Grant funding supports Rockport Center for the Arts in deepening impact in arts education programming across Aransas County.
Rockport, TX (July 16, 2025) – Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) is honored to be one of the select community organizations to receive a 2025 grant from Texas Women for the Arts (TWA), a program of the arts advocacy nonprofit Texas Cultural Trust (TXCT). The $20,000 grant will be used to support FREE K-12 Youth Art Education Programming for June 2025-May 2026 Calendar Year.
Rockport Center for the Arts offers free, year-round, high quality, hands-on youth education in visual arts, ballet, breakdancing, filmmaking and culinary arts programs. These free offerings ensure equal access to all children, particularly to economically disadvantaged households. Together, these programs serve over 4,000 youth annually.
All children need access to the Arts and cost must not be a barrier to participating in arts education and exploring creative expression. Nearly 70% of local children in our community qualify for free & reduced lunch programs. Even a $5 fee is a barrier to access for many of our families. Our purpose is to present enriching visual art, dance, film, and culinary art programming for all our children to experience hands-on, especially those from at-risk and economically disadvantaged households. The grant provide by Texas Women for the Arts ensures that children in Aransas County will continue to explore their creativity in a safe, welcoming environment.
“We are deeply grateful to Texas Women for the Arts for their investment in our community’s youth”, says Karen Ernst, RCA Executive Director. “This grant allows us to eliminate financial barriers and expand access to high-quality, hands-on arts programming for all children in Aransas County. At Rockport Center for the Arts, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to discover their creative voice, and this funding brings us one step closer to that vision.”
Texas Women for the Arts is a collective of over 200 philanthropists, community leaders, and arts advocates across the state, dedicated to enriching educational arts opportunities for children. 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. According to the Trust’s recent 2025 State of the Arts Report, students highly engaged in the arts are more likely to meet college readiness benchmarks, pursue higher education, experience enhanced neurodevelopment and emotional growth, and demonstrate higher community engagement.
TWA Grants are awarded annually through a rigorous review and selection process. To learn more about the programs and the Texas Cultural Trust, visit txculturaltrust.org.
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About Rockport Center for the Arts
The new 1.2-acre Rockport Center for the Arts, the Coastal Bend’s first multidisciplinary arts organization, is located a block away from Aransas Bay in the heart of the Rockport Cultural Arts District. Designed by the award-winning team at Richter Architects, the state-of-the-art campus features a two-story, 14,000-square-foot, visual arts and education building with four galleries and five classrooms (204 S. Austin St.); The Rockport Conference Center, a one-story, 8,000-square-foot conference and event center, known as The ROCC, (106 S. Austin St.); with a 16,000-square-foot Sculpture Garden serving as a visually inspiring transition space between the two buildings. The hours of operation for the showroom, galleries, and gift shop are Tuesday–Saturday from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday from noon–4 p.m. Admission is always free. For information on event space, or to book an event, call (361) 450-8033. For general information and to become a member, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.
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/.