12 Community Organizations to Receive Funding for Cultural Preservation Projects
New York, NY — A new community-centered initiative, the Diasporic Collage Community Microgrant Program, has been launched through a partnership between the Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO) and the College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University (MSU). This microgrant program will award funding to 12 community-based organizations across the country to create locally rooted programs that reflect their missions and engage with diasporic experiences.
The initiative builds upon the themes of the acclaimed exhibition Diasporic Collage: Puerto Rico and the Survival of a People, previously on view at Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at MSU and currently on view at the CENTRO Gallery in El Barrio. Echoing the collage aesthetic of layering and weaving together complex histories, the microgrant program encourages grantees to explore identity, memory, migration, and belonging through community-based programming.
Selected projects are:
- Between the Acts: Puerto Rican Accompaniment in Ballet, New York Theatre Ballet (New York)
- Digital Archive of La Impresora, La Impresora (Puerto Rico)
- Un Paso Alante: A Conversation with Bomba and Plena Masters in New York and Puerto Rico, Los Pleneros de la 21 (New York / Puerto Rico)
- From Las Carpetas to Los Algoritmos: Unveiling Modern Surveillance of Puerto Rican Resistance, Caitie Gutierrez (Sydney, Australia)
- Brooklyn JUPI Campaign Against Displacement, Juventud Unida por la Independencia (New York)
- De Aquí, De Allá: A Patriotic Story, Mi Patria Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico / New York)
- Festival Contempora, Compañía Contempora (Santa Fe, New Mexico)
- The 5th Annual El Barrio Parade, Marc Reign (New York)
- Saberes Digitales de la Cepa: Historias, Sabores y Saberes de Río Piedras, hacia una nueva escuela, Antonio González-Walker (Puerto Rico)
- Medicina Callejera y Cuidado Comunitario en Puerto Rico: Estudio y Memoria, Zevio Schnitzer Krasinski (Puerto Rico)
- Allí O Allá, Brianna Torres (Oakland, California)
- Con Orgullo: The Legacy of Buffalo’s Puerto Rican and Latine Elders, Joed Viera (Buffalo, New York)
Each of the 12 grantees will receive a one time grant of $3,500 to design and implement a project that activates these themes within their own communities. Projects may include workshops, exhibitions, and community engagement programs, or other creative initiatives that center diasporic narratives and foster cultural dialogue.
“We’re thrilled to extend the impact of Diasporic Collage beyond the gallery walls,” said Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez, Directora of CENTRO. “This program supports the creative work of community organizations and deepens our collective understanding of how diasporic communities preserve, transform, and celebrate their histories, identities, and futures.”
The Diasporic Collage Community Microgrant Program underscores the power of collaboration between academic institutions and community partners, and reaffirms the importance of community efforts in uplifting underrepresented voices and cultivating inclusive, culturally vibrant spaces.
“The College of Arts & Letters has been proud to support the work done by the organizations, students, artists, and scholars who have come together through Diasporic Collage, and we are equally thrilled to see the project grow,” said Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Interim Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies for the College of Arts & Letters at MSU. “This kind of community-directed work is crucial to the future of the arts and humanities.”
For more information about the exhibition, visit https://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/tools/diasporic-collage/.
Diasporic Collage: Puerto Rico and the Survival of a People was organized by the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, Michigan State University and The Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO), Hunter College, in collaboration with the Diaspora Solidarities Lab.
ABOUT CENTRO
The Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO) at Hunter College, CUNY is a research institute, library and archive dedicated to the study and interpretation of the Puerto Rican experience in the United States. CENTRO produces and disseminates interdisciplinary research, and collects, preserves, and provides access to library and archival resources documenting Puerto Rican history and culture. We seek to link scholarship to social action and policy debates, contributing to the betterment of our community and the enrichment of Puerto Rican Studies. Learn more at the CENTRO website Visit the CENTRO Library and Archives website at CENTRO Library and Archives.
ABOUT THE COLLEGE OF ARTS & LETTERS AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
The College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University is a vital force that puts the arts and humanities into action creating meaningful impact in our world. We bridge tradition with creativity to inspire new ideas and solutions to the integral questions and challenges of the 21st century. Our interdisciplinary approach and cultural connections create a vibrant and inclusive environment that enhances community building, teaching, learning, and research reflective of and open to all.