How SC Arts Commission is distributing $3 million-plus in grants

The S.C. Arts Commission has awarded more than $3 million in grants to South Carolina communities, artists, arts organizations and schools for the 2016 fiscal year.

A total of 286 grants were awarded in 37 counties and range from operating grants and project support to fellowships for individual artists.

Charleston County received the largest grant amount, at $526,708. The next highest counties were Richland, $481,537; York, $413,973; Greenville, $347,110; and Spartanburg, $278,387.

Richland County received a total of 45 grants. Of those, 15 went toward arts education, totaling nearly $172,000, or 35 percent of arts grant money for the county. McKissick Museum received the largest grant, more than $65,000, for its S.C. Folklife and Traditional Arts Partnership. The next largest were awarded to the Columbia Art Association ($27,767) and the S.C. Orchestra Association ($24,690), both for general operating costs.

In neighboring Lexington County, seven grants were given totaling $48,388, with more than half going to arts education projects.

ONLINE: Find a map showing grants county by county, with this story at thestate.com/living.

Erin Shaw, eshaw@thestate.com

This story was originally published September 25, 2015 at 12:30 PM.