional arts organization continues to strengthen its resources in pursuit of its mission to advance Southern vitality through the arts, this new funding expands and sustains the progress of this essential work across the region.
For additional information about making a gift, please contact South Arts Vice President of Strategy Charles Phaneuf at cphaneuf@southarts.org or (404) 201-7923.
About Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation builds on the legacy of artist Robert Rauschenberg, emphasizing his belief that artists can drive social change. Rauschenberg sought to act in the “gap” between art and life, valuing chance and collaboration across disciplines. As such, the Foundation celebrates new and even untested ways of thinking.
About the Windgate Foundation
The Windgate Foundation is dedicated to supporting significant educational programs in arts and crafts, strengthening the visual arts, and preserving public access to them through projects that foster creativity and innovation.
About South Arts
South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value and power of the arts of the South. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.
