Funding arts with a license plate

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The Virginia Commission for the Arts, or VCA, is giving you a way to support the ViBe District, the Chrysler Museum of Arts an other arts organizations.

It has a vibrant, bright, and colorful license plate on your car’s front and back.

“The majority of registration fees for each license plate go directly back into grants,” said Margaret Hancock, VCA Executive Director.

That grant money goes directly to VCA, which helps keep the arts in the Commonwealth alive.

“It’s really critical that we are not only fully funded,” Hancock said, “but that we’re investing back into each of these areas of the state.”

Those investments come through art-centric grants. Locally, VCA partially funds the ViBe Creative District, the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Hurrah Players and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Arts.

“Grants from VCA for operating funds are the hardest dollars for nonprofits to get,” said Kate Pittman, ViBe Creative District executive director, “and we’re so grateful for that operating support money, which allows us to hire staff and really fill the gaps in our budget between project monies and other donations that are made throughout the year. So, this is really important funding.”

This year’s design is new and represents the Commonwealth.

“We looked at the Virginia state flag, we pulled colors from that, and we came up with a design that really showed joy and expression and exuberance and all of the things that we fund through the arts,” Hancock said.

The process of getting a plate is like any other specialty player.

Around 60% of the money goes to the grant program.

If you’d like one of your own, click here. You can also purchase one in person at the DMV.

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