Texas Women for the Arts Invests Over $320,000 in Arts Education Across the State
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Statewide nonprofit awards funding to strengthen arts education programming for Texas children
AUSTIN, TX [May 12, 2025] – Texas Women for the Arts (TWA), a statewide giving circle and program of the Texas Cultural Trust (TXCT), has announced its 2024-2025 grant recipients. This year, TWA has awarded $323,333 to organizations across Texas to broaden access to the arts and expand arts education and programming for children.
TWA is a collective of over 200 philanthropists, community leaders, and arts advocates across the state, dedicated to enriching educational arts opportunities for children. With a mission to awaken and nurture the artist in every Texas child, TWA members raise funds and award grants annually to select arts organizations throughout Texas. Celebrating 20 years of service in 2025, this philanthropic force of influential women has awarded 425 grants totaling over $4.7 million, impacting over 3.7 million children in Texas.
“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.”
Isha Rogers Santamaria, 2025 Texas Women for the Arts Chair, reflects on the organization’s legacy: “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. We’re proud to support these incredible programs that inspire young minds, and we look forward to continuing our impact across the state.”
TWA grants are awarded on an annual basis in the spring, providing funding for community organizations, museums, festivals, after-school programs, summer camps, and more that deliver programming for Texas children across artistic disciplines such as music, visual arts, performing arts, dance, creative writing, and theater.
The 2024-2025 Texas Women for the Arts Grantees:
- Alley Theatre, Houston
- Art Guild of Fayetteville DBA Arts for Rural Texas, Fayetteville
- Austin Film Festival, Austin
- Bee Cave Arts Foundation, Austin
- Creative Kids, El Paso
- East Lubbock Art House, Lubbock
- East Texas Symphony Orchestra, Tyler
- Houston Ballet, Houston
- Houston Repertoire Ballet, Houston
- Houston Youth Symphony, Houston
- North Texas Performing Arts, Plano
- Rockport Art Association, Inc. DBA Rockport Center for the Arts, Rockport
- SAY Sí, San Antonio
- South Texas Institute for the Arts DBA Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi
- South Texas Symphony Association, Inc DBA Valley Symphony Orchestra, McAllen
- Stage West Theatre, Fort Worth
- The Center for Child Protection, Austin
- The MacMillan Institute, Duncanville
- The Marfa Studio of the Arts, Marfa
- The Opera Co. DBA The El Paso Opera, El Paso
- Tom Lea Institute, El Paso
- Young Audiences of Northeast Texas, Tyler
The 2024-2025 Texas Women for the Arts Executive Committee:
- Isha Rogers Santamaria, Chair and 2025 Annual Meeting Chair, El Paso
- Nancy Seliger, Vice-Chair, Austin
- Linda LaMantia, Immediate Past Chair, Laredo
- Muffin Lemak, Membership Co-Chair, Dallas
- Ana Montoya, Membership Co-Chair, San Antonio
- Lisa Jimenez, Membership Vice Co-Chair, El Paso
- Sarah Laucirica, Membership Vice Co-Chair, El Paso
- Dawn Leatherwood, Membership Vice Co-Chair, Tyler
- Lesa Rossick, Membership Vice Co-Chair, Austin
- Nina Seely, Nominating Vice-Chair, Austin
- Lisa Ivie Miller, Grants Chair, Austin
- Madison Peterson, Grants Vice-Chair, Austin
- Nancy Murray, Governance Chair, Longview
- Leslie Blanton, Governance Vice-Chair, Houston
- Jan McKee, Legacy Chair, Fort Worth
- Nancy Hiles, Legacy Vice-Chair, Grand Prairie
- Marielle Lamy Quaid, Travel Chair, Austin
- Christy Berry, Travel Vice Co-Chair, Dallas
- Eliza Duncan, Travel Vice Co-Chair, Houston
To join Texas Women for the Arts, or to learn more about the programs and the Texas Cultural Trust, visit txculturaltrust.org.
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About Texas Cultural Trust
Texas Cultural Trust is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and increasing access and awareness for the arts across the state. Programs of the Texas Cultural Trust include the Texas Medal of Arts Awards, Art Can, Texas Young Masters, Texas Women for the Arts, Partners in the Arts, and Arts Access. Texas Cultural Trust efforts are amplified by its partners who are instrumental in the success of leading a cohesive voice for the arts in education, advocacy, and economic impact in Texas, spotlighting the artistic excellence of our state. For more information on the Texas Cultural Trust, please visit txculturaltrust.org.
About Texas Women for the Arts
Texas Women for the Arts (TWA) is a statewide giving circle and membership program with more than 200 members from across Texas. Since its inception in 2005, this philanthropic force and champion for the arts in education has awarded 403 grants totaling over $4.3 million to arts organizations, impacting the lives of more than 3.7 million Texas children. For more information, or to join, visit txculturaltrust.org/twa/.
MEDIA CONTACT:
APC Collective
tct@apccollective.com