Nearly $11 million in recovery grants began being distributed to over 700 nonprofits this week, including Columbia Basin Allied Arts in Moses Lake and Masquers Theater in Soap Lake.

Columbia Basin Allied Arts received a grant for $5,000, while Masquers Theater received $10,000 from the Nonprofit Community Relief (NCR) grant program.

The NCR grant program, put together in partnership by ArtsFund and the Washington State Department of Commerce, aims to provide funding for nonprofit arts, cultural, heritage or science organizations impacted by the pandemic. ArtsFund is a nonprofit company centered on supporting the arts through grant making, leadership and advocacy.

President of the Board of Directors for Masquers Theater Jessica Hogge said the theater applied for an array of grants to help make up for time the theater’s doors were closed and some renovations projects the company has taken on.

Hogge said the theater board took advantage of the “down time” to tackle a few restoration and renovation projects, including updating the theater lobby and making repairs to the theater roof. She said one hope the theater board has with the grant money coming in is to make some technological upgrades.

“It’s that time to look at growing our technology and providing new experiences for the community with the theater and that’s one of the ways that we’re looking at growing is the technology,” Hogge said.

She said the hope is to incorporate more “tech savvy” innovations into future productions at Masquers Theater. Stacey Bresee is the treasurer for the Masquers Board of Directors. Bresee said this particular grant is geared toward “nonprofit community recovery.” A packet is set to come in the mail soon giving her more details on the grant.

“A lot of those grants that we were putting in were to cover operation costs because we didn’t have money coming in, and then we did a roof repair and that was what I was really striving for was to have some money to go toward that,” Bresee said.

She said the funds from this grant will go toward mediating some of the costs from those recent renovation and restoration projects and hopefully some future projects, as well. Bresee said the board is still hopeful to hear back on some of the other grants applied for this summer to support the theater now that the doors are open again.

As a local band member herself, Bresee said it’s nice just seeing venues opening up again and offering things to do for the community.

Casey McCarthy can be reached via email at [email protected].