The Hermitage Artist Retreat (Sarasota County, Florida) announced today that the nonprofit organization has been awarded a series of grants totaling over $450,000 that will support a variety of programs and initiatives, including residencies for Hermitage Fellows, arts education support, and program accessibility. Grants were awarded by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, The Exchange, Florida Department of State’s Division of Arts and Culture, Frank E. Duckwall Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Koski Family Foundation, Manatee Community Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and the Sarasota County Tourist Development Cultural/Arts Program.
The Hermitage is a multidisciplinary arts organization dedicated to championing bold and impactful new work, supporting the creative process, elevating the artist experience, and enriching the lives of audiences and arts appreciators around the world. A leading national incubator for diverse and original works across all artistic mediums, the Hermitage aims to inspire creative minds to achieve their greatest potential. In addition, the Hermitage is the only major arts organization in Florida exclusively committed to the development and creation of new work across all artistic disciplines.
The Florida Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture is supporting the mission of the Hermitage with a $150,000 grant award. These funds will go toward supporting artist residencies, free community programs, arts education programs, and additional programming surrounding Hermitage commissions like the Hermitage Greenfield Prize and the Hermitage Major Theater Award.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has renewed its support for the Hermitage with a $60,000 grant award. These funds are intended to support the Hermitage’s nationally renowned artist residency program.
The Welles Murphey Fund at Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF) renewed its support for the Hermitage with a $50,000 Empowering Arts Grant in support of the organization’s mission: to inspire and foster the most influential and culturally consequential art and artists of our time. The Hermitage became one of Gulf Coast’s “Arts Appreciation” grantees in 2021, and that program was subsequently rebranded as “Empowering Arts,” supporting leading arts and cultural institutions in the region. GCCF has additionally supported the Hermitage through other special programs and hurricane relief efforts in recent years.
The Hermitage was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County (CFSC) to once again serve as the Lead Community Sponsor for the Hermitage Greenfield Prize Weekend. This will be the tenth year of CFSC’s support of this annual celebration, which the Hermitage presents each year in partnership with the Greenfield Foundation. This coming year’s events are scheduled for April 16-18, 2027, with additional details to be announced. The popular Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner will be held on Sunday, April 18th starting at 6pm at Michael’s On East.
For the upcoming season, Sarasota County approved the Tourist Development Cultural/Arts Program(TDC/A) funding, resulting in a grant award just over $60,000 for the Hermitage to facilitate artist residencies and programming that supports tourism in Sarasota County. Hermitage Fellows, alumni, and curators are some of the leading artists and thinkers in their respective fields from all over the world. These world-renowned creators share their artistic talents and insight into their creative process through free community programs held on the Hermitage campus, as well as at partner arts, cultural, and educational institutions throughout the region. These impactful and educational programs offer a wide variety of free events to tourists and residents alike, all throughout Sarasota County.
The Koski Family Foundation renewed their support of the Hermitage with a $50,000 grant to support the Hermitage’s commitment to arts education, in addition to their continuing support of the Hermitage’s Sarasota Cross Arts Collaborative initiative. This generous grant allows the Hermitage to foster the development and growth of teaching artists while providing local schools the benefit of these extraordinary artists’ insight and instruction. The Cross Arts Collaborative was designed to give performing and generative artists who call local arts institutions their creative home a chance to expand their artistic practice from ‘performer’ to ‘creator.’ Recipients receive two weeks of uninterrupted time at the Hermitage Artist Retreat to develop a new project and present a free public program for the greater Sarasota community. The Cross Arts Collaborative recipients from 2026 will share a public program of their work-in-process as part of the Hermitage’s 2026-2027 season.
Additional community program support comes from The Exchange, which awarded a grant to support the Hermitage’s north Sarasota County programming initiatives, introducing patrons in Sarasota to some of the world’s leading artists, while the Frank E. Duckwall Foundation’s grant supports the Hermitage with a focus on the enhancement and refurbishment of the Hermitage Englewood Art Center. A grant from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation will support the world-renowned Hermitage Residency program. The Manatee Community Foundationis providing support in recognition of the Hermitage’s programming and impact in Manatee County, while a grant from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music will provide support for the organization’s ongoing commitment to music residencies and initiatives.
The Hermitage is nationally and globally recognized for its acclaimed artist residency program and its rapidly expanding community programming, introducing Gulf Coast audiences to some of the world’s leading artists across all disciplines. “As our programs and collaborations continue to evolve and expand, we are excited to see the impact on audiences throughout our region and beyond,” says Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg. “We are deeply appreciative for these generous grants from both new and longtime supporters, all of which will provide invaluable support and resources to the diverse and accomplished Hermitage artists who are making a meaningful impact in our community and with audiences around the world.”