Virginia Commission for the Arts Awards $75,000 in Grants for America’s 250th Anniversary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 4, 2026

CONTACT:
Virginia Commission for the Arts
Colleen Dugan Messick, Executive Director
colleen.messick@vca.virginia.gov

RICHMOND, VA — The Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) announced that it has awarded $75,000 in competitive FY26 VA250 Impact Grant funding to 18 arts organizations across the Commonwealth, supporting new performing and visual arts projects tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary. The FY26 VA250 Impact Grant is part of the agency’s partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission.

“As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, these grants support artists and organizations who are using creativity to bring history to life for communities across Virginia,” said Colleen Dugan Messick, Executive Director of the Virginia Commission for the Arts. “Through performances, exhibitions and community-based projects, this work invites people to reflect, engage and see our shared story in new ways.”

Some new works that received awards include:

The John Mitchell Jr. Project, a series of plays and workshops dramatizing the life of the influential Richmond Times editor known as the “fighting editor” (Firehouse Theatre, Richmond).
No Surrender, a large-scale mural celebrating Virginian naval hero Richard Dale (Virginia Gateway Center for the Arts, Portsmouth).
The Darling and the Daring, a theatrical exploration of revolutionary-era love stories from Virginia’s Eastern Shore (North Street Playhouse, Onancock).
Voices of Virginia, a multidisciplinary concert combining dance, music and dialogue to explore the “Revolution of Ideas” (Charlottesville Ballet, Charlottesville).

Twenty-eight organizations from six of the Commission’s eight regions applied for funding in the second cycle of the VA250 Impact Grant. In 2024, the Commission awarded $100,000 to 22 municipalities for local 250th anniversary events, including exhibitions, readings and performances. Together, the two rounds of funding are expected to support events in every region of Virginia and reach more than 100,000 people statewide.

VCA VA250-funded activities are underway and will continue through Independence Day on July 4, 2026. A full list of FY26 VA250 Impact grantees is available on the VCA website here.

About the Virginia Commission for the Arts

Established in 1968, the Virginia Commission for the Arts is the state agency dedicated to investing in the arts across the Commonwealth of Virginia. With funding from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Commission awards grants to artists, arts organizations, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, educators, and local and tribal governments.

For more information, visit www.vca.virginia.gov. Follow the Commission on Instagram @virginiaarts, Facebook @VirginiaArts, and LinkedIn at Virginia Commission for the Arts, and subscribe to the Virginia Commission for the Arts newsletter.