HUED SONGS: Members Ja’Nia Harden, vocalist; John Harden, pianist and Sharlia Gulley, director of programming, were among the 2026 grantees who livened the celebration, among the 56 Broward County based arts and cultural programs that received grant funding. PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL MURPHY PHOTOGRAPHY

Fort Lauderdale – Funding Arts Broward (FAB) announced the distribution of a record-breaking $405,000 in grants during its 2026 Grant Awards Ceremony & Cocktail Reception event May 8 at the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens, celebrating FAB’s most impactful funding cycle to date.

Fifty-six arts and cultural organizations from across Broward County were awarded grants, strengthening the region’s creative community.

“This achievement underscores FAB’s steadfast mission to enrich the local arts community and sustain a vibrant creative ecosystem,” said Mary Riedel, president of Funding Arts Broward.

Attendees enjoyed an evening of cocktails, lite bites, and captivating live mini-performances and artistic vignettes from several 2026 grantees, including Hued Songs, Florida Children’s Theatre, Volta Music Foundation, Island City Stage, Brazilian Voices, and Japan Arts. The historic venue provided an inspiring backdrop to highlight the diversity and talent FAB supports.

2026 FAB Grant Recipients by Discipline 

Theatre – $92,800 (10 Programs)

Art Prevails Project, Developing Dreams Foundation, Fantasy Theatre Factory, Florida Children’s Theatre, Inside Out Theatre Company, Island City Stage, New City Players, Plays of Wilton, Slow Burn Theatre Company, Thinking Cap Theatre

Dance – $34,600 (4 Programs)

Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida, Dance NOW! Miami, Fort Lauderdale Children’s Ballet Theatre, Miami City Ballet 

Music – $134,600 (18 Programs)

Brazilian Voices, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Chopin Foundation, Embrace Music Foundation, Florida Grand Opera, Florida Singing Sons, Florida Youth Orchestra, Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida, Gold Coast Jazz Society, Hued Songs, Japan Arts/Fushu Daiko, Master Chorale of South Florida, Seraphic Fire, South Florida Chamber Ensemble, South Florida Pride Bands, South Florida Symphony Orchestra, Symphony of the Americas, The Girl Choir of South Florida 

Visual and Film – $38,000 (5 Programs) Art and Culture Center/Hollywood, ArtServe, Coral Springs Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, NSU Museum of Art

Arts Education – $105,000 (19 Programs) Art and Culture Center/Hollywood, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Coral Springs Museum of Art, Evolutionary Arts Life Foundation, Fantasy Theatre Factory, Florida Children’s Theatre, Florida Grand Opera, Florida Youth Orchestra, Florida Singing Sons, Girl Choir of South Florida, Gold Coast Jazz Society, Lovewell Institute for the Creative Arts, Master Chorale of South Florida, Miami City Ballet, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, Seraphic Fire, South Florida Pride Bands, Symphony of the Americas, Volta Music Foundation

Established in 2003 by local artist and philanthropist Francie Bishop Good along with 74 other committed arts supporters, Funding Arts Broward, a privately financed nonprofit organization, has awarded more than $5.4 million in grants championing arts advocacy.

Earlier this spring, FAB’s 2026 Grants Committee evaluated $625,750 in funding requests. Following a highly competitive review process, 65% of the total requested funds were awarded – underscoring both the quality of applications and the increasing need for arts funding in Broward County.