Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) — Northwest Florida’s champion of the arts for all abilities — recently was awarded $30,000 (one of four national grants totaling $127,000) from the Emeril Lagasse Foundation.

Founded in 2002 by Chef Emeril Lagasse and his wife Alden, Emeril Lagasse Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity headquartered in New Orleans. The Foundation’s mission is to create opportunities to inspire, mentor, and enable youth to reach their full potential. Since its inception, Emeril Lagasse Foundation has granted more than $20 million to children’s charities to support culinary, nutrition, and arts programs with a focus on life skills development.

“Alden and I started this foundation to support youth and provide them with opportunities they would not otherwise have,” said Chef Emeril Lagasse. “While we continue to nurture our roots here at home in New Orleans, we are excited that the reach of the foundation is growing across the country.”

Other recipients of a Spring 2024 grant include: Second Harvest Food Bank’s Summer Feeding and Kids Café Program (New Orleans), The Ingram Lee Foundation (Houston, Texas), Orange County School of the Arts Foundation’s Culinary Arts & Hospitality Conservatory (Orange County, Calif.).

“We’re honored Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation’s ArtsReach efforts in Northwest Florida have been recognized by such a respected organization as the Emeril Lagasse Foundation in such a profound way,” said MKAF CEO Demetrius Fuller. “We are approaching our 30th year and this is a great way to start the celebration … by making the arts accessible to even more youth in our community.”

In 2024, MKAF presented around 140 ArtsReach programs — a record and 71 percent increase over the previous year. Since it was established in 1995, MKAF estimates its outreach has impacted more than 400,000 in the local Northwest Florida community.

Arts for All Abilities initiative is unique in the area. MKAF is the only arts organization that has a specific program initiative to deliver arts to people of all abilities. Arts Empower is MKAF’s effort to reach K-12 students through dynamic creative learning opportunities presented by professional art partners such as live theater performances, music sessions, hands-on art workshops and more.

MKAF’s community outreach initiatives provide cultural outreach programs through ArtsReach serving K-12 students, adults and children with special needs, at-risk youth, and through MKAF’s Warrior Arts program serving active/veteran military.

For more information about becoming an MKAF member, sponsoring, volunteering to attending MKAF events, visit MKAF.org or call (850) 650-2226.

ABOUT MATTIE KELLY ARTS FOUNDATION Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF), a non-profit arts organization comprised of members, volunteers, and community partners building the foundation of arts and culture in the community. Since its inception in 1995, MKAF has inspired more than 400,000 children in more than 100 schools and partner agencies. Through its community education initiative ArtsReach, programming serves K-12 students, at-risk youth, people with disabilities, and the military population with visible and invisible injuries. As a presenting organization, MKAF has showcased its Concerts in the Village each season where the Southeast United States’ most vibrant performing artists and bands perform to more than 35,000 patrons annually. More than 100 artists convene in Destin each year for the Festival of the Arts, which is one the preeminent arts festivals along the Gulf coast. MKAF has partnered with multiple regional non-profits and school districts in the communities that it serves to ensure access to the arts for all.

MATTIE KELLY ARTS FOUNDATION AWARDED $30,000 NATIONAL GRANT BY EMERIL LAGASSE FOUNDATION