Asheville Area Arts Council
The mission of artsavl is to keep the arts at the heart of our community. The arts council fulfills its mission by supporting arts professionals and businesses in Buncombe county through connection, advocacy, and grants.
Key facts about Asheville Area Arts Council
In short: Asheville Area Arts Council gave $385K across 34 grants in 2025 (avg $11K), mostly in North Carolina. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 58-1371546
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $385,438
- Grants made (2025)
- 34
- Average grant
- $11,336
- Median grant
- $10,686
- Total assets
- $1,271,837
- Primary geography
- North Carolina (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$1.3M
+224.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$385K
+174.3% YoY
Grant Count
34
+78.9% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$11K
+53.3% YoY
How Asheville Area Arts Council gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
About Asheville Area Arts Council
Based on IRS filings
Asheville Area Arts Council is a public charity focused on Arts, Culture & Humanities, based in Asheville, NC. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $1.3M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 34 grants totaling $385K.
Focus Areas
Open Grants
9 open opportunities from Asheville Area Arts Council
Arts Build Community Grant
Asheville Area Arts Council
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Arts Build Community Grant
Asheville Area Arts Council
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Arts for Schools Grant
Asheville Area Arts Council
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 34 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $11K (2022) to $385K (2025). In 2025 it made 34 grants totaling $385K.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Leaf Global Arts ($27K). Together the top 10 received $164K.
Grant Size Distribution
106 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 106 grants of 106 (100%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Leaf Global Arts Asheville, NC | Event support grant, arts business relief grant, grassroots arts program, arts for schools | $26,562 |
| Asheville Downtown Association Inc Asheville, NC | Event Support Grant, Arts Business Relief Grant | $21,765 |
| Asheville Symphony Society Inc Asheville, NC | Event support grant, arts business relief grant, arts for schools, grassroots arts program | $18,417 |
| Umoja Health Wellness and Justice Collective Asheville, NC | Arts for schools, arts business relief grant, grassroots arts program | $17,500 |
| Pack Place Performing Arts Inc Asheville, NC | Grassroots arts program, arts business relief grant, arts build community | $14,500 |
| Local Cloth Inc Asheville, NC | Arts for schools, arts business relief grant, grassroots arts program | $14,250 |
| Asheville Community Theatre Inc Asheville, NC | Grassroots arts program, arts business relief grant, arts build community | $13,375 |
| Asheville City Schools Foundation Inc Asheville, NC | Grassroots Arts Program, Arts for Schools | $12,500 |
| North Carolina Glass Center Asheville, NC | Arts Business Relief Grant, Grassroots Arts Program | $12,500 |
| Blue Ridge Pride Center Inc Asheville, NC | Event Support Grant | $12,225 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,271,837 | $391,446 | $278,897 |
| Revenue | $3,313,764 | $690,753 | $641,426 |
| Expenses | $2,473,239 | $590,735 | $569,174 |
| Net Investment Income | — | $4,137 | $4,678 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 11, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 18, 2021)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Asheville Area Arts Council is led by Katie Cornell, Executive Director & Secretary since 2024 (on filings since 2020); 1 of 16 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Katie Cornell
Executive Director & Secretary
Executive Director → Executive Director & Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$29K (2020) → $85K (2025)
Brandy Bourne
Chair
Board Member → Vice Chair, 2023
Vice Chair → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Susan Harper
Development Chair
Board Member → Development Chair, 2025
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kaye Phillips
Board Development Chair
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Liz Whalen Tallent
Director
Board Member → Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Luke Lingle
Director
Board Member → Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lauren Brunk
Director
Board Member → Director, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alexa Kincaid
Director
Board Member → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
John Ager
Director
Board Member → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Martin Moore
Director
Board Member → Director, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alaina Nelson
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Beth Mangum
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jess Bayne
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Scott McLean
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hannah Randall
Vice Chair
Board Member → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Craig Harris
Treasurer
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (18)
- Former: Pete Perez (2019–2024) — Chair
- Former: Lori Hines (2021–2024) — Treasurer
- Former: Micah Mackenzie (2022–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Kaye Phillips Zusmann (2024) — Board Member
- Former: Bill Dorfman (2019–2023) — Board Member
- Former: David Feingold (2019–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Gael Perry Pearson (2019–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Josh Batenhorst (2019–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Eunice Ward (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Gar Ranland (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Noel Swartz (2019–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Ehren Cruz (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Michael Ebbs (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Heather Stefani (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Liz Tallent Whalen (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Angela Lausell (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Janelle Wienke (2019) — Interim Executive Director January to June
- Former: Stefanie Gerber (2019) — Executive Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $85K, to Katie Cornell (Executive Director/Secretary).
Frequently asked questions about Asheville Area Arts Council
How much does Asheville Area Arts Council give each year?
Asheville Area Arts Council gave $385K across 34 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $141K across 19 grants.
What is Asheville Area Arts Council's typical grant size?
Asheville Area Arts Council's median grant in 2025 was $10,686, and its average grant was $11,336, across 34 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Asheville Area Arts Council give grants?
Asheville Area Arts Council gives mostly in North Carolina: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Asheville, NC (29 grants).
Does Asheville Area Arts Council give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 34 grants with a stated purpose on Asheville Area Arts Council's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Grassroots Arts Program, Arts Business Relief Grant" (10 grants) and "Arts Build Community, Arts Business Relief Grant" (3 grants).
Who are Asheville Area Arts Council's largest grantees?
Asheville Area Arts Council's largest 2025 grantees include Leaf Global Arts ($26,562), Asheville Downtown Association Inc ($21,765) and Asheville Symphony Society Inc ($18,417), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 17% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Asheville Area Arts Council?
Asheville Area Arts Council reported $1.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $3.3M.
What is Asheville Area Arts Council?
Asheville Area Arts Council is a public charity focused on Arts, Culture & Humanities, based in Asheville, NC. It holds $1.3M in total assets as of 2025.
What is Asheville Area Arts Council's EIN?
Asheville Area Arts Council's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 58-1371546. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
Here's the math on researching Asheville Area Arts Council by hand.
Explore Open Grants
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Asheville Area Arts Council down — hundreds of funders to go?