Who benefits?
A selection of our recipients and their stories
artsea dance
“ArtSea is a weekend-long convention dedicated to helping aspiring young dancers cultivate their talent and recognize the potential in pursuing a professional dance career. The program exposes students to different styles of dance, provides master-classes, informational sessions, and performance opportunities. The experience offers a bridge to connect young artists of the Caribbean to the vast dance world abroad. ArtSea is an outlet for these young, talented performers to have fun and grow within their craft.” - Founder, Courtney Spears
ivory global management summer program - music
“Over the past 13 years we have been able to impact the lives of over 500+ students, some of whom have gone on to college and have returned to provide mentorship within our program. Through the CAF grant we are able to offer the program each year to all students for free. We host local and international recording artists, instructors and mentors to give the attendees the greatest possible exposure and training.”- CEO, Roscoe Dames
Angelika wallace whitfield- visual artist
Angelika Wallace Whitfield is a fine-artist, who currently works as a free-lance mural artist, while maintaining her own fine art practice. Wallace-Whitfield attended The University of Kent where she jointly studied Art History and The Philosophy of Art. She returned home in 2017, and worked as a curator before setting up her own business as a muralist- brightening up her community.
Wallace-Whitfield says of her experience: “I applied for the CAF grant, after making the decision to follow my passion and not take a full scholarship to medical school. It was never clear how I would fund my goal of studying Art History & The Philosophy of Art, but the CAF were by my side for the extent of my education. They not only lent financial support, but also moral support while I was off studying. I am eternally grateful for the CAF, not only as a recipient but also as a curator.”
Letitia Pratt- Writer
Author of ‘Pulling The Wings From Out My Back’ and frequent contributer to The Nassau Guardian Arts and Culture section, Letitia Pratt received assistance to attend the Writing Program at School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), one of the most prestigious art schools in the United States.
Along with the financial assistance of the CAF, Pratt received National Tuition Assistance from the Bahamian Government and held a fundraising exhibition to cover her tuition costs. Within weeks of being at SAIC, Pratt was settled into two on-campus jobs and beginning her own literary project that focuses on Bahamian folklore.
In writing about the application process, Pratt says:
“ Attending the writing program at SAIC has been an incredible opportunity to expand my literary skills and knowledge. I am able to have this opportunity because of all that you have given me, and I am so very thankful that you have supported my career.”
Bernard petit-homme- filmmaker
BERNARD PETIT-HOMME received a CAF grant to study Advanced Filmmaking at Fanshawe College, Ontario, for which he was on the President’s Honor Roll. Petit-Homme was the first and only Bahamian to have ever graduated from this program at Fanshawe.
Petit-Homme is multi-talented, and has contributed to The Bahamian art community from several angles: he is a visual artist and painter; several of his paintings have been acquired by The D’Aguilar Art Foundation. Petit-Homme acted with The Track Road Theatre Group and Shakespeare in Paradise and assisted in film production with notable local and international films shoots in New Providence. As a recent graduate, Petit-Homme is now working to forge a link between the rising film industry in The Bahamas and the already established industry in Canada, “I intend to find myself producing work across the two jurisdictions of home and Canada. Especially, bringing industry related expertise to collaborate with our local professionals, and tapping into financing for Canada-Bahamas co-productions.”
Bahamas national youth choir
The Bahamas National Youth Choir (BNYC) has a programme that includes a strong training component not only music but also the performing arts. Its members range from teenagers to young adults (ages 14 - 25). The main focus of the choir is the preservation and promotion of Bahamian folk and other indigenous music of the diaspora. BNYC strives to maintain high international standards in choral singing and stage performance.
The Charitable Arts Foundation (CFA) has tremendously assisted the choir over 30 years of its existence providing tangible means that allow it to fulfil its mandate as a non-profit charitable entity. The BNYC depends strongly on both private and public sector partnerships in its endeavors.
The Choir previously sought the CAF for assistance with International travel to promote the culture of The Bahamas; engage in international folk festivals and choral workshops; preparations for World Choir Games; musical exchanges with Universities/Colleges on industry best practices and offering scholarship opportunities to choristers; creation of documentary and musical CDs; and assistance in offsetting overhead expenses- e.g. international exams, course materials, purchase of materials. - Director, Dexter Fernander