Building Bridges Through the Arts: CreArte Latino Awarded $20,000 Community Impact Grant
- Development Web
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Support from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County expands bilingual programs that bring children, parents and caregivers together through music, theater, dance and shared cultural experiences.
On any given day at CreArte Latino Cultural Center, a child might be learning a new dance step while a parent joins a bilingual book club nearby. A teenager rehearses for a performance as grandparents gather for a community celebration. Different generations, life experiences and languages come together through a shared sense of culture, creativity and connection.
Thanks to a $20,000 Community Impact Grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, CreArte Latino Cultural Center will expand these opportunities for hundreds of children, parents and caregivers across Sarasota and Manatee counties. The grant, which was made possible by the Community Foundation’s Zella I. and Junius F. Allen Fund and Leslie and Margaret Weller Fund, supports "Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges: Performing Arts & Education for Community Connection," a bilingual initiative designed to strengthen family bonds, celebrate cultural identity and foster a deeper sense of belonging through the arts.
CreArte is the region's only bilingual, Latino-centered cultural organization integrating performing arts, arts education, language learning and community engagement under one roof. Through theater, music, dance, language classes, book clubs and community gatherings, the organization creates welcoming spaces where Latino, bilingual and immigrant families can participate fully—without language, cultural or financial barriers. At the same time, CreArte welcomes people of all backgrounds to celebrate cultural exchange, foster understanding and build bridges across cultures and generations.
More than half of CreArte's youth participants receive scholarships or fee assistance, ensuring access to culturally responsive arts programming regardless of income. The organization serves children as young as 4 through adults of all ages, intentionally designing programs that bring families together rather than serving generations separately.
"The Community Foundation of Sarasota County recognizes that investing in families means investing across generations," says Dan DeLeo, chair of CreArte's board of directors. "Its support of CreArte's bilingual performing arts and education programs will help more children, parents and caregivers learn, create and connect."
For Carolina Franco, CreArte's co-founder and producing artistic director, the grant reinforces what CreArte has long understood: families thrive when they learn and create together.
"When children participate in theater, music and dance while parents and caregivers learn and celebrate alongside them, families grow stronger," says Franco. "CreArte is more than a place to take a class or see a performance. For many of our families, it is where they find connection, belonging and community."
Through the grant, CreArte anticipates stronger peer connections among youth participants, deeper family engagement, reduced social isolation among adults and improved confidence, emotional well-being and sense of belonging across generations. The organization expects to serve approximately 600 children, youth and adults through its programming.
Founded in 2012, CreArte Latino Cultural Center serves as a creative hub for Latino and Hispanic communities in Sarasota and Manatee counties through arts, education and cultural programming. The nonprofit organization offers theater productions, language classes, artistic workshops, literary programs and community events designed to celebrate cultural heritage while fostering connection and cultural exchange.
To learn more, donate, or register for programs and events, visit www.CreArteLatino.org or follow CreArte Latino on Facebook.
About the Community Foundation of Sarasota County
The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council as a resource for caring individuals and the causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. With assets of $605 million in more than 1,600 charitable funds, the Community Foundation awarded grants and scholarships totaling $44.7 million last year in the areas of education, the arts, health and human services, civic engagement, animal welfare and the environment. Since its founding, the Community Foundation has been able to grant $542 million to nonprofits in our community thanks to the generosity of charitable individuals, families and businesses. For more information, visit cfsarasota.org or call 941-955-3000.
About CreArte Latino Cultural Center
CreArte Latino Cultural Center was founded in 2012 as a creative hub for the Latino/Hispanic community in Sarasota and Manatee counties. The nonprofit organization seeks to celebrate Latino/Hispanic heritage and promote a cultural exchange through arts and education, including theater productions, book clubs, language classes, artistic workshops and collaborations with artists from the area and throughout Latin America. Visit www.creartelatino.org and CreArte Latino on FB and IG.