Summer 2026 Community Fund Grant Recipients
Arts Council Napa Valley awards $20,000 for local arts and culture programs.
Grantees (left to right) Sing Napa Valley, Valley Players, Grupo Folklorico Amor al Arte, Coyote Creates, American Canyon Arts Foundation
Thanks to support from the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Arts Council Napa Valley announces its summer 2026 Community Fund grant recipients. Six local projects and programs will receive funds for their community work.
We dedicate ourselves to the continued growth of the Community Fund so we can support even more artist-led projects and programs throughout Napa Valley. If you are interested in more information on how you can help, please contact ACNV’s Program Manager, Crysta Tim-Ruiz, at crysta@artscouncilnv.org or (707) 257-2117.
This term’s Community Fund grant awards reflect diverse artistic genres, disciplines, and audiences. Various projects and programs center on subjects such as theater, folklorico dance, music, visual art, puppeteering, children’s literature, and regular local monthly arts programming. We are honored to support projects led by local artists and organizations serving our community.
These programs support ACNV’s vision of enriching our community through arts and culture by expanding access, fostering engagement, and creating relevant opportunities for locals. Since the inception of the Community Fund, ACNV has provided more than $350,000 to artists and small non-profit organizations so that local work may grow and deepen the impact of arts and culture for all in the Napa County community.
ACNV Community Fund Grant Recipients | Winter 2026
ARTIST ENHANCEMENT PROJECT
Sing Napa Valley
This project aims to include additional instrumentalists, including those specializing in non-traditional instruments, into two choral performances during our 2026-2027 season.
To see more about the upcoming season of programming, visit: SingNapaValley.org
SUMMER STAGED READING 2026 & “NIGHT MUST FALL” BY EMLYN WILLIAMS
Valley Players
Summer Staged Reading 2026
A total of ten selected plays by nine different playwrights are read on-stage by groups of three readers per play. This year’s themes include family discordance complicated by maternal alcoholism; loneliness and grief; and challenges of women in science and academia. Post-performance discussions offer playwrights direct audience feedback, creating a rare opportunity for audience exchange.
“Night Must Fall” by Emlyn Williams
A 1935 psychological thriller by Emlyn Williams about a young man named Dan. He is a charming yet sinister figure who insinuates himself into the home of an elderly, hypochondriacal woman, Mrs. Bramson, and her niece, Olivia, amidst a local murder investigation. This leads to suspense and horror as his true psychopathic nature is revealed. And it reflects today’s society in addressing elder abuse, fraud, and gaslighting. The latter is highlighted by Olivia’s questioning her own understanding of the actions and motives of Dan.
To see more about Valley Players’ offerings, visit: Valley-Players.com
FOLKLORICO DANCE & PERFORMANCES THROUGHOUT NAPA COUNTY
Grupo Folklorico Amor al Arte
A community program in Napa County that teaches and preserves Mexican folk dance, offering free rehearsals and performances at schools and local events, promoting cultural identity, inclusion, and access to the arts.
To see more about the program, how to get involved, and where to watch them perform, visit their Instagram page: @grupofolklorico.amoralarte or Facebook page: Grupo Folklorico “Amor al Arte”
“TATA EFREN’S FOREVER LAUGHTER”
Eileen Tabios, Jeannie Celestial & Philippine American Writers and Artists (PAWA)
“Tata Efren’s Forever Laughter” is an immersive Filipino cultural arts event that uses poetry, kulintang music, visual art, storytelling, and ancestral foods to honor grief and remembrance, based on a children’s novel of the same name. The gathering invites Napa residents of all ages into creative healing, intergenerational connection, and Filipino American cultural celebration.
To see more about the novel and to stay up-to-date about event details as they come, visit: EileenRTabios.com/Fiction/Tata-Efrens-Forever-Laughter
“SILLY HUMAN!” THE PUPPET SHOW
Coyote Creates
A puppet show based on the children’s book “Silly Human!/Silly Humano!” written by local Napa author and illustrator Xochitl Hermosillo. This story explores what happens when an alien gently reminds a child what it means to be human. “Silly Human!/Silly Humano!” is a heartfelt, playful story about curiosity, connection, and finding peace in the middle. The puppet show will explore the story’s themes through readings from the book and a conversation between the puppet of the alien character “Rocket” and the author.
To see more about the book and to stay up-to-date about event details as they come, visit: CoyoteCreates.com
THIRD THURSDAYS IN AMERICAN CANYON
American Canyon Arts Foundation (ACAF)
ACAF hosts a monthly Third Thursdays program hosting visual, performing, and cultural arts events in American Canyon, such as their recent Ekphrastic Poetry workshop, Open Mic Night, Drum Circle, and more.
To see more about Third Thursdays and other ACAF programming, visit: AmCanArt.org
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About the Community Fund
Made possible through the support of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation grant awarded to ACNV in 2025. The re-granting program has 40,000 to distribute this fiscal year. Grants are made to small nonprofits, individual artists, and groups to support creative projects and programs that are publicly accessible within Napa County, to grow and deepen the general community’s relationship with arts and culture through greater access, engagement, and culturally relevant opportunities.
About the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is a private charitable foundation that advances ideas and supports institutions to promote a better world. Today, it is the largest private funder of the performing arts in the San Francisco Bay Area, making roughly $20 million in grants to more than 220 nonprofit arts organizations in 11 Bay Area counties each year. To learn more, visit Hewlett.org.
About Arts Council Napa Valley
As the official local arts agency in Napa County, Arts Council Napa Valley connects, advocates, and leads the arts community countywide. Since 1981, the Arts Council has worked to benefit all residents by fostering a more sustainable, accessible, and high-quality local arts scene. To learn more, visit ArtsCouncilNapaValley.org.