Texas Cultural Trust’s Texas Women for the Arts program announced recipients of $320.000 in grants today for local arts organizations to increase access to the arts and expand arts education. North Texas Performing Arts, a Plano-based theatre and arts education nonprofit, received one of these grants.
“The arts offer countless benefits for children, from supporting neurodevelopment and emotional growth to boosting academic achievement, as highlighted in our 2025 State of the Arts Report,” says Heidi Marquez Smith, CEO of the Texas Cultural Trust. “Through these grants, we aim to create meaningful creative learning experiences for Texas children and remove barriers to quality arts education— so that every child has the opportunity to experience the undeniable power of the arts.”
Other 2024-2025 Texas Women for the Arts Grantees include:
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Alley Theatre, Houston
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Art Guild of Fayetteville DBA Arts for Rural Texas, Fayetteville
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Austin Film Festival, Austin
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Bee Cave Arts Foundation, Austin
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Creative Kids, El Paso
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East Lubbock Art House, Lubbock
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East Texas Symphony Orchestra, Tyler
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Houston Ballet, Houston
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Houston Repertoire Ballet, Houston
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Houston Youth Symphony, Houston
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North Texas Performing Arts, Plano
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Rockport Art Association, Inc. DBA Rockport Center for the Arts, Rockport
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SAY Sí, San Antonio
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South Texas Institute for the Arts DBA Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi
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South Texas Symphony Association, Inc DBA Valley Symphony Orchestra, McAllen
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Stage West Theatre, Fort Worth
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The Center for Child Protection, Austin
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The MacMillan Institute, Duncanville
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The Marfa Studio of the Arts, Marfa
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The Opera Co. DBA The El Paso Opera, El Paso
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Tom Lea Institute, El Paso
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Young Audiences of Northeast Texas, Tyler
A recent study by the group found that only 17% of students are highly engaged in the arts, even though students who are highly engaged are 46% more likely to pass TSI criteria, two times as likely to meet AP/IB exam criteria, and 20% more likely to earn college dual credit.
“Fostering creativity in children across our state is essential. For 20 years, TWA has championed access to arts education, reflecting our members’ deep commitment to preserving and celebrating Texas’s rich cultural heritage,” 2025 Texas Women for the Arts Chair Isha Rogers Santamaria said. “We’re proud to support these incredible programs that inspire young minds, and we look forward to continuing our impact across the state.”
