Non-Profit Profile

The Columbia Festival of the Arts is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit. Founded in 1987, the Festival’s popularity and growth has transformed it into one of the Baltimore/Washington Corridor’s premiere summer arts events. Each summer the Festival presents a brand new season of world-class events, including gala performances, exhibitions, free concerts, family activities, master classes, workshops and community dialogues. The Festival brings together the arts community, businesses, local schools, and individuals to create an annual event that shines a spotlight, not only on the arts, but on the Howard County community as a Maryland showplace.

The Festival is dependent upon a variety of funding sources, including grants, corporate sponsorships and individual donations. The funds are used to subsidize Festival programming costs in order to make the arts accessible for people across a broad spectrum of social, cultural and economic strata. The Festival’s focus is on reaching out and embracing the vast and diverse community that exists in the region.

Now in its third decade, the Festival continues to thrive because so many organizations and individuals are committed to its success.