RALEIGH — Three Rowan County organizations received funding as part of $11.5 million in grant awards from the North Carolina Arts Council for the upcoming fiscal year.

According to a release from the NCAC, the Rowan Arts Council is set to receive $95,039. Salisbury Symphony will receive $18,000 and Waterworks Visual Arts Center is going to receive $14,500.

In total, 366 grant awards will support nonprofit arts organizations, schools, after-school programs, municipalities and artists in all 100 counties this year. The grants range from $5,000 to $338,000.

“The arts benefit North Carolinians of all ages,” Gov. Roy Cooper said. “These grants will enrich our communities as well as grow their economies throughout all 100 counties.”

Funding priorities this year include organizations and projects that:

• Emphasize community outreach and audience engagement

• Improve organizational capacity and capabilities

• Connect K–12 students with artists in a range of disciplines, notably the traditional arts of North Carolina

• Foster public-private partnerships that leverage state and federal funding with local support

• Provide outreach to military service men and women, veterans and their families

“The record number of applications we received this grant cycle signals that artists are inspiring audiences and producing arts experiences that make our state a wonderful place to live, work, and visit,” said Jeff Bell, the arts council’s executive director. “I thank Governor Cooper and the General Assembly for championing our arts and culture sector. The arts deliver more than $2 billion in economic impact annually to our state and are a powerful tool to uplift entire communities.”

Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Reid Wilson added, “The arts are woven into the fabric of our state’s identity, and as I travel across North Carolina, I see firsthand how much the creative sector contributes to the cultural and economic vibrancy of cities, towns and regions. When the arts flourish, communities flourish.”

As part of its funding process, the agency convened panels of reviewers with knowledge of different arts disciplines as well as community-building expertise.

This year’s grant awards significantly increase the N.C. Arts Council’s investment in small and mid-sized arts organizations. Eighty-five new organizations are receiving flexible funding through an expanded category called Sustaining Support, more than doubling the agency’s investment in work that promotes stability and sustainability in the arts sector.