CreArte Latino, which was founded in 2012 as a creative hub for the Spanish-speaking Latino/Hispanic community in Sarasota and Manatee counties, has received a $71,000 grant from the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation. The funding will be used for its “Para el Futuro/For the Future” initiative, which includes plans to re-open a new 4,500-square-foot space at 8251 15^th St. East in Sarasota and expand its schedule of theater productions, events, and activities.

The initiative targets four specific areas: community outreach, scholarships directed toward Latinos/Hispanics, professional salaries and operational expenses. According to artistic director and president Carolina Franco, the organization has used the funds to hire the organization’s first part-time paid employees, including a director of programming, a director of education and a director of marketing. Franco says that the Para El Futuro/For the Future initiative also includes adding more classes, workshops and plays.

The first re-opening activities include book clubs for adults and children, bilingual painting workshops for adults and children and an acting workshop. In cooperation with The Hispanic Association of Sarasota and the health departments of Sarasota and Manatee counties, CreArte Latino has hosted two vaccination pop-up clinics.