(Photo via Descolonizarte Teatro’s Facebook)
ORLANDO | Descolonizarte TEATRO announced Dec. 16 that it has been selected to receive two major national grants: a 2025 South Arts Cultural Sustainability award and a 2025 NALAC Fund for the Arts: National Arts Partners award.
It is only of two organizations in Florida selected for the South Arts Cultural Sustainability program and the only organization in the state to receive a NALAC National Arts Partners award. These awards highlight Desco’s role as a leading community-rooted arts organization advancing cultural sustainability, community well-being and inclusive, high-quality arts in Central Florida, according to the press release.
“These awards stand as a testament to the impact our work continues to have in our Central Florida community,” said Nadia Garzón, founder and executive artistic director of Descolonizarte TEATRO. “As a Latinx, immigrant, and LGBTQ+–centered organization, our work is rooted in deep relationships with the people and communities we serve. This recognition affirms the importance of inclusive, culturally grounded arts that honor our stories, languages, and lived experiences.”
The South Arts Cultural Sustainability grant has awarded more than $1.17 million in general operating grants to 17 organizations across its nine-state region through its Cultural Sustainability program. The Cultural Sustainability program supports arts organizations founded by, with, and/or for communities of color and provides general operating support alongside collaborative learning opportunities.
“These seventeen organizations not only enrich and inform the artistic legacy of our nine state region but also engage and support the communities of color that are embedded in our nation’s historical and cultural fabric,” said Gretchen McLennon, interim president and CEO of South Arts.
The NALAC awarded a total of $525,000 in unrestricted organizational support through The Wallace Foundation’s Advancing Well-Being in the Arts initiative, which supports arts organizations rooted in communities of color and strengthens their ability to fulfill their missions, invest in organizational capacity and serve their communities.
“The 2025 NFA: National Arts Partners grantees reflect the vibrancy of our communities,” said Cat Rodríguez, NALAC Director of Programs. “We trust that these organizations are best positioned to know and meet the specific needs of their communities during this critical moment.”
Descolonizarte TEATRO is a professional Latinx social change theater organization that centers Latinx, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ identities and their intersections.
For more information, visit DescoTeatro.org.
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