Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation Awarded National Grant

Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) — Northwest Florida’s champion of the arts for all abilities — was recently awarded $30,000 (one of four national grants totaling $127,000) from the Emeril Lagasse Foundation.

Founded in 2002 by Chef Emeril Lagasse and his wife Alden, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity headquartered in New Orleans. The Foundation’s mission is to create opportunities to inspire, mentor and enable youth to reach their full potential. Since its inception, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation has granted more than $20 million to children’s charities to support culinary, nutrition and arts programs focusing on life skills development.

“Alden and I started this foundation to support youth and provide them with opportunities they would not otherwise have,” said Chef Emeril Lagasse. “While we continue to nurture our roots here at home in New Orleans, we are excited that the reach of the foundation is growing across the country.”

Other recipients of a Spring 2024 grant include Second Harvest Food Bank’s Summer Feeding and Kids Café Program (New Orleans, Louisiana), The Ingram Lee Foundation (Houston, Texas) and Orange County School of the Arts Foundation’s Culinary Arts & Hospitality Conservatory (Orange County, California).

“We’re honored Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation’s ArtsReach efforts in Northwest Florida have been recognized by such a respected organization as the Emeril Lagasse Foundation in such a profound way,” said MKAF CEO Demetrius Fuller. “We are approaching our 30th year, and this is a great way to start the celebration … by making the arts accessible to even more youth in our community.”

In 2024, MKAF presented around 140 ArtsReach programs—a record and 71% increase over the previous year. Since it was established in 1995, MKAF estimates its outreach has impacted more than 400,000 people in the local Northwest Florida community.

The Arts for All Abilities initiative is unique in the area. MKAF is the only arts organization with a specific program initiative to deliver the arts to people of all abilities. Arts Empower is MKAF’s effort to reach K–12 students through dynamic creative learning opportunities presented by professional art partners, such as live theater performances, music sessions, hands-on art workshops and more.

MKAF’s community outreach initiatives provide cultural outreach programs through ArtsReach, which serves K–12 students, adults and children with special needs and at-risk youth, and through MKAF’s Warrior Arts program, which serves active/veteran military.

For more information about becoming an MKAF member, sponsoring, volunteering and attending MKAF events, visit MKAF.org or call (850) 650-2226.

ABOUT MATTIE KELLY ARTS FOUNDATION

Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) is a non-profit arts organization composed of members, volunteers and community partners building the foundation of arts and culture in the community. Since its inception in 1995, MKAF has inspired over 400,000 children in more than 100 schools and partner agencies. Through its community education initiative ArtsReach, programming serves K–12 students, at-risk youth, people with disabilities, and the military population with visible and invisible injuries. As a presenting organization, MKAF has showcased its Concerts in the Village each season, where the Southeast United States’ most vibrant performing artists and bands perform to more than 35,000 patrons annually. Over 100 artists convene in Destin each year for the Festival of the Arts, one of the preeminent arts festivals along the Gulf Coast. MKAF has partnered with multiple regional non-profits and school districts in the communities it serves to ensure access to the arts for all.